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 3 - PRINCIPALS AND ADMINISTRATORS (§§ 22-60.5-301 — 22-60.5-313) › Section 22-60.5-306 - Types of administrator licenses issued - term

(1)
The department of education is designated as the sole agency authorized to issue the following types of administrator licenses to persons of good moral character:
(a)
Initial administrator license.
(I)
The department of education, in its discretion, may issue an initial administrator license to any applicant who:
(A)
Holds an earned baccalaureate degree from an accepted institution of higher education;
(B)
Has completed an approved program of preparation for administrators;
(C)
Has demonstrated professional competencies in subject areas as specified by rule and regulation of the state board of education pursuant to section
22-60.5-308
.
(II)
An initial administrator license shall be valid in any school districts or nonpublic schools that provide, or charter schools that provide or participate in, an approved induction program for administrators or have obtained a waiver of the approved induction program requirement pursuant to section
22-60.5-114(2)
. Any initial administrator license issued pursuant to this subsection (1)(a) shall be valid for a period of three years after the date of issuance and is renewable only once for an additional period of three years; except that, if an initial administrator licensee is unable to complete an induction program for reasons other than incompetence, the state board of education may renew the licensee's initial administrator license for one or more additional three-year periods upon the initial licensee's showing of good cause for inability to complete an approved induction program.
(b)
Professional administrator license.
(I)
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1)(b)(I.5) of this section, the department of education may, in its discretion, issue a professional administrator license to any applicant who:
(A)
Holds an earned master's degree from an institution of higher education;
(B)
Holds a valid initial administrator license; and
(C)
Has completed an approved induction program for administrators and has been recommended for licensure by the school districts, charter schools, the institute, or nonpublic school that provided such induction program; except that the applicant need not complete an approved induction program as an initial administrator licensee if the applicant previously completed an induction program while employed under an emergency authorization or a temporary educator eligibility authorization or if the school district or charter school in which the applicant is employed has obtained a waiver of the induction program requirement pursuant to section
22-60.5-114(2)
. If the applicant is employed by a nonpublic school, or by a school district, a charter school, or the institute that has obtained a waiver of the induction program requirement, the applicant shall demonstrate completion of any requirements specified in the school district's or nonpublic school's plan for support, assistance, and training of initially licensed educators.
(I.5)
The department of education may issue a professional administrator license to an applicant who meets the requirements specified in section
22-60.5-111(4)(c)(II) or (5)(e)(II)
.
(II)
(A)
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1)(b)(II)(B) of this section, any professional administrator license issued pursuant to this subsection (1)(b)(II)(A) is valid for a period of seven years after the date of issuance and is renewable pursuant to section
22-60.5-110
. If, as of September 7, 2021, an individual has partially completed the individual's five-year professional administrator licensing period, the licensing period for that individual is extended to a seven-year period. The years that the individual already completed toward the five-year professional administrator licensing period will count toward the individual's new seven-year professional administrator licensing period.
(B)
Any professional administrator license issued pursuant to this paragraph (b) which is held in conjunction with a master certificate pursuant to section
22-60.5-307
shall be valid for a period of seven years after the date of issuance and is renewable as provided in section
22-60.5-110
.
(2)
The state board of education is authorized to establish, by rule and regulation, such other requirements for licenses specified in subsection (1) of this section as it deems necessary to maintain and improve the quality of administration and supervision of education instructional programs; except that the state board of education may not require any person applying for a professional administrator license to demonstrate professional competencies.
(3)
(a)
The department of education may, at its discretion, issue an initial administrator license provided for in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section to any applicant from another state or country whose qualifications meet or exceed the standards of the state board of education for the issuance of an initial administrator license.
(b)
(I)
The department of education may issue a professional administrator license to any applicant from another state if:
(A)
The applicant holds a license or certificate from that state that is comparable to an administrator license in this state and the standards for the issuance of such license or certificate meet or exceed the standards of the state board of education for the issuance of a professional administrator license; and
(B)
The applicant has had at least three years of continuous, successful, evaluated experience as an administrator in an established elementary or secondary school and can provide documentation of such experience on forms provided by the department.
(II)
An applicant for a professional administrator license pursuant to this paragraph (b) need not have:
(A)
Completed an approved induction program for administrators;
(B)
Held an initial administrator license pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section; or
(C)
Demonstrated professional competencies in subject areas as specified by rule of the state board of education pursuant to section
22-60.5-308
.
(4)
The state board of education is authorized to enter into interstate reciprocal agreements in which the department of education agrees to issue initial administrator licenses to persons licensed as administrators in another state.
(5)
Repealed.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 245,§5, eff. 9/7/2021.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 37,§14, eff. 8/2/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 97,§14, eff. 8/8/2018.
L. 91: Entire article added, p. 502, § 1, effective June 6. L. 97: (1)(a)(II), (1)(b)(I)(C), and (2) amended, pp. 1661, 1663, §§ 13, 20, effective June 5. L. 2000: (3) amended, p. 1106, § 4, effective August 2. L. 2002: IP(1)(b)(I) amended, p. 1021, § 36, effective June 1. L. 2004: (1)(b)(I) amended and (1)(b)(I.5) added, p. 1281, § 6, effective May 28. L. 2005: IP(1)(a)(I), (1)(a)(II), (1)(b)(I), (3)(a), (3)(b)(II)(B), and (4) amended, p. 186, § 24, effective April 7. L. 2006: (5) repealed, p. 639, § 56, effective August 7. L. 2018: (1)(a)(II), IP(1)(b)(I), and (1)(b)(I)(C) amended, (SB 18-160), ch. 766, p. 766, § 14, effective August 8. L. 2019: (1)(a)(II) and (1)(b)(I)(C) amended, (SB 19-069), ch. 129, p. 129, § 14, effective August 2. L. 2021: (1)(b)(II)(A) amended, (HB 21-1104), ch. 1321, p. 1321, § 5, effective September 7.
2021 Ch. 245, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
For the legislative declaration in HB 21-1104, see section 1 of chapter 245, Session Laws of Colorado 2021.