2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 22 - Education
General and Administrative
Article 9 - Licensed Personnel Evaluations
§ 22-9-105.5. State council for educator effectiveness - legislative declaration - membership - duties - recommendations - rules

(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that:

(a) On January 13, 2010, the governor established by executive order the governor's council for educator effectiveness;

(b) The executive order charged the council with, among other duties, considering options and providing recommendations concerning educator effectiveness and developing recommendations for definitions of principal and teacher effectiveness; and

(c) The general assembly further finds and declares that it is in the best interests of the people of the state of Colorado to codify in statute the governor's council for educator effectiveness because of the significant additional statutory duties and responsibilities that the general assembly is assigning to said council.

(2) (a) There is hereby created in the office of the governor the state council for educator effectiveness, referred to in this article as the "council".

(b) The members of the governor's council for educator effectiveness, created by executive order B 2010-001, shall serve on the council, as appointed by the governor, and shall include:

(I) The commissioner of education, or his or her designee;

(II) The executive director of the department of higher education, or his or her designee;

(III) Four teachers, selected with the advice of state associations that represent educators;

(IV) Two public school administrators and one local school district superintendent, each selected with the advice of a state association that represents school executives;

(V) Two members of local school boards, selected with the advice of a state association that represents school boards;

(VI) One charter school administrator or teacher, selected with the advice of a state advocacy group for charter schools;

(VII) One parent of a public school student, selected with the advice of a state parent and teachers association;

(VIII) A current student or recent graduate of a Colorado public school, selected with the advice of a statewide student coalition; and

(IX) One at-large member with expertise in education policy.

(c) The purpose of the council shall be the same as that of the governor's council for educator effectiveness established by executive order, and shall be to consider options and make recommendations to the state board and the general assembly that seek to ensure that all licensed personnel are:

(I) Evaluated using multiple fair, transparent, timely, rigorous, and valid methods, at least fifty percent of which evaluation is determined by the academic growth of their students;

(II) Afforded a meaningful opportunity to improve their effectiveness; and

(III) Provided the means to share effective practices with other educators throughout the state.

(3) The council shall have the following duties:

(a) On or before March 1, 2011, to provide the state board with recommendations that will ensure that every teacher is evaluated using multiple fair, transparent, timely, rigorous, and valid methods. The recommendations developed pursuant to this paragraph (a) shall require that at least fifty percent of the evaluation is determined by the academic growth of the teacher's students and that each teacher is provided with an opportunity to improve his or her effectiveness through a teacher development plan that links his or her evaluation and performance standards to professional development opportunities. The quality standards for teachers shall include measures of student longitudinal academic growth that are consistent with the measures set forth in section 22-11-204 (2) and may include interim assessment results or evidence of student work, provided that all are rigorous and comparable across classrooms and aligned with state model content standards and performance standards developed pursuant to article 7 of this title. For the purposes of quality standards, expectations of student academic growth shall take into consideration diverse factors, including but not limited to special education, student mobility, and classrooms with a student population in which ninety-five percent meet the definition of high-risk student as defined in section 22-7-604.5 (1.5). The quality standards for teachers shall be clear and relevant to the teacher's roles and responsibilities and shall have the goal of improving student academic growth. The council shall include in its recommendations a definition of effectiveness and its relation to quality standards. The definition of effectiveness shall include, but need not be limited to, criteria that will be used to differentiate between performance standards. The defined performance standards shall include, but need not be limited to, "highly effective", "effective", and "ineffective". The council shall consider whether additional performance standards should be established.

(a.5) On or before March 1, 2011, to provide the state board with recommendations that will ensure that every principal is evaluated using multiple fair, transparent, timely, rigorous, and valid methods. The recommendations pursuant to this paragraph (a.5) shall require that every principal is provided with a principal development plan. In making its recommendations, the council shall recognize that not all teachers and principals require the same amount of supervision and evaluation. As part of its recommendations to the state board, the council shall develop a process to enable a local school district to differentiate teacher and principal evaluations as part of its performance evaluation system.

