The Educator Pipeline Task Force & Other Teacher Effectiveness Policies in the Works

DK Fellow Shelby Edwards wrote today’s round-up of initiatives to improve teacher licensure, preparation and induction systems, all issues of great interest to Donnell-Kay.

The Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education have teamed up with TNTP (The New Teacher Project) to form the Educator Pipeline Task Force. This group is working to revamp the licensure, preparation, and induction system to align with Colorado’s new educator evaluation system. The Task Force will meet February 24th at the Department of Higher Education, and this spring it will present licensure and induction recommendations. Find information including meeting details, past minutes, and presentations on the Taskforce’s website at http://co-lip.org/.

The State Board of Education will hear about teacher licensure and educator effectiveness tomorrow during their regular meeting. Informational presentation and discussion regarding licensure will be Thursday, February 9th, at 10:45 AM. The State Board of Education meetings are open to the public and broadcast live on their website.

In the state legislature, Stand for Children Colorado is supporting House Bill 12-1135. This bill has been introduced and was assigned to the Education committee. HB 12-1135 encourages higher standards and incentives for cooperating teachers (those teachers with whom teacher candidates spend their field hours or student teaching hours). The key piece of this bill is to place student teachers in classrooms with coordinating teachers that have earned an effective or highly effective rating.  Additional elements of the bill include professional development for coordinating teachers, and providing alternative evaluation methods for coordinating teachers to account for the time student teachers are leading the classroom.

At the federal level, we’re keeping our eyes on the GREAT (Growing Excellent Achievement Training Academies) Teachers and Principals Act. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet has been the leader in supporting this addition to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The GREAT Act would provide grants for training academies that use rigorous evaluation, hands-on training, and an emphasis on boosting student achievement. Introduced in June 2011, the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Download an overview of these programs and a timeline of initiatives here!