Educator Talent - About Us

Program accountability and support: Authorization and reauthorization

The Educator Preparation team oversees all 54 educator preparation entities in the state of Colorado. Historically this office oversaw the universities and colleges that have traditional preparation programs in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). However, with the passage of SB23-258, this responsibility moved solely to CDE. As part of this work, this office maintains a comprehensive system of review and support for educator preparation programs with the ultimate goal of ensuring high-quality preparation pathways for every Colorado educator in order to support academic success for students. The work in this area is supported by Colorado legislation under CRS 22-2-112.CDE reviews each educator preparation program for content, rigor and completeness to ensure it addresses the requisite educator and endorsement standards established by the Colorado State Board of Education and presents these findings to the State Board of Education for its consideration to either authorize new programs or reauthorize existing programs, every five years. This work pertains to the state’s approved colleges and universities as well as the designated agencies for alternative teacher preparation. Twenty-three traditional educator preparation programs at colleges and universities, and 31 alternative educator preparation programs (designated agencies) are currently approved. Since fall 2018, this office was tasked with taking a closer look at the depth in which programs, traditional and alternative, are aligned to the reading standards specified in the elementary, early childhood and special education endorsement standards to ensure future teachers are prepared to teach reading aligned to the scientifically based reading requirements outlined in state statute and rule. Beginning in 2023, this office is additionally responsible for developing and implementing the new teacher degree apprenticeship pathway.

Educator preparation program administrators attended the first annual spring convening in which both traditional and alternative program leaders were invited. Sessions covered CDE updates, program-led roundtable discussions, teacher apprenticeship, collaboration with colleagues and engagement with the department. More than 44 programs were represented at the 2024 event. To stay connected, up-to-date and to collaborate with one another, designated agencies are also encouraged to join the Designated Agency monthly virtual office hour opportunities.

Contact Educator Preparation: [email protected]

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The Educator Development Unit supports educators in their preservice preparation, early career induction and mentoring as well as their career-long professional development. The team works with districts to ensure high-quality educator development experiences including induction, mentoring and support. 

Educator induction programs

Educator Development designs and administers the process for approving and renewing district, BOCES, charter school and non-public school-operated educator induction programs. These programs support and develop teachers, special services providers, principals and administrators who hold an initial license or are new to their position. Induction programs are critical to ensuring that these educators have the support they need to be effective in their roles. Resources and process details regarding induction programs are available on the Induction Programs webpage.

The review process ensures that local programs are aligned with state statute and rule; it also provides a vehicle for peer feedback that is oriented toward improving program quality. All CDE-approved educator induction programs must be reviewed and renewed every five years. CDE supports induction program leaders through support opportunities including coaching, professional learning communities, webinars and resources based on current research. 

English learner professional development programs

To better support Colorado’s students who are English language learners, the State Board of Education adopted rules in June 2018 requiring teachers who hold professional licenses with an elementary, math, science, social studies or English language arts endorsement to complete professional development (PD) in culturally and linguistically diverse education. Districts, BOCES, charter schools and PD providers may support teachers in meeting the this requirement by creating training programs aligned to the adopted standards. Details on this process are available on the English Learner Requirements – Information for Programs webpage.  Programs must be renewed every three years. A complete list of approved programs is available on the Approved English Learner Professional Development Programs webpage.

Contact Educator Development: [email protected]

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Principal Leadership Institute

House Bill 19-1002 created the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) and House Bill 22-1248 codified the program focusing on principal development. The PLI is a two-year program focusing on developing the leadership capacity of principals. There are three pathways a principal can choose for a coaching focus – Distributive Leadership, Early Literacy (Science of Reading) Implementation or First-Year Principals. Principal participants work alongside exemplary principal coaches using a Cognitive Coaching℠ framework. The program consists of job-embedded, actionable leadership seminars, monthly workshops, site visits and bi-weekly coaching sessions with principal coaches to provide leaders high levels of support via principal coaches throughout the program to sustain and integrate the skills and behaviors learned during the seminars. School leaders learn to use distributive leadership practices to optimize their schoolwide systems to promote collaborative problem solving and decision making. PLI participants learn strategies to empower staff so that their building stakeholders have ownership and a sense of responsibility as they strive to achieve high levels of student outcomes for each learner.

