Access to Educator Pathways

The bill requires an early childhood special education, elementary, or special education generalist licensure endorsement candidate who meets the minimum coursework standards by successfully completing a content-based or a performance-based assessment (assessments) to successfully complete certain assessments. A candidate for an early childhood special education licensure endorsement must successfully complete no more than 2 assessments that measure:

• Knowledge and skills important for the safe and effective practice of a special education teacher who serves students from birth through third grade; and
• Knowledge and skills that an initial teacher must have to support the reading and writing development of students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

A candidate for an elementary licensure endorsement must successfully complete no more than 2 assessments that measure:

• Mathematical knowledge and skills that are essential for students in kindergarten through sixth grade; and
• Knowledge and skills that an initial teacher must have to support the reading and writing development of students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

A candidate for a special education generalist licensure endorsement must successfully complete no more than 2 assessments that measure:

• Basic principles of general special education and the application of those principles to realistic situations; and
• Knowledge and skills that an initial teacher must have to support the reading and writing development of students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The bill allows a currently licensed Colorado teacher seeking to add an early childhood education endorsement, early childhood special education endorsement, elementary education endorsement, or special education generalist endorsement may demonstrate professional competencies by submitting evidence of achieving sufficiently high education coursework grades on coursework aligned with relevant standards as approved by the department of education.

The bill clarifies that 4-year institutions of higher education that offer programs of off-campus instruction and that have courses included in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix or that are part of a statewide degree transfer agreement may participate in the teacher recruitment education and preparation program.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)