C.R.S. § 23-78-101 Short title
23-78-101. Short title. The short title of this article 78 is the "Growing Great Teachers Act".
Teacher Preparation Programs
C.R.S. tit. 23, art. 78
in effectC.R.S. § 23-78-102 Legislative declaration
23-78-102. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds that:
(a) High-quality teaching is the linchpin for effective, high-quality education in the schools of the state. To be an excellent, effective educator, an individual must receive comprehensive, rigorous, and effective training in the art and science of teaching and in the skills and subjects that the individual will teach.
(b) Local education providers who hire teachers who have not completed an adequate preparation program, including high-quality clinical practice, are likely to experience a high turnover rate because new teachers who are not well trained leave the profession in their first year of teaching at more than twice the rate of those who have had clinical practice and rigorous preparation;
(c) Student achievement is likely to suffer when teachers are not well prepared for the challenges of the classroom and when teachers do not remain on the job for more than one or two years. In addition, schools with high teacher turnover rates struggle to make long-term improvement.
(d) Research suggests that an effective teacher preparation program should include opportunities for teacher candidates to spend time in the classroom beginning in the first year of the program and continuing and increasing throughout the program, culminating in a full year of clinical practice using a classroom residency model in the final year of the program;
(e) To be effective, clinical practice must be directed and mentored by an experienced, high-quality master teacher who devotes significant time to working with the teacher candidate. These master teachers should receive training for the role of mentor teacher that results in a license endorsement as well as meaningful compensation for the time spent working with a teacher candidate and sufficient time within the daily work schedule to spend with the teacher candidate.
(f) Expanding mentorship to novice teachers not only creates valuable professional support for additional members of the education workforce, but also ultimately increases the number of capable, high-quality teachers, promotes job satisfaction, decreases teacher turnover, offers opportunities for experienced teachers to further their careers, and likely improves student achievement; and
(g) Sufficiently expanding mentorship opportunities for novice teachers requires a multi-faceted approach that also creates and builds future capacity for school- and district-level supports, including local induction and mentoring.
(2) The general assembly finds, therefore, that it is appropriate to direct the department of education and the department of higher education to collaborate with local education providers, approved educator preparation programs, alternative teacher programs, and other interested parties to identify best practices in providing comprehensive, rigorous, and effective teacher preparation and guidelines for implementing these best practices. The general assembly further finds that it is in the best interests of the state to establish a grant program to provide funding for training and reimbursements for mentor teachers who provide guidance and oversight for teacher candidates while they participate in clinical practice or for novice teachers.
C.R.S. § 23-78-103 Definitions
23-78-103. Definitions. As used in this part 1, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Alternative teacher program" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-60.5-102.
(2) "Approved educator preparation program" means an educator preparation program for teachers that the department of education has reviewed pursuant to section 22-60.5-121 and determined meets the minimum standards set forth in section 22-60.5-121 (2) and (3) and the requirements of section 23-1-108.
(3) "Clinical practice" means practical, field-based experience that a teacher candidate gains through working in a classroom under the direct supervision of a mentor teacher.
(4) "Commission" means the Colorado commission on higher education established in section 23-1-102.
(5) "Educator preparation program" or "program" means an alternative teacher program or an approved educator preparation program.
(6) "Institution of higher education" or "institution" means a public, private, or proprietary postsecondary institution authorized by the commission on higher education to offer educator preparation programs.
(7) "Local education provider" means a school district organized pursuant to article 30 of title 22; a board of cooperative services, created pursuant to article 5 of title 22, that operates a public school; or a charter school that is authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5 of title 22 or by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article 30.5 of title 22.
(8) "Master certificate" means the certificate issued by the department of education pursuant to section 22-60.5-202 and the implementing rules of the state board of education, which recognizes professional teacher licensees who are involved in ongoing professional development and training and who have advanced competencies or expertise or who have demonstrated outstanding achievements.
(9) "National-board certified" means that a teacher holds a certification from the national board for professional teaching standards.
(9.5) "Novice teacher" means a teacher who has fewer than three years of teaching experience.