Contact PLI: [email protected]

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Grant Administration

The Quality Teacher Recruitment Program (QTRP) authorizes CDE to award grants to organizations collaborating with school districts, charter schools, or BOCES to recruit, select, train and retain licensed teachers in areas that historically have had difficulty attracting and keeping teachers. Grant program details, including annual reports, are available on the Quality Teacher Recruitment Grant Program webpage. Under the Educator Recruitment and Retention (ERR) program, qualified program applicants can apply for up to $10,000 in one-time financial assistance toward their educator preparation program costs if they commit to teaching in a shortage area for three years. Program details can be found on the ERR Program webpage. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed stimulus bills that included funding for education. Each stimulus bill provided funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. The ESSER fund directs 90% of the total state allocation to local education agencies (LEAs) and the remaining 10% for a state reserve fund.  Out of that state reserve fund, the Educator Talent division has administered two grant programs: the Education Workforce Program and the Mentor Grant Program. The Education Workforce Program concluded in September 2023.

The Mentor Grant Program was created to deepen mentoring programs at the local level, targeting support for pre-service teachers and teachers in their first three years. The grant allowed districts to build, enhance and strengthen mentoring programs to ensure beginning teachers have all the support necessary to build instructional capacity and effectiveness in the classroom. $9.5 million was awarded in round 1 mentor grants through the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years; an additional $1 million was made available in round 2 for grants in the 2023-24 school year. Grant details and a list of recipients are highlighted on the Mentor Grant Program webpage.

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The Great Teachers and Leaders Act, Senate Bill 10-191, was passed with the idea that every child in every community deserves excellent classroom teachers and building leaders who are supported in their professional growth. To support school districts with implementation of educator evaluations, CDE developed an evaluation system as an option for use by local education agencies (LEAs). The Educator Effectiveness Office offers support to all school districts and BOCES in implementing their educator effectiveness systems - the state model system as well as locally created systems.

CDE worked with a variety of stakeholders to design, develop and pilot the Colorado State Model Evaluation System. The rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education allow LEAs the option to use the Colorado State Model Evaluation System or to create their own local system, as long as that system adheres to state statute and rules.

Passed in 2022, Senate Bill 22-070, the Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade Licensed Personnel Performance Evaluations Act, updated and refined educator evaluation in Colorado. Implementation of this statute, and the associated State Board rules 1 CCR 301-87, occurred in the 2023-24 school year. 

Educator Effectiveness Regional Support

Beginning in 2017, the Educator Effectiveness Office shifted how support is offered to the field. Based on quantitative and qualitative feedback, the office created a team of regional specialists to provide direct support to districts and BOCES working to enhance their evaluation implementation practices. This approach to support delivery increases CDE’s ability to honor continuous improvement in the evaluation system and provide responsive assistance and capacity building. The regional specialist model supports districts and BOCES — regardless of the evaluation system used (state or local model) — to provide an integrated, systematic approach to evaluation and support the ongoing professional growth of their educators. Colorado districts and BOCES have embraced this enhanced model as they continue to refine and align their educator evaluation systems with local values and established processes. Each regional specialist forms a distinct partnership with their districts/BOCES and provides resources and support through site visits, side-by-side coaching, and problem-solving that is aligned to local values and decisions. The regional team also provides professional learning opportunities and dissemination of information and resources across the state.

Evaluator Training

The Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade Licensed Personnel Performance Evaluations Act, Senate Bill 22-070, established the statutory requirement that the department provide training to ensure that all evaluators have the skills necessary to observe and evaluate licensed personnel (i.e., teachers, special services providers [SSPs], and principals/APs) The legislation also created the requirement that beginning Aug. 1, 2024, an evaluator must complete the training – either provided by CDE or through a training approved by the department – prior to renewing an existing license or obtaining a new principal or administrator license. CDE launched the evaluator training, E-Train, in fall 2023. Districts and BOCES also have the option to become an authorized provider of CDE’s E-Train content or develop and submit for approval their own evaluator training aligned with the evaluator training standards specified in State Board rule, 1 CCR 301-87, 5.3 (H).

