Colorado 2025 Regular Session

Colorado Senate Bill SB154 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		First Regular Session
2	2		Seventy-fifth General Assembly
3	3		STATE OF COLORADO
4		-	~~REREVISED~~
5		-	This Version Includes All Amendments
6		-	~~Adopted~~ in the Second House
	4	+	REVISED
	5	+	This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted
	6	+	on Second Reading in the Second House
7	7		LLS NO. 25-0432.01 Alana Rosen x2606
8	8		SENATE BILL 25-154
9	9		Senate Committees House Committees
10	10		Education Education
11	11		A BILL FOR AN ACT
12	12		C
13	13		ONCERNING ENHANCING ACCE SS TO EDUCATOR PATHWAYS .101
14	14		Bill Summary
15	15		(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
16	16		not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
17	17		passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
18	18		applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
19	19		http://leg.colorado.gov
20	20		.)
21	21		The bill requires an early childhood special education, elementary,
22	22		or special education generalist licensure endorsement candidate who
23	23		meets the minimum coursework standards by successfully completing a
24	24		content-based or a performance-based assessment (assessments) to
25	25		successfully complete certain assessments.
26	26		A candidate for an early childhood special education licensure
27	27		endorsement must successfully complete no more than 2 assessments that
28	28		measure:
29	29		HOUSE
30		-	3rd Reading Unamended
31		-	April 17, 2025
32		-	HOUSE
33	30		2nd Reading Unamended
34	31		April 16, 2025
35	32		SENATE
36	33		3rd Reading Unamended
37	34		March 11, 2025
38	35		SENATE
39	36		Amended 2nd Reading
40	37		March 10, 2025
41	38		SENATE SPONSORSHIP
42	39		Kipp, Ball, Bridges, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kolker, Marchman,
43	40		Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Snyder, Sullivan, Weissman, Winter F.
44	41		HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
45		-	Hamrick and Soper, Bacon, Bird, Boesenecker, Brown, Carter, Clifford, Froelich,
46		-	Jackson, Lieder, Lindsay, Lukens, Marshall, McCluskie, McCormick, Phillips, Rutinel,
47		-	Sirota, Smith, Stewart K., Story, Titone, Valdez, Woodrow
	42	+	Hamrick and Soper,
48	43		Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
49	44		Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
50	45		Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. ! Knowledge and skills important for the safe and effective
51	46		practice of a special education teacher who serves students
52	47		from birth through third grade; and
53	48		! Knowledge and skills that an initial teacher must have to
54	49		support the reading and writing development of students in
55	50		kindergarten through sixth grade.
56	51		A candidate for an elementary licensure endorsement must
57	52		successfully complete no more than 2 assessments that measure:
58	53		! Mathematical knowledge and skills that are essential for
59	54		students in kindergarten through sixth grade; and
60	55		! Knowledge and skills that an initial teacher must have to
61	56		support the reading and writing development of students in
62	57		kindergarten through sixth grade.
63	58		A candidate for a special education generalist licensure
64	59		endorsement must successfully complete no more than 2 assessments that
65	60		measure:
66	61		! Basic principles of general special education and the
67	62		application of those principles to realistic situations; and
68	63		! Knowledge and skills that an initial teacher must have to
69	64		support the reading and writing development of students in
70	65		kindergarten through sixth grade.
71	66		The bill clarifies that 4-year institutions of higher education that
72	67		offer programs of off-campus instruction and that have courses included
73	68		in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix or that are part of a statewide
74	69		degree transfer agreement may participate in the teacher recruitment
75	70		education and preparation program.