(10) "State board" means the state board of education created in section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.
(11) "Teacher candidate" means a person who is enrolled in an educator preparation program for teaching.
C.R.S. § 23-78-104 Educator preparation program - best practices - guidelines - report
23-78-104. Educator preparation program - best practices - guidelines - report. (1) (a) The department of higher education and the department of education, in collaboration with the deans of the schools of education in Colorado institutions of higher education, or their designees, shall review research and practices from other states and other countries to identify best practices in providing educator preparation programs, including:
(I) Effective curricula, teaching teacher candidates the science of teaching reading and strategies to ensure all students learn to read, course scope and sequence, and timing of and effective practices in providing clinical practice; and
(II) Effective curricula and interventions, teaching candidates for an elementary education endorsement, a middle school mathematics endorsement, or a secondary mathematics endorsement interventions and strategies to help students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics; children with disabilities, as defined in section 22-20-103; and students who are English language learners.
(b) The departments and deans, or their designees, shall work with persons who implement alternative teacher programs, local education providers, teachers, and other interested parties in identifying the best practices. No later than January 1, 2020, the departments shall jointly adopt guidelines to assist educator preparation programs in adopting and implementing the best practices, including best practices to ensure that teacher candidates are well trained to teach students to read.
(2) The department of higher education and the department of education shall jointly prepare a report concerning the identified best practices, the adopted guidelines, and regulatory and legislative recommendations to ensure that the policies and criteria for reviewing and approving educator preparation programs pursuant to sections 22-60.5-115 (2), 22-60.5-205 (3), and 22-60.5-121 align with the identified best practices and are designed to determine the degree to which educator preparation programs are implementing the best practices. On or before January 15, 2020, the departments shall submit the report to the commission, the state board, and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees. To the extent necessary, the commission shall amend its guidelines and the state board shall amend its rules to align with the best practices.
(3) On or before March 1, 2020, each educator preparation program shall submit to the department of higher education and the department of education a plan demonstrating how the educator preparation program expects to phase in implementation of the identified best practices over the following three academic years.
C.R.S. § 23-78-105 Teacher mentor grant program - created - standards - appropriation - report - rules
23-78-105. Teacher mentor grant program - created - standards - appropriation - report - rules. (1) The teacher mentor grant program is created in the department of higher education to provide money to partnering local education providers and educator preparation programs to provide training and stipends for teachers who serve as mentors for teacher candidates participating in clinical practice or for novice teachers. Subject to available appropriations and qualifying applications, the department of higher education shall award grants beginning in the 2019-20 budget year. The department shall establish the duration of each grant as a period of up to three budget years, subject to annual review and renewal.
(2) A partnership consisting of at least one local education provider and at least one educator preparation program may submit an application for a grant to the department of higher education in accordance with guidelines adopted by the department. The department shall establish the application requirements that must include a plan by which the applicant intends to sustain the teacher mentor program after the grant period ends. In selecting grant recipients, the department shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that the grant recipients include applicants of varying size from rural, urban, and suburban areas across the state. The department may award grants only to those applicants that commit to implementing a teacher mentor program that:
(a) Recruits only teachers who have at least three years of experience teaching and, to the extent practicable:
(I) Are rated effective or higher through a licensed personnel performance evaluation system pursuant to article 9 of title 22; and
(II) Hold a master certificate or are national-board certified;
(b) Provides training in mentoring best practices, as identified pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, for all teachers who are recruited to serve as mentor teachers;
(c) Ensures that the employing local education provider allows time within the mentor teacher's schedule to provide oversight and support for the teacher candidate or novice teacher;
(d) Pays each mentor teacher a stipend of at least two thousand dollars per school year or at least two thousand five hundred dollars per school year if the mentor teacher holds a master certificate or is national-board certified. The department of higher education may promulgate rules to create a graduated scale for the stipends based on inflation, years of experience as a mentor, national certification, and any other relevant considerations as long as the stipend amounts are at least the amounts identified in this subsection (2)(d). The department may use any available funds to pay for the stipends described in this subsection (2)(d).