From the more than 1,000 completed exit tickets from E-Train Part II sessions delivered by the Educator Effectiveness Office as well as authorized district/BOCES providers, approximately 94% of responses agree (strongly agree [60%] and agree [34%]) the training is applicable to their role as an evaluator and that they will use content from the training in their practice as an evaluator.

Colorado Performance Management System

The Colorado Performance Management System (COPMS) in RANDA is an optional, free tool to support districts in the implementation, data collection and effective use of the Colorado State Model Evaluation System. The system features an electronic interface, data collection tools, final effectiveness ratings and aggregate reports to support principals and district leaders in providing actionable feedback and professional development opportunities for educators.

Evaluator Designee Training

As required in state law, all performance evaluations for licensed personnel (i.e., teachers, special services providers and principals/APs) must be conducted by an individual who holds
a Colorado principal or administrator license or who has completed CDE-approved training and been certified as an evaluator designee. Approved Training Providers offer training and certification for individuals who will be an evaluator and who do not hold a required license. Districts and BOCES have the opportunity to use evaluator designees when evaluating licensed personnel.

Contact Educator Effectiveness: [email protected]

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The Educator Licensure and Enforcement offices process and evaluate all applications for educator credentials and provide service and support to applicants, candidates, school district human resources and BOCES staff and educator preparation program administrators.

Application evaluation and customer support

The Educator Licensure Office presently offers 18 applications for a variety of educator credentials. Four primary license types – teachers, principals, administrators and special services – are issued with one or more of 60-plus endorsements, depending on license type and applicant qualifications. In addition, the licensure team issues 13 different authorizations, including 39 career and technical education (CTE) credentials.

After a few starts and stops, Phase Two of the development of COOL (the Colorado Online Licensing system introduced in spring 2021) is again underway and represents a division-wide development effort to streamline processes for Colorado’s educator preparation programs submission of information and application for authorization and reauthorization of approved endorsement areas and for districts to submit materials for educator induction programs, English learner professional development programs and more.

In addition to answering questions, evaluating qualifications and helping candidates navigate the application process, licensure consultants collaborate with both the Educator Recruitment and Retention and the Early Childhood Career Navigation teams to coach and consult with potential and current educators, striving to usher new teachers into the profession, thereby helping to address the state’s educator content and geographical shortages.

Enforcement investigations

The Educator Enforcement Office reviews every application in which an individual responds positively to one or more self-disclosure questions. It also reviews and verifies all associated criminal history reports and arrest records received from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation pertaining to applicants and license-holders, as well as news stories that involve a Colorado educator. Investigators consider provided information and oftentimes require and request additional documentation from police departments, court systems, human resources offices and the like, and work with local law enforcement when a matter is recent or ongoing.

After reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident(s), considering supporting legal documentation and consulting with counsel in the state’s Office of the Attorney General, the Enforcement office either clears the license-holder or applicant – thereby allowing the retention of the license or the application to be finalized and a credential issued – or presents the case to the State Board of Education with a recommendation for the revocation, rescinding or suspension of the credential or the denial of an application. How quickly applications are cleared depends largely on how quickly applicants, law enforcement agencies and other third-party entities respond with requested information.

Contact Licensing: Licensing Support Requests Form

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A critical aspect of maintaining a highly qualified and diverse educator workforce is monitoring and making transparent several indicators of the educator pipeline. The Educator Research and Impact Office collaborates across CDE and its divisions – as well as with districts, BOCES, educator preparation providers, the Colorado Department of Higher Education and numerous partner agencies – to provide a broad, cohesive and timely look at Colorado’s educator pipeline. The Educator Research and Impact Office shares this data to inform decision-making as it relates to all aspects of the pipeline, including recruitment, preparation, development and retention.

Educator preparation program report

A strong pipeline of high-quality and diverse educators is, in part, dependent upon a knowledgeable and skilled educator workforce emerging from Colorado's educator preparation programs. The
Colorado Educator Preparation Programs report (EPP Report) provides information about the effectiveness of programs that train teachers, principals and special services providers in Colorado. Detailed information about program enrollment and completion as well as employment, employment context, performance and retention of new teachers in Colorado from 2015-16 to the most recent academic year available, varying by metric, is presented in the interactive EPP Report dashboard.

