The Colorado General Assembly has enacted two education measures aimed at early childhood development: House Bill 26-1352, which revises how the state evaluates its early-literacy program under the READ Act, and House Bill 26-1193, which extends vision screening to pre-kindergarten students1.
HB26-1352 changes the required independent evaluation of READ Act spending from an annual to a biennial requirement1. It also directs the Colorado Department of Education to post an annual online report summarizing local education providers' reading curricula; their programs, services, and supports; and student progress1. The act further reduces the appropriation for the early-literacy program's external evaluation by $750,000 for the 2026-27 state fiscal year1.
State lobbying disclosures record organized interest in the measure: Stand for Children, Inc. and AFT Colorado registered positions supporting the bill, while the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance registered a position monitoring it3.
HB26-1193 requires school districts to test the vision of pre-kindergarten students, in addition to the existing requirement to test students in kindergarten and the first, second, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth grades2. The act also updates statutory terminology, replacing the word "sight" with "vision"2.