(e) Repealed.
(f) Collects and provides to the department of higher education nonidentifying data concerning teacher effectiveness ratings, retention, and other job-satisfaction and success measures, as described by the department, for teachers who receive mentoring through the teacher mentor program.
rtment may use any available funds to pay for the stipends described in this subsection (2)(d).
(e) Repealed.
(f) Collects and provides to the department of higher education nonidentifying data concerning teacher effectiveness ratings, retention, and other job-satisfaction and success measures, as described by the department, for teachers who receive mentoring through the teacher mentor program.
(3) The department of higher education and the department of education, in collaboration, shall work with the deans of the schools of education in Colorado institutions of higher education, or their designees, persons who implement alternative teacher programs, local education providers, teachers, and other interested parties to identify best practice standards and guidelines for teacher mentoring. The department of higher education shall adopt the standards and guidelines and make them available to local education providers and educator preparation programs by January 1, 2020, and shall review and update the standards as necessary. A teacher residency program, operating pursuant to article 60.3 of title 22, or a teaching fellowship program, operating pursuant to part 3 of this article 78, that provides mentoring for teacher candidates that meets the standards adopted pursuant to this subsection (3) may apply to receive a grant through the teacher mentor grant program, subject to the requirements specified in this section.
(4) (a) Beginning in the 2020-21 budget year, the department of higher education shall annually prepare a report concerning the implementation of the teacher mentor grant program. The report must include:
(I) The number, amount, and duration of the grants awarded and the names of educator preparation programs and local education providers participating in the grant recipient partnerships;
(II) A summary of the information received from grant recipients pursuant to subsection (2)(f) of this section; and
(III) Any regulatory or legislative recommendations for improving the implementation of teacher mentor programs across the state.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), on or before January 15, 2021, and on or before January 15 each year thereafter, the department of higher education shall submit the report to the commission, the department of education, the state board, and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees.
(5) (a) The general assembly shall annually appropriate money to the department of higher education to implement the teacher mentor grant program, including an amount to pay the direct administrative costs incurred in implementing the teacher mentor grant program.
(b) For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, and for each state fiscal year thereafter, the general assembly shall appropriate one hundred thousand dollars to the department of higher education for the teacher mentor grant program to fund direct administrative costs incurred by the department, grant awards, and direct administrative costs incurred by grant recipients to implement the program. This appropriation must supplement and not supplant current funding for the teacher mentor grant program. Any unexpended money remaining from the appropriation in this subsection (5)(b) at the end of the 2024-25 state fiscal year or a subsequent fiscal year:
(I) Does not revert to the general fund or any other fund; and
(II) May be used by the department of higher education solely for the teacher mentor grant program in subsequent state fiscal years without further appropriation.
C.R.S. § 23-78-301 Short title
23-78-301. Short title. The short title of this part 3 is the "Rural Colorado Grow Your Own Educator Act".
C.R.S. § 23-78-302 Legislative declaration
23-78-302. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds that:
(a) A shortage in the availability of teachers to fill teaching positions in rural local education providers is causing a significant hardship for rural local education providers;
(b) The shortage is due, in part, to the high rate of turnover of teachers entering and leaving the profession. Following graduation and initial employment, a high percentage of teachers leave the profession within five years.
(c) The shortage in some rural local education providers also arises because teachers, after teaching in the rural local education provider for a few years, choose to relocate to a more urban area or to an area with a lower cost of living;
(d) A program through which a rural local education provider and an institution of higher education enter into an agreement to provide a teaching fellowship in the rural local education provider for selected teacher candidates in their final year of an approved educator preparation program, which leads to employment by the rural local education provider upon graduation, will help to ensure that teachers are well prepared to meet the rural local education provider's needs and expectations, have met specific competencies the rural local education provider identified as being necessary, and are acclimated into the rural local education provider upon hiring. A teacher who receives this level of specific preparation for employment with a specific employer is more likely to remain in the profession and thereby help to reduce the teacher shortage.
