22-32-110.3. Board of education - specific powers - teacher in residence program.

Statute text

(1) The general assembly recognizes that many school districts face a shortage of teachers and often struggle to find qualified persons to teach their students. The general assembly finds that the increased use of emergency authorizations to hire persons who do not have teacher licenses and, in some cases, have not received any form of teacher preparation or education potentially jeopardizes the school district's goal of providing a quality education for each student. The general assembly further finds that often, persons with experience in areas other than teaching can help alleviate the teacher shortage faced by many school districts, so long as these persons receive adequate supervision and education in teaching methods and practices. The general assembly therefore authorizes school districts to create teacher in residence programs pursuant to the provisions of this section with the intent that such programs will provide a vehicle whereby school districts can customize the preparation of their teacher candidates, subject to teacher preparation program standards, reduce the number of persons employed under emergency authorizations, and help school districts recruit and employ nontraditional teacher candidates, while maintaining the delivery of high quality educational services and protecting the interests of students.

(2) A school district or a board of cooperative services created pursuant to article 5 of this title may implement a teacher in residence program as described in this section. Each teacher in residence program shall comply with the performance-based standards for teacher preparation programs adopted by the Colorado commission on higher education pursuant to section 23-1-121, C.R.S., to ensure that persons who complete the residency program meet the performance-based standards for teacher licensure adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 22-2-109 (3).

(3) Any school district or board of cooperative services that chooses to implement a teacher in residence program shall collaborate with an institution of higher education that provides an approved teacher preparation program, to assist in implementing the teacher in residence program. Any contract entered into pursuant to this subsection (3) shall include but need not be limited to the provision of such teacher preparation courses and subject matter courses as are necessary to comply with the teacher preparation program requirements established by the Colorado commission on higher education pursuant to section 23-1-121, C.R.S.

(4) (a) A school district may employ a person to teach as a resident teacher even though the person is not licensed pursuant to article 60.5 of this title if the person holds a teacher in residence authorization issued pursuant to section 22-60.5-111 (8). The resident teacher may teach under the supervision of an administrator with an assigned, licensed teacher serving as a mentor and shall enroll in such teacher preparation courses as the school district deems necessary for the resident teacher and for which the school district has contracted with an institution of higher education. Supervision for a resident teacher shall include an annual minimum of one hundred hours of observation and supervision in the classroom.

(b) (I) Any person employed by a school district as a resident teacher shall hold at least a baccalaureate degree from an accepted institution of higher education, as defined in section 22-60.5-102 (1). Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (b), a person may be employed as a resident teacher for a total of two years. A person employed by a school district as a resident teacher shall meet the content-area education requirements specified by rule of the state board of education.

(II) A person may be employed as a resident teacher for a total of three years for the purpose of receiving a special education teaching endorsement pursuant to section 22-60.5-106 (2).

(c) On completion of the two-year residency program, the resident teacher shall obtain an initial teacher license pursuant to section 22-60.5-201 (1) (b) in order to be employed by the school district as a teacher.

(d) Any person seeking entry into a teacher in residence program shall, prior to acceptance into a teacher in residence program, pass an assessment of subject matter knowledge, appropriate to the person's teaching assignment, administered by the department of education. Any person who fails to pass the subject matter assessment shall not be eligible for enrollment in a residency program until he or she has passed the subject matter assessment.

(e) A resident teacher shall be considered a probationary teacher for purposes of section 22-63-203; except that, for a resident teacher, the three continuous years of employment necessary to become a nonprobationary teacher shall not begin until the resident teacher begins his or her second year in the teacher in residence program.

(f) Beginning with the 2003-04 school year, any teacher holding an emergency authorization and entering his or her second or subsequent year of employment as a teacher, regardless of whether the teacher is employed within the same school district or a different school district, may continue to teach only if employed as a resident teacher pursuant to this section.

(5) (a) Within thirty days after employment of a person as a resident teacher, the school district shall notify the department of education of the resident teacher's name and address and such other information as may be necessary to assist the department of education in providing pertinent information under the requirements of paragraph (b) of this subsection (5).

(b) The department of education shall provide information to each resident teacher concerning the requirements for teacher licensure as specified in section 22-60.5-201 and by rule of the state board of education.

(6) (a) (I) Each teacher in residence program, at least once every five years, shall be subject to an on-site evaluation and approval by the state board of education to ensure that it meets the requirements of this section. Any teacher in residence program that does not meet the requirements of this section shall be subject to disapproval by the state board of education.

(II) The state board of education, whenever practicable, shall schedule an on-site evaluation of a teacher in residence program that is offered in collaboration with an institution of higher education to coincide with the review of that institution's teacher preparation program by the commission on higher education performed pursuant to section 23-1-121 (4) (a) (II), C.R.S.

(III) Any teacher in residence program that is disapproved by the state board of education pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a) shall be terminated by the implementing school district or board of cooperative services on completion of the academic year in which the program is disapproved; except that the school district or board of cooperative services may continue to operate the teacher in residence program if, prior to the end of said academic year, the school district or board of cooperative services redesigns the teacher in residence program to meet the requirements of this section and the redesigned program is approved by the state board of education pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a).

(b) Any school district or board of cooperative services that implements a teacher in residence program pursuant to the provisions of this section shall notify the department of education and submit a description of the program to the department. The department of education shall review the program to ensure that it meets the requirements specified in this section and shall make a recommendation to the state board of education concerning whether the program should be approved. Within ninety days after the program description is submitted to the department of education, the state board of education shall notify the implementing school district or board of cooperative services that it has either approved or disapproved the program.

(c) At the request of a school district or board of cooperative services that is operating a teacher in residence program, the department of education may provide technical assistance to the school district or board of cooperative services to ensure that the program continues to be operated in a manner that meets the requirements specified in this section.

(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, a school district may hire a person to teach as a resident teacher for any portion of the two-year residency program if the person completes all remaining requirements for an approved program of preparation within two years after being hired as a resident teacher.

History

Source: L. 99: Entire section added, p. 1192, 9, effective June 1. L. 2000: (4)(d) amended, p. 1114, 2, effective May 26. L. 2002: (4)(b) and (6)(a) amended and (4)(f) and (7) added, pp. 1622, 1623, 1, 2, effective June 7. L. 2003: (4)(a) amended, p. 2516, 6, effective June 5. L. 2004: (4)(a), (4)(b)(I), (4)(d), and (4)(f) amended, p. 1282, 8, effective May 28. L. 2005: (4)(c) amended, p. 189, 30, effective April 7.