2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 22 - EDUCATION (§§ 22-1-101 — 22-108-109) › TEACHERS (§§ 22-60-101 — 22-69-106) › Article 60.5 - COLORADO EDUCATOR LICENSING ACT (§§ 22-60.5-101 — 22-60.5-404) › Part 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 22-60.5-101 — 22-60.5-121) › Section 22-60.5-102 - Definitions

As used in this article 60.5, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1)
"Accepted institution of higher education" means an institution of higher education that offers at least the standard bachelor's degree and is recognized by one of the following regional associations: The western association of schools and colleges; northwest association of schools, colleges, and universities; north central association of colleges and schools; New England association of schools and colleges; southern association of colleges and schools; or middle states association of colleges and secondary schools.
(2)
Repealed.
(3)
"Administrator" means any person who administers, directs, or supervises the education instructional program, or a portion thereof, in any school, school district, or nonpublic school in the state and who is not the chief executive officer or an assistant chief executive officer of such school.
(3.5)
"Affiliated bachelor's degree program" means the bachelor's degree that is identified in the instruction plan submitted by the teacher apprenticeship program sponsor.
(4)
"Alternative teacher contract" means a contract, as described in section
22-60.5-207
, entered into for an alternative teacher position by a person who holds an alternative teacher license pursuant to section
22-60.5-201 (1)(a)
, or an interim authorization pursuant to section
22-60.5-111 (7)
, and a school district, board of cooperative services, or nonpublic school that provides, or charter school that provides or participates in, a one-year or two-year alternative teacher program.
(5)
"Alternative teacher program" means a one-year or two-year program of study and training for teacher preparation, as described in section
22-60.5-205
, for a person of demonstrated knowledge and ability who holds an alternative teacher license pursuant to section
22-60.5-201 (1)(a)
, or an interim authorization pursuant to section
22-60.5-111 (7)
. An "alternative teacher program" must meet the standards of and obtain the approval of the state board of education and, upon completion, lead to a recommendation for licensure by the designated agency providing the alternative teacher program.
(6)
"Alternative teacher support team" means a team established by the designated agency for each holder of an alternative teacher license, or an interim authorization pursuant to section
22-60.5-111 (7)
, employed as an alternative teacher. At a minimum, each alternative teacher support team shall be composed of the alternative teacher's mentor teacher and the principal and a representative of an accepted institution of higher education.
(6.5)
"Apprentice mentor teacher" means a professionally licensed teacher in good standing, designated by the apprenticeship program sponsor, who provides exemplary modeling and counseling to a teacher apprentice, who is trained in the apprenticeship model, and who takes responsibility for the training, mentoring, and progress of the teacher apprentice.
(7)
"Approved induction program" means a program of continuing professional development for initial licensees that meets the standards of the state board of education and that upon completion leads to a recommendation for licensure by the school district or districts, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school providing such induction program.
(8)
(a)
"Approved program of preparation" means a program of study for preparation that is approved by the department pursuant to section
22-60.5-121
and that upon completion leads to a recommendation for licensure.
(b)
Every "approved program of preparation" for principals or administrators shall include proficiencies in the principles of business management and budgeting practices and in the analysis of student assessment data and its use in planning for student instruction.
(8.5)
"Board of cooperative services" or "BOCES" has the same meaning as set forth in section
22-5-103
.
(9)
"Board of education" means the governing body authorized by law to administer the affairs of any school district in the state except junior and community college districts. "Board of education" includes a board of cooperative services organized pursuant to article
5
of this title.
(9.1)
"Certificate of apprenticeship completion" means a certificate that has been issued by the United States department of labor or the apprenticeship agency that certifies a teacher apprentice has satisfactorily gained the skills, abilities, and competencies, and completed the requirements of an apprenticeship.
(9.3)
"Charter school" means a charter school authorized by a school district pursuant to part 1 of article
30.5
of this title 22 or a charter school authorized by the state charter school institute pursuant to part 5 of article
30.5
of this title 22.
(9.5)
"Department" means the department of education, created in section
24-1-115
, C.R.S.
(10)
"Designated agency" means a school district or districts, a board of cooperative services, an accepted institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization, a charter school, the institute, a nonpublic school, or any combination thereof, that is responsible for the organization, management, and operation of an approved alternative teacher program or an approved alternative principal program.
(11)
"Endorsement" means the designation on a license or an authorization of grade level or developmental level, subject matter, or service specialization in accordance with the preparation, training, and experience of the holder of such license or authorization.
(11.5)
"Institute" means the state charter school institute created pursuant to section
22-30.5-503
.
(12)
"Mentor administrator" means any administrator who is designated by the school district or districts, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school providing an approved induction program for initial administrator licensees and who has demonstrated outstanding administrative skills and school leadership and can provide exemplary modeling and counseling to initial administrator licensees participating in an approved induction program.