(e) In selecting teacher candidates to participate in a teaching fellowship program, a rural local education provider and an institution of higher education should give preference to applicants who resided within the area surrounding the rural local education provider before attending a higher education institution and are seeking the opportunity to return to the local education provider as a teacher.
C.R.S. § 23-78-303 Definitions
23-78-303. Definitions. As used in this part 3, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Agreement" means a teaching fellowship program agreement as described in section 23-78-305.
(2) "Approved educator preparation program" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-60.5-121 (1)(b).
(3) "Eligible student" means an in-state student, as defined in section 23-7-102, who is enrolled in the final year of an approved educator preparation program at an institution of higher education.
(4) "Institution of higher education" or "institution" means:
(a) A state institution of higher education, as defined in section 23-18-102;
(b) A local district college that offers an approved educator preparation program; or
(c) A private college or university, as defined in section 23-2-102, that is authorized pursuant to article 2 of this title 23 and offers an approved educator preparation program.
(4.5) "Remote school district" means a school district in Colorado, irrespective of pupil enrollment, that is more than fifty miles from the nearest large, urbanized area.
(5) "Rural charter school" means a charter school that is authorized by a rural school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5 of title 22 or an institute charter school that is authorized by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article 30.5 of title 22 and is located within a rural school district.
(6) "Rural local education provider" means a remote school district, a rural school district, a rural charter school, or a board of cooperative services that operates a public school that is located within a rural school district.
(7) "Rural school district" means a school district in Colorado that the department of education determines is rural, based on the geographic size of the school district and the distance of the school district from the nearest large, urbanized area.
(8) "Stipend" means a teaching fellowship stipend distributed to a teaching fellow as wages for employment or as state-based financial aid as provided in section 23-78-306.
(9) "Teaching fellow" means an eligible student who participates in a teaching fellowship program.
(10) "Teaching fellowship program" or "program" means a teaching fellowship program created by a rural local education provider and an institution of higher education pursuant to an agreement as described in section 23-78-305.
C.R.S. § 23-78-304 Department of education - eligible rural local education provider - identified
23-78-304. Department of education - eligible rural local education provider - identified. Within thirty days after May 25, 2018, the department of education shall identify geographic areas of the state and specific subject areas and grade levels for which there are critical shortages of qualified teachers to fill elementary and secondary teaching positions in public schools. The department shall post a map showing the identified geographic areas and a list of the identified subjects on the department website. The department shall annually review the pertinent data and update the identified geographic areas and subjects as appropriate.
C.R.S. § 23-78-305 Teaching fellowship program - agreements - requirements - report
23-78-305. Teaching fellowship program - agreements - requirements - report. (1) The governing board of a rural local education provider may enter into an agreement with an institution of higher education to create a teaching fellowship program if the rural local education provider:
(a) Is located within one of the geographic areas, or is seeking to fill a teaching position in one of the subjects, identified by the department of education pursuant to section 23-78-304;
(b) Demonstrates a serious, chronic difficulty in hiring or retaining teachers; and
(c) Demonstrates a level of financial need that makes payment of fifty percent of a teaching fellow's stipend a hardship for the rural local education provider.
(2) At a minimum, each agreement must describe the roles and expectations of the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education in implementing the program, including at a minimum:
(a) The commitment of the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education to jointly design an individualized, one-year teaching fellowship for each teaching fellow who is selected, which fellowship is designed to meet the needs of both the rural local education provider and the teaching fellow. At a minimum, the design must include:
(I) An evaluation at the beginning of the fellowship year of each applying eligible student's strengths and areas for growth and improvement, the needs of the rural local education provider, and the competencies that the applying eligible student, if selected, must master over the course of the fellowship year, which the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education use, in part, for determining whether the eligible student is well-matched with the rural local education provider;
(II) Joint selection by the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education of each teaching fellow and any criteria, in addition to that identified in subsection (2)(a)(I) of this section, that they apply in selecting the teaching fellows. The rural local education provider and the institution may give priority to an applying eligible student who resided within the area surrounding the rural local education provider before attending the institution and seeks to return to the rural local education provider as a teacher.