76	71		Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
77	72
78	73		2
79	74		SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-60.5-203, amend3
80	75		(6) introductory portion, (6)(a), and (6)(b) introductory portion; and4
81	76		add (7) as follows:5
82	77		22-60.5-203. Assessment of professional competencies -6
83	78		multiple measures to assess professional competencies - rules. (6) For7
84	79		purposes of establishing minimum competency in a licensure8
85	80		endorsement area, the state board of education shall establish minimum9
86	81		course work COURSEWORK standards that align with the quality standards10
87	82		154-2- established by the state board of education pursuant to section 22-2-1091
88	83		(3). Attainment of the minimum course work COURSEWORK standards2
89	84		may be shown in one of the following ways:3
90	85		(a) For early childhood education, early childhood special4
91	86		education, and elementary teachers CANDIDATES, including special5
92	87		education generalist teachers CANDIDATES, demonstration of6
93	88		competencies using the multiple measures set forth in subsection (3)(a)7
94	89		of this section;8
95	90		9
96	91		(b) For secondary teachers CANDIDATES:10
97	92		(7) (a) C
98	93		URRENTLY LICENSED COLORADO TEACHERS SEEKING TO
99	94		11
100	95		ADD AN EARLY CHIL DHOOD EDUCATION ENDORSEMENT , EARLY12
101	96		CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION E NDORSEMENT , ELEMENTARY13
102	97		EDUCATION ENDORSEMENT , OR SPECIAL EDUCATION GENERALIST14
103	98		ENDORSEMENT MAY DEMONSTRATE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES BY15
104	99		SUBMITTING EVIDENCE OF ACHIEVING SUFFICIENTLY HIGH EDUCATION16
105	100		COURSEWORK GRADES ON COURSEWORK ALIGNED WITH RELEVANT17
106	101		STANDARDS AS APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT .18
107	102		(b) I
108	103		F THE ONE THOUSAND APPLICANT SPOTS DESCRIBED IN
109	104		19
110	105		SUBSECTION (3)(b) OF THIS SECTION HAVE NOT BEEN FILLED, CURRENTLY20
111	106		LICENSED COLORADO TEACHERS WHO ARE SEEKING ADDITIONAL21
112	107		LICENSURE ENDORSEMENTS MAY DEMONSTRATE PROFESSI ONAL22
113	108		COMPETENCIES USING THE MULTIPLE MEASURES SET FORTH IN SUBSECTION23
114	109		(3)(a)
115	110		OF THIS SECTION.
116	111		24
117	112		SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-35-108.5, add (8)25
118	113		as follows:26
119	114		22-35-108.5. Teacher recruitment education and preparation27
120	115		154
121	116		-3- (TREP) program - objectives - selection criteria - rules.1
122	117		(8) I
123	118		NSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION THAT OFFER A PROGRAM OF2
124	119		OFF-CAMPUS INSTRUCTION AND THAT HAVE COURSES INCLUDED IN THE3
125	120		GUARANTEED TRANSFER PATHWAY MATRIX , AS DEFINED IN SECTION4
126	121		23-1-108.5
127	122		(2), OR THAT ARE PART OF A STATEWIDE DEGREE TRANSFER5
128	123		AGREEMENT, AS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 23-1-108 (7), MAY PARTICIPATE6
129	124		IN THE TREP PROGRAM ONLY IF THE COURSES ARE OFFERED AT A TUITION7
130	125		RATE THAT DOES NOT EXCEED THE TUITION RATE ESTABLISHED BY THE8
131	126		STATE BOARD FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND OCCUPATIONAL9
132	127		EDUCATION.10
133	128		SECTION 3.
134	129		In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-35-110, amend11
135	130		(1) as follows:12
136	131		22-35-110. Exclusions. (1) The provisions of EXCEPT FOR13
137	132		COURSES OFFERED AS PART OF THE TREP PROGRAM PURSUANT TO14
138	133		SECTION 22-35-108.5, this article 35 shall DOES not apply to any course15
139	134		that is offered as part of a program of off-campus instruction established16
140	135		pursuant to section 23-1-109 (1) to (5).17
141	136		SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act18
142	137		takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the19
143	138		ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except20
144	139		that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V21
145	140		of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this22
146	141		act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take23
147	142		effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in24
148	143		November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the25
149	144		official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.26
150	145		154
151	146		-4-