(13)
"Mentor principal" means any principal who is designated by the school district or districts, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school providing an approved induction program for initial principal licensees and who has demonstrated outstanding principal skills and school leadership and can provide exemplary modeling and counseling to initial principal licensees participating in an approved induction program.
(14)
"Mentor special services provider" means any special services provider who is designated by the school district or districts, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school providing an approved induction program for initial special services licensees and who has demonstrated outstanding special services provider skills and school leadership and can provide exemplary modeling and counseling to initial special services licensees participating in an approved induction program.
(15)
"Mentor teacher" means:
(a)
A teacher designated by the school district, charter school, or nonpublic school employing an alternative teacher and who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and school leadership and can provide exemplary modeling and counseling to alternative teachers participating in an alternative teacher program; or
(b)
Any teacher who is designated by the school district or districts, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school providing an approved induction program for initial teacher licensees and who has demonstrated outstanding teaching and school leadership and can provide exemplary modeling and counseling to initial teacher licensees participating in an approved induction program.
(15.5)
"Nonpublic school" means any independent or parochial school that provides a basic academic education, as defined in section
22-33-104 (2)(b)
. Neither the state board of education nor any local school board of education has jurisdiction over the internal affairs of any independent or parochial school in Colorado.
(16)
"Principal" means any person who is employed as the chief executive officer or an assistant chief executive officer of any school or nonpublic school in the state and who administers, directs, or supervises the education instructional program in such school or nonpublic school.
(16.5)
"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.
(17)
"School" means any of the public schools of the state.
(18)
"School district" means any school district organized and existing pursuant to law, but it does not include junior or community college districts. "School district" includes a board of cooperative services organized pursuant to article
5
of this title.
(19)
"Special services provider" means any person other than a teacher, principal, or administrator who is employed by any school district, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school to provide professional services to students in direct support of the education instructional program.
(20)
"State board of education" or "state board" means the state board of education established by section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.
(21)
"Teacher" means any person employed to instruct students in any school or nonpublic school in the state.
(22)
"Teacher apprentice" means a student who is registered and enrolled in an approved teacher degree apprenticeship program, is enrolled in an affiliated bachelor's degree program from an accredited institution, and has obtained a Colorado teacher apprenticeship authorization pursuant to section
22-60.5-111
. A "teacher apprentice" can also mean a student enrolled in an approved teacher degree apprenticeship program that is registered before August 7, 2023.
(23)
"Teacher apprenticeship program sponsor" means an entity responsible for the registration, administration, and operation of a teacher degree apprenticeship program that has been approved by the United States department of labor or the state apprenticeship agency and has been authorized by the state department of education. A teacher apprenticeship program sponsor can also mean an entity serving as a sponsor for an apprenticeship program that is registered before August 7, 2023.
(24)
"Teacher degree apprenticeship program" means a teacher education program containing all of the elements of a competency-based, registered apprenticeship program required by the United States department of labor as evidenced by approval by the United States department of labor office of apprenticeship or a state apprenticeship agency and approved by the state department of education and sponsored by a teacher apprenticeship program sponsor or a teacher apprenticeship program approved prior to August 7, 2023.
Amended by 2023 Ch. 334,§ 5, eff. 8/7/2023.
Amended by 2023 Ch. 184,§ 2, eff. 8/7/2023.
Amended by 2022 Ch. 239, § 6, eff. 5/26/2022.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 246, § 1, eff. 9/7/2021.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 490, § 1, eff. 5/24/2021.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 37, § 1, eff. 8/2/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 97, § 1, eff. 8/8/2018.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 5, § 2, eff. 8/9/2017.
L. 91: Entire article added, p. 468, § 1, effective June 6. L. 97: (8) amended, p. 43, § 1, effective March 20. L. 99: (8)(a) amended, p. 1191, § 5, effective June 1. L. 2004: (1) and (11) amended, p. 1271, § 1, effective May 28. L. 2005: (7), (12), (13), (14), and (15)(b) amended, p. 174, § 6, effective April 7. L. 2007: (4) and (5) amended, p. 55, § 1, effective March 14. L. 2009: (4), (5), and (10) amended and (9.5) added, (SB 09-160), ch. 1447, p. 1447, § 2, effective May 21. L. 2017: IP, (4), (10), and (15)(a) amended and (2) repealed, (SB 17 -052), ch. 9, p. 9, § 2, effective August 9. L. 2018: (4), (7), (10), (12) to (15), and (19) amended and (9.3) and (11.5) added, (SB 18-160), ch. 758, p. 758, § 1, effective August 8. L. 2019: (3), (4), (7), (10), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (19), and (21) amended and (15.5) added, (SB 19 -069), ch. 120, p. 120, § 1, effective August 2. L. 2021: (10) amended, (SB 21-058), ch. 3529, p. 3529, § 1, effective May 24; (16.5) added, (SB 21-185), ch. 1323, p. 1323, § 1, effective September 7.
2023 Ch. 334, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
2023 Ch. 184, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
2021 Ch. 246, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).