(III) Identification of the competencies that each teaching fellow is expected to master by the completion of the fellowship year, which are in addition to the teacher quality standards adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 22-2-109 and reflect the unique needs of the rural local education provider;
(IV) Explanation of how the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education will support the teaching fellow in mastering the identified competencies;
(V) Assignment by the rural local education provider of an experienced, nonprobationary teacher who has received a highly effective rating through the rural local education provider's performance evaluation system implemented pursuant to section 22-9-106 to act as a supervising teacher for the teaching fellow; and
(VI) Inclusion of the teaching fellow in the range of activities expected of the teachers employed by the rural local education provider, including at a minimum professional development opportunities and the rural local education provider's new teacher induction program;
(b) The commitment of the rural local education provider to extend an offer of employment to each teaching fellow who successfully completes the fellowship year, as determined by the rural local education provider based on the teaching fellow's mastery of the competencies, satisfactory completion of assigned duties, completion of graduation requirements, and attainment of an initial teacher license as provided in article 60.5 of title 22;
ation provider to extend an offer of employment to each teaching fellow who successfully completes the fellowship year, as determined by the rural local education provider based on the teaching fellow's mastery of the competencies, satisfactory completion of assigned duties, completion of graduation requirements, and attainment of an initial teacher license as provided in article 60.5 of title 22;
(c) The commitment of the institution of higher education to:
(I) Provide a stipend to each selected teaching fellow as provided in section 23-78-306;
(II) Disburse the stipend using the standard methods for allocating state-based financial aid or as wages for employment, as selected by the teaching fellow pursuant to subsection (3) of this section; and
(III) Award to the teaching fellow course credits for the fellowship and ensure the teaching fellow has the opportunity to complete during the fellowship year any other course work or other requirements to complete the approved educator preparation program in which the teaching fellow is enrolled; and
(d) The acknowledgment of the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education that either party may cancel the agreement at any time for any reason. The agreement must specify the responsibilities of each party if either cancels the agreement, including at a minimum the responsibilities owed to a teaching fellow if the agreement is canceled during his or her fellowship year.
(3) During the one-year teaching fellowship, each teaching fellow is expected to complete the approved educator preparation program in which he or she is enrolled and any additional requirements for completing his or her postsecondary credential. Each teaching fellow must choose whether to have a stipend awarded as state-based financial aid or as wages for employment. Each teaching fellow must commit to at least two full school years of employment by the rural local education provider following completion of the fellowship year if the teaching fellow receives an offer of employment from the rural local education provider for each of the two school years. A teaching fellow who receives offers of employment for both school years and does not complete the two full school years of employment must repay the amount received as a stipend during the fellowship year.
(4) A rural local education provider that is located within one of the geographic areas, or that is seeking to fill a teaching position in one of the subjects, identified by the department of education pursuant to section 23-78-304, may enter into agreements with multiple institutions of higher education. A rural local education provider may enter into an agreement with an institution of higher education regardless of whether the rural local education provider is located within the institution's service area. A rural local education provider may seek assistance from the department of higher education in identifying an appropriate institution of higher education with which to enter into an agreement.
rural local education provider may enter into an agreement with an institution of higher education regardless of whether the rural local education provider is located within the institution's service area. A rural local education provider may seek assistance from the department of higher education in identifying an appropriate institution of higher education with which to enter into an agreement.
(5) (a) The rural local education provider and institution of higher education that enter into an agreement shall annually prepare a report concerning the implementation of the agreement. The report, at a minimum, must include:
(I) The number of teaching fellows participating in the program and the subjects they were teaching;
(II) Whether the teaching fellows mastered the competencies identified by the rural local education provider and the institution of higher education;
(III) The effectiveness of the agreement and any modifications necessary to improve the quality of the teaching fellowship program;
(IV) Whether the participating rural local education provider employed the teaching fellow at the completion of the fellowship and the number of years the teaching fellow remains employed with the rural local education provider, to the extent the information is available; and
(V) If available, data concerning the performance of teaching fellows after they are employed by the rural local education provider.