Teacher recruitment and retention (TRR) survey

In partnership with Regional Education Laboratory Program, the Research and Impact office developed and administers a comprehensive survey on factors that impact the recruitment and retention of educators. Questions were developed through a series of focus groups with particular emphasis on representation by teachers of color. The TRR survey was administered statewide within the 2024 Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) survey.

Educator shortage survey

Each year, Colorado school districts must fill open teacher, principal, special services provider (SSP) and paraprofessional positions. Hiring qualified candidates can be challenging in certain content areas and roles and/or geographic locations, such as rural and small rural districts. Annually, the division surveys all school districts and BOCES to identify the number of positions filled by specific shortage mechanisms (including long-term substitutes, retired educators, alternative licensure program candidates and emergency authorization holders), the number of positions that went unfulfilled and recruiting strategies used. An interactive dashboard maps the results of the Educator Shortage Survey for each school district in the state. Shortage data are provided separately for each teacher, SSP, principal/assistant principal and paraprofessional positions. Data are also presented by teaching subject area, SSP type and rural designation.

Colorado educator workforce geographic information systems maps

A comprehensive project developed to portray the statewide educator pipeline, the Colorado Educator Workforce Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Maps illustrate several education datasets simultaneously -- school and district staff employment, shortage areas, turnover, working conditions, grant funding, performance indicators and P-12 student demographics -- and incorporate economic data, including unemployment rates and median local income. Visualizing these datasets by district and school via Colorado “heat maps” helps capture the complexity of educator workforce issues and how they vary across the state. The Research and Impact webpage contains additional resources developed to support the maps’ use, as well as a 50-state comparison brief of innovative policies and practices for attracting, preparing and retaining educators. The GIS map system was updated recently to include a view that focuses on representing the diversity of the workforce, allowing districts to gain insights into the distribution of teachers of color as well as explore gaps in representation (based on the percentage of students of color and the percentage of teachers of color within a given setting).

Educator effectiveness metrics

Annually, Colorado teachers and principals are evaluated on two criteria: a set of quality standards that define teacher or principal effective professional practices, and measures of student learning. The Educator Effectiveness Metrics reflect these annual performance evaluation ratings for teachers and principals for the most recent years of available CDE data. There are four publicly reported metrics for teachers and principals: Overall Effectiveness Ratings, Quality Standard Ratings, Alignment and Gap Analysis. The State Board of Education approved revised Teacher and Principal Quality Standards, which were implemented in revisions to the State Model Evaluation System scoring practices between 2017 and 2019. Due to these revisions, evaluation ratings from earlier years are not comparable and are, therefore, presented separately. The revised system is reported in EducatorView while the historical data remains in SchoolView Data Center.

Educator effectiveness assurances

The assurances for educator evaluation systems were designed to ensure that school districts and BOCES across Colorado implement written evaluation systems aligned with state statute and rule. Annually, the division collects assurances from all districts and BOCES indicating how licensed personnel are evaluated; the educator evaluation model(s) used; the weights assigned to the four professional practices quality standards; implementation of the Advisory Personnel Performance Evaluation Council; and the date by which all educators will be trained on the system that will be used for their evaluation. Interactive displays of evaluation system information may be viewed here.

Program evaluation of educator workforce initiatives and grants

In order to systematically review and support all the work of the Education Talent Division, the Research and Impact Office conducts and is responsible for the program evaluation of Educator Recruitment and Retention (ERR) activities, the Education Workforce Program, the Mentor Grant Program and the Principal Leadership Institute. The office also supports the external evaluation of the Quality Teacher Recruitment Program (QTRP).

Ultimately, the Research and Impact office’s evaluation activities will illustrate the effect of the Educator Talent Division, including but not limited to these programs on educator recruitment, preparation, development and retention. Monitoring and providing formative and summative feedback to stakeholders ensures that Educator Talent programs and efforts are efficient and effective and positively impact the educator pipeline.

Contact Research and Impact: [email protected]

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