(b) On or before March 1, 2011, to provide the state board with recommendations concerning the implementation and testing of the new performance evaluation system that is based on quality standards and with recommendations for the subsequent statewide implementation of the new performance evaluation system. The recommendations made pursuant to this paragraph (b) shall conform to the timeline set forth in subsection (10) of this section.

(b.5) On or before March 1, 2011, to make recommendations to the state board concerning the involvement and support of parents of children in public schools, to the effect that parents should act as partners with teachers and public school administrators;

(c) On or before March 1, 2011, to provide the state board with recommendations that will ensure development of a set of guidelines for establishing performance standards for each category of licensed personnel to be evaluated pursuant to this article. The guidelines shall outline criteria to be applied in assigning educators to appropriate performance standards, which shall include measures of student longitudinal academic growth.

(d) On or before March 1, 2011, to develop and recommend to the state board statewide definitions of principal effectiveness and teacher effectiveness, each of which shall be centered on an educator's demonstrated ability to achieve and sustain adequate student growth and shall include a set of professional skills and competencies related to improved student outcomes;

(e) On or before March 1, 2011, to develop and recommend to the state board guidelines for adequate implementation of a high-quality educator evaluation system that shall address, at a minimum, the following issues:

(I) Ongoing training on the use of the system that is sufficient to ensure that all evaluators and educators have a full understanding of the evaluation system and its implementation. The training may include such activities as conducting joint training sessions for evaluators and educators.

(II) Evaluation results that are normed to ensure consistency and fairness;

(III) Evaluation rubrics and tools that are deemed fair, transparent, rigorous, and valid;

(IV) Evaluations that are conducted using sufficient time and frequency, at least annually, to gather sufficient data upon which to base the ratings contained in an evaluation;

(V) Provision of adequate training and collaborative time to ensure that educators fully understand and have the resources to respond to student academic growth data;

(VI) Student data that is monitored at least annually to ensure the correlation between student academic growth and outcomes with educator effectiveness ratings; and

(VII) A process by which a nonprobationary teacher may appeal his or her second consecutive performance rating of ineffective and submit such process by the first day of convening of the first regular session of the sixty-ninth general assembly to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees.

(f) On or before March 1, 2011, to adopt and recommend to the state board a rubric for identifying multiple additional quality standards, in addition to student academic growth, that are rigorous, transparent, valid, and fair;

(g) On or before March 1, 2011, to make recommendations to the state board for policy changes, as appropriate, that will support local school districts' use of evaluation data for decisions in areas such as compensation, promotion, retention, removal, and professional development;

(h) On or before March 1, 2011, to make recommendations to the state board for policy changes, as appropriate, that will ensure that the standards and criteria applicable to teacher and principal licensure and the accreditation of preparation programs are directly aligned with and support the preparation and licensure of effective educators;

(i) On or before July 1, 2013, and July 1 each year thereafter during the implementation of the performance evaluation system, the department shall report to the council the results of the implementation and testing of the performance evaluation system. Based on the results of the reports, the council may make additional recommendations to be incorporated in the following stage of implementation.

(j) The council shall develop an implementation plan for its recommendations and will identify tasks and the associated costs at the state and district levels. The recommendations shall include an implementation cost analysis, including assessment changes, assessment pilot study, staff training, research, data review, and any other tasks included in the council's recommendations. It is incumbent on the council to consult with the department and expert practitioners familiar with school finance and to report by March 1, 2011, on the costs to implement the council's recommendations.

(3.5) The recommendations made by the council to the state board pursuant to this section shall reflect a consensus vote. For any issue that the council was unable to reach a consensus, the council shall provide to the state board the reasons it was unable to reach a consensus.

(4) The council's recommendations shall consist, at a minimum, of recommendations that are applicable to school principals and teachers.

(5) The council's recommendations may include changes to existing statutes or rules, if appropriate, as well as recommendations for local implementation.

(6) In making its recommendations, the council shall include the effect of district- and school-level conditions, as measured by the nine performance standards set forth in the comprehensive appraisal for the district improvement rubric and biannual teaching, empowering, leading, and learning initiative survey of school working conditions, as well as any additional methods of assessing such conditions identified by the council as valid, transparent, and reliable.