(b) A rural local education provider and an institution of higher education that enter into an agreement shall annually decide whether to renew the agreement for the upcoming school year and may modify the agreement as appropriate.
(6) An institution of higher education that enters into an agreement shall file the finalized agreement, notices of renewal of the agreement, any modifications to the agreement, documentation of the participating rural local education provider's chronic hiring difficulty and financial need, and copies of the annual report with the department of higher education.
C.R.S. § 23-78-306 Teaching fellowship stipends - amount - funding
23-78-306. Teaching fellowship stipends - amount - funding. (1) Subject to available appropriations, up to one hundred teaching fellows per year, selected as provided in subsection (2) of this section, shall receive financial assistance in the form of a stipend in the amount of ten thousand dollars disbursed during the fellowship year. As provided in section 23-78-305 (3), the teaching fellow must choose whether the stipend is awarded as state-based financial aid or as wages for employment. In either case, the stipend is awarded without regard to need and is in addition to any other financial assistance that may be available to the teaching fellow. A teaching fellow may apply the stipend to pay the costs of attendance during the year in which he or she participates in the teaching fellowship program.
(2) The teaching fellowship stipends shall be paid fifty percent by the department of higher education from the amount appropriated for this part 3 and fifty percent by the participating institution of higher education. An institution of higher education that participates in a teaching fellowship program shall notify the department of higher education of the enrollment of each student who enters into a teaching fellowship program. Based on the level of chronic hiring difficulty and financial need demonstrated by each participating rural local education provider, the department shall annually select up to one hundred students enrolled in teaching fellowship programs to receive the stipend and shall forward to the institution fifty percent of the amount of the stipend for each selected student. The institution shall provide the remaining fifty percent of the stipend and disburse one hundred percent of each stipend to the selected teaching fellows as provided in section 23-78-305 (2)(c).
(3) If, upon completion of a teaching fellowship program, a teaching fellow does not accept an offer of employment made by the participating rural local education provider, or does not complete two full school years of employment as required in section 23-78-305 (3), the teaching fellow must repay the amount received as a stipend during the teaching fellowship year in accordance with terms established by the participating institution of higher education, and upon receipt of repayment the institution shall refund to the department of higher education the amount of the stipend.
(4) The general assembly shall annually appropriate to the department of higher education the amount required to implement the teaching fellowship programs as provided in this part 3. Any unexpended and unencumbered money from an appropriation made for the purposes of this part 3 for a state fiscal year commencing prior to July 1, 2020, remains available for expenditure by the department for the purposes of this part 3 and for the purposes of sections 23-76-104 and 23-76-106 in the next fiscal year without further appropriation.
C.R.S. § 23-78-307 Department of higher education - review of agreements - report
23-78-307. Department of higher education - review of agreements - report. (1) The department of higher education shall review each agreement, and any modifications to the agreement, that it receives from an institution of higher education to ensure that the agreement meets the minimum requirements specified in section 23-78-305. If the department finds that an agreement does not meet the requirements, it shall return the agreement to the appropriate rural local education provider and institution of higher education for modification.
(2) The department of higher education shall review the annual report received concerning each teaching fellowship program and submit an annual summary report to the state board of education, the Colorado commission on higher education, the joint budget committee of the general assembly, and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees. The department of higher education shall prepare and submit the summary report annually, notwithstanding section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), as part of the report required in section 22-60.5-121 (6). At a minimum, the summary report must include:
(a) Data concerning implementation of the teaching fellowship programs across the state, including:
(I) The participating rural local education providers and institutions of higher education;
(II) The number of teaching fellows; and
(III) The subjects and grade levels that the fellows are teaching; and
(b) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the teaching fellowship programs in reducing the shortage of teachers in the state, based at least in part on the number of teaching fellows who are employed by the participating rural local education providers at the completion of the fellowship, the number who remain employed through subsequent years, and the level of performance of the persons who are employed as teachers following completion of a teaching fellowship, to the extent the data is available.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-23.docxFetched: 10/6/2026