Colorado policymakers have two new resources for use during the legislative session. “Cue cards”’ were developed by the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab, providing legislators with an easy to use set of questions to promote dialogue and advance evidence-based decision making (EBDM).
During the first two weeks of the legislative session, the SMART Act Hearing Cue Card provided a menu of possible questions for joint legislative committee members to ask state agencies. The questions were designed to activate EBDM by surfacing:
- When agency goals are data-informed and identify what drives change.
- How agencies use performance management for continuous improvement and learning.
- Opportunities to build evidence so that future decisions can be better informed by data.
Early adopters of the initial cue card advocated for a similar resource for use throughout the legislative session. With this input, the Colorado Lab developed the Legislative Hearing Cue Card. These questions aid legislators in assessing the strength of existing evidence for a proposed policy or practice and identifying opportunities to build evidence.
Legislative leaders, including Representative Weissman (D), are working to increase awareness and use of the cue cards. The Colorado Lab has also been meeting with legislative committee members, and is available to meet with interested legislators, to introduce the cue cards and provide technical assistance in the meaningful use of these tools.
Please contact Dr. Courtney Everson to learn more.