(7) The council may establish working groups, task forces, or other structures from within its membership or outside its membership as needed to address specific issues or to assist in its work.

(8) All recommendations made by the council pursuant to this section shall reflect a consensus of its members.

(9) Unless otherwise provided for, the office of the governor and the department shall provide the council with the support, information, data, analytical information, and administrative support necessary to do its work.

(10) (a) On or before September 1, 2011, the state board shall promulgate rules with regard to the issues specified in paragraphs (a) to (h) of subsection (3) of this section, using the recommendations from the council. If the council fails to make recommendations to the state board by March 1, 2011, with regard to the issues specified in paragraphs (a) to (h) of subsection (3) of this section, the state board shall, on or before September 1, 2011, promulgate rules concerning any issues in said paragraphs (a) to (h) that the council did not address. In promulgating rules pursuant to this subsection (10), the state board shall conform to the following timeline:

(I) Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, the department shall work with school districts and boards of cooperative services to assist with the development of performance evaluation systems that are based on quality standards.

(II) On or before January 15, 2012, the state board shall provide to the general assembly the rules promulgated pursuant to this subsection (10). On or before February 15, 2012, the general assembly shall review and approve such rules as provided for in paragraph (b) of this subsection (10).

(III) Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, if the general assembly approves the rules promulgated pursuant to this subsection (10), the new performance evaluation system that is based on quality standards shall be implemented and tested as recommended by the council pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section.

(IV) (A) Beginning with the 2013-14 school year, if the general assembly approves the rules promulgated pursuant to this subsection (10), and based on the results of the first level of implementation in the 2012-13 school year, the new performance evaluation system that is based on quality standards shall be implemented statewide in a manner as recommended by the council pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section.

(B) During the 2013-14 school year, teachers shall be evaluated based on quality standards. Demonstrated effectiveness or ineffectiveness shall begin to be considered in the acquisition of probationary or nonprobationary status.

(V) (A) Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, if the general assembly approves the rules promulgated pursuant to this subsection (10), and based on the results of the first and second levels of implementation in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, the new performance evaluation system that is based on quality standards shall be finalized on a statewide basis.

(B) During the 2014-15 school year, teachers shall continue to be evaluated based on quality standards. Demonstrated effectiveness or ineffectiveness shall be considered in the acquisition or loss of probationary or nonprobationary status.

(b) On or before February 15, 2012, the general assembly shall review the rules promulgated pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (10) in a bill that is separate from the annual rule review bill introduced pursuant to section 24-4-103 (8) (d), C.R.S., and in accordance with the criteria and procedures specified in section 24-4-103 (8) (a) and (8) (d), C.R.S.; except that the general assembly reserves the right to repeal individual rules contained in the rules promulgated by the state board. If one or more rules is not approved by the general assembly pursuant to this paragraph (b), the state board shall promulgate emergency rules pursuant to section 24-4-103 (6), C.R.S., on such issue or issues and resubmit to the general assembly on or before May 1, 2012. The general assembly shall review the emergency rules promulgated according to the process outlined in this paragraph (b).

(11) On or before November 1, 2011, the department shall create and make available to school districts and boards of cooperative services a resource bank that identifies assessments, processes, tools, and policies that a school district or board of cooperative services may use to develop an evaluation system that addresses the provisions of this section. The department shall include resources that are appropriate to school districts and boards of cooperative services of different sizes, demographics, and locations. The department shall update the resource bank at least annually to reflect new research and ongoing experience in Colorado.

(12) The department shall not be obligated to implement the provisions of this section until sufficient funds have been received and credited to the great teachers and leaders fund, created in section 22-9-105.7. The department is hereby authorized to hire any employees necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. Any new positions created pursuant to this section shall be subject to the availability of funding and shall be eliminated at such time as moneys are no longer available in the great teachers and leaders fund. All position descriptions and notice to hire for positions created pursuant to this section shall clearly state that such position is subject to available funding.