The State Capitol is abuzz with education reform efforts as the The Denver Post reported on February 27:

“While there are disagreements over details, a core agenda is taking shape:

“House Bill 1048, already signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter, sets up a system to better track schools’ progress. It will create a more sophisticated way to show achievement than the current snapshot of scores on statewide assessment tests.

“Senate Bill 53, by Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, sets a commission to create smooth transitions from preschool up to college.

“Senate Bill 140 helps create a teacher tracking system that educators could use to match the best teachers with the most disadvantaged kids. The legislation from Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, says poor and minority kids are more likely to have less-qualified teachers.”

Most of these efforts are coming out of the recent Tough Choices or Tough Times Report presented in December 2006 by The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce.

Hat tip to Speaker Romanoff’s blog.