Teacher Residency Expansion Program

C.R.S. tit. 22, art. 60.3

in effect

C.R.S. § 22-60.3-201 Definitions

22-60.3-201. Definitions. As used in this part 2, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Department" means the department of education created and existing pursuant to section 24-1-115. (2) "Educator preparation program" means an approved program of preparation, as defined in section 22-60.5-102 (8), or an alternative teacher program, as defined in section 22-60.5-102 (5), or other organization that provides educator preparation for a qualified program participant and is approved by the department. (3) "Educator recruitment and retention program" or "program" means the educator recruitment and retention program created in section 22-60.3-202. (4) "Local education provider" means a school district, a charter school authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article 30.5 of this title 22, a charter school authorized by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article 30.5 of this title 22, or a board of cooperative services created and operating pursuant to article 5 of this title 22 that operates one or more public schools. (5) "Member of the armed forces" means a member of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, or any of the armed forces' active reserve components, or of the National Guard. (6) "Qualified program participant" means an individual who meets the program criteria and is either a member of the armed forces or a nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidate. (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, and the total student enrollment is six thousand five hundred students or fewer students. (8) "Separation" means honorable discharge, release from active duty, release from custody and control of the armed forces, or a similar change in active or reserve status. (9) "Small rural school district" means a school district in Colorado that the department 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, and that enrolls fewer than one thousand students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. (10) "State board" means the state board of education created and existing pursuant to section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.

C.R.S. § 22-60.3-202 Educator recruitment and retention program - created - rules

22-60.3-202. Educator recruitment and retention program - created - rules. (1) There is created in the department the educator recruitment and retention program. The purpose of the program is to provide support to members of the armed forces, nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidates, and local education providers to recruit, select, train, and retain highly qualified educators across the state. (2) The program is designed to accomplish the following goals: (a) Support the transition of members of the armed forces into a second career to serve as educators across the state; (b) Support nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidates preparing to serve as educators across the state; (c) Match members of the armed forces and nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidates with eligible and high-need schools, including those in rural school districts; and (d) Fill teaching positions in subject areas affected by the educator workforce shortage. (3) In implementing the program, the department shall provide to local education providers information concerning the outcomes of the program, the effectiveness of the methods and strategies implemented, best practices and critical components identified to support the program, and how these strategies, practices, and components inform the design and implementation of the program. The department shall provide the information using electronic methods, which may include posting information to the department's website, e-mailing information, hosting electronic conversations among local education providers, and providing programming via the internet. (4) The department shall annually collect data from the qualified program participants and employing local education providers concerning the effectiveness of the program. (5) The state board may promulgate rules pursuant to the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, as necessary to implement the program.

C.R.S. § 22-60.3-203 Programs and services

22-60.3-203. Programs and services. (1) The department shall make the following services available through the program to local education providers and program participants upon request: (a) Educator recruitment support through one-on-one counseling; (b) Educator recruitment through career and teacher job fairs; (c) Substitute teacher boot camps for newly authorized substitute teachers and the employing local education provider; (d) Job placement platforms for educators and hiring local education providers; (e) Individual candidate coaching for job placement opportunities; (f) Professional development through the first three years of service as an educator; and (g) Retention counseling services for individual local education providers.

C.R.S. § 22-60.3-204 Program eligibility - financial assistance - funding

22-60.3-204. Program eligibility - financial assistance - funding. (1) (a) A member of the armed forces who seeks to receive financial assistance through the program must submit a program application within three years after retirement or separation from the military. If a program application is not submitted within three years after retirement or separation, a member of the armed forces is not eligible for financial assistance through the program, but is eligible to receive counseling and referral services. (b) As a condition of receiving financial assistance through the program, an applicant must agree to teach for a period of three years in a rural or small rural school district or in an educator shortage area, as determined by the state board of education. If an applicant does not fulfill the service condition of the program, the applicant shall repay the awarded financial assistance to the department in accordance with the rules promulgated by the state board. (c) A member of the armed forces or a nonmilitary-affiliated educator candidate may apply to the program to receive financial assistance of up to ten thousand dollars for the tuition cost of an educator preparation program in which the applicant is enrolled. An applicant must apply to the department in accordance with the rules promulgated by the state board. (2) The department shall review each application received and determine whether the applicant meets the following criteria for participation in the program: (a) If the applicant is a member of the armed forces, the applicant has an honorable discharge status or is currently serving in one of the armed forces; (b) (I) The applicant has a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education at the time of application; or (II) The applicant is currently employed as a paraprofessional, as defined in section 22-60.3-102, in a school district, charter school, or board of cooperative services and is working toward a baccalaureate degree as required to pursue a professional teaching license; or (c) (I) The applicant meets state career and technical education requirements; or (II) Has the equivalent of eighteen semester hours of postsecondary enrollment and six years of military experience in a career or technical field. (3) Subject to available appropriations, the department shall provide one-time financial assistance of up to ten thousand dollars paid from the amount appropriated for the program to a qualified program participant for the tuition cost of the educator preparation program in which the qualified program participant is enrolled. The department shall distribute the financial assistance for a qualified program participant to the educator preparation program in which the qualified program participant is enrolled. (4) The general assembly shall annually appropriate money to fund the program, including an amount for the direct and indirect costs incurred by the department in implementing the program.

C.R.S. § 22-60.3-205 Reports

22-60.3-205. Reports. (1) The department, as part of its annual budget request, shall prepare an annual progress report on implementing the program. At a minimum, the report must include for the immediately preceding budget year: (a) The number of individuals reached through program communications; (b) The total number of applicants; (c) The total number of qualified program participants; (d) The total amount of financial assistance distributed; (e) The number of educator licensure certificates awarded through the program created in section 22-60.3-202; (f) The completion rate for participating educator preparation programs; (g) A summary of data collected from the qualified program participants and employing local education providers concerning the effectiveness of the program; and (h) Recommendations, if any, for legislative or regulatory changes to facilitate the effective implementation of the program. (2) The department shall submit the report to the state board of education, the governor, and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees. The department shall also post the report on the department's website for public access. Notwithstanding the requirement in section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), the requirement to submit the report required in this section continues indefinitely. (3) On or before July 1, 2031, the department shall prepare and submit to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives, or any successor committees, a report, based on the compiled annual reports described in subsection (1) of this section, concerning the outcomes achieved by the program and the effectiveness of the program in meeting the goals of the program described in section 22-60.3-202 (2). Based on the outcomes achieved and the evaluation of effectiveness, the department shall include in the report a recommendation as to whether the program should be continued, amended, or repealed.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-22.docxFetched: 10/6/2026