(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Approved educator preparation program" means an educator preparation program that has been reviewed pursuant to the provisions of this section and has been determined by the commission to meet the performance-based standards established by the commission pursuant to this section and the requirements of section 23-1-108.

(a.5) "Candidate" means a person who is participating in an initial, advanced, or other preparation program for education professionals in order to enter the education profession.

(b) "Institution of higher education" means a public, private, or proprietary postsecondary institution authorized by the commission to offer educator preparation programs.

(c) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2011, (SB 11-245), ch. 201, p. 842, § 2, effective August 10, 2011.)

(d) "Program" means a planned sequence of undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate courses and experiences for the purpose of preparing teachers and other school professionals to be effective educators in prekindergarten through twelfth grade settings. A program may lead to a degree, a recommendation for a state license by the department of education, both, or neither.

(e) "Unit" means the college, school, department, or other administrative body in a college, university, or other organization with the responsibility for managing or coordinating all programs offered for the initial and advanced preparation of educators, regardless of where the programs are administratively housed in an institution.

(2) The commission shall adopt policies establishing the requirements for educator preparation programs offered by institutions of higher education. The department shall work in cooperation with the state board of education in developing the requirements for educator preparation programs. At a minimum, the requirements must ensure that each educator preparation program complies with section 23-1-125, is designed on a performance-based model, and includes:

(a) A comprehensive admission system that includes screening of a candidate's dispositions for the field in which he or she is seeking licensure, consideration of a candidate's academic preparation for entry into his or her desired endorsement area or areas, and preadmission advising for students who are considering becoming candidates. The department shall work in collaboration with the programs to define any dispositions considered to be appropriate for educators.

(b) Ongoing advising and screening of candidates by practicing educators or faculty members;

(c) Course work and field-based training that integrates theory and practice and educates candidates in the methodologies, practices, and procedures of standards-based education, as described in part 10 of article 7 of title 22, C.R.S., and specifically in teaching to the state preschool through elementary and secondary education standards adopted pursuant to section 22-7-1005, C.R.S.;

(d) A requirement that, during the course of the preparation program, each teacher candidate in an initial licensure program complete a minimum of eight hundred hours, each principal and administrator candidate complete a minimum of three hundred hours, and each other advanced degree or add-on endorsement candidate complete appropriate supervised field-based experience that relates to predetermined learning standards and includes best practices and national norms related to the candidate's endorsement;

(e) A requirement that each candidate, prior to graduation, must demonstrate the skills required for licensure, as specified by rule of the state board of education pursuant to section 22-2-109 (3), C.R.S., in the manner specified by rule of the state board;

(f) Comprehensive, ongoing assessment including evaluation of each candidate's subject matter and professional knowledge and ability to demonstrate skill in applying the professional knowledge base.

(3) The commission shall also adopt policies to ensure that each educator preparation program offered by an institution of higher education includes implementation of procedures to monitor and improve the effectiveness of the program, as well as the effectiveness of its graduates pursuant to section 22-9-105.5, C.R.S., including at a minimum the following:

(a) Periodic review by the institution of higher education offering the educator preparation program to ensure that the program meets the requirements specified by the commission pursuantto this section;

(b) Implementation of a procedure for collecting and reviewing evaluative data concerning the educator preparation program, which shall include periodic surveys of graduates and employers and educator identifier system data, pursuant to section 22-2-112 (1)(q), C.R.S., for modifying the program as necessary in response to the data collected;

(c) Implementation of a procedure for reviewing the scores achieved on the professional competency assessments required pursuant to section 22-60.5-201, C.R.S., by candidates enrolled in and graduating from the program and modifying the program as necessary to improve those scores.

(d) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2011, (SB 11-245), ch. 201, p. 842, § 2, effective August 10, 2011.)

(4) (a) (I) The department, in conjunction with the department of education, shall review each educator preparation program offered by an institution of higher education as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (4) and shall establish a schedule for review of each educator preparation program that ensures each program is reviewed as provided in this section not more frequently than once every five years.

(II) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2008, p. 1476, 16, effective May 28, 2008.)

(III) An institution of higher education that chooses to offer a new educator preparation program or modify an existing program, either by significantly modifying the content or modifying the geographic area in which the program is offered, shall submit the new or modified program to the department for review pursuant to this section. The commission shall adopt policies and procedures for the review of new and modified programs.

(b) Each program review conducted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (4) shall ensure that the program meets the minimum requirements adopted pursuant to subsections (2) and (3) of this section and the requirements of section 23-1-108 and any policies adopted pursuant thereto. In determining whether to initially approve or continue the approval of an educator preparation program, the commission shall consider any recommendations made by the state board of education pursuant to section 22-2-109 (5), C.R.S., concerning the effectiveness of the program content. If the state board of education recommends that a program not be approved, the commission shall follow the recommendation by refusing initial approval of the program or placing the program on probation.

(c) The department shall work cooperatively with each institution of higher education that offers an educator preparation program to obtain any data requested by the department to determine the admission and enrollment patterns, completion rates, and effectiveness of educator preparation programs offered by the institution. In addition, each institution of higher education shall, upon request from the department, prepare and submit an annual report to assist the department in reviewing the educator preparation programs pursuant to this section. The department shall collaborate with representatives from the governing boards of each institution of higher education that offer educator preparation programs in specifying the information to be included in the annual report.

(d) Following review of an educator preparation program, if the commission determines that the program does not meet the requirements specified in paragraph (b) of this subsection (4), it shall place the program on probation. The commission shall adopt policies specifying the procedures for placing a program on probation and for subsequently terminating a program,including a procedure for appeal. A program that is placed on probation shall not accept new students until the commission removes the program from probationary status. If the commission determines that termination of the approval of a program is necessary, the program shall be terminated within four years after said determination. If the commission places a program on probation based on the recommendation of the state board of education, the commission shall consult with the state board of education in determining whether the program should be reapproved or whether approval should be terminated.

(e) The commission shall adopt policies and procedures, including a procedure for appeal, to discontinue any educator preparation program at an institution of higher education that has not had any candidate successfully graduate during the previous five years.

(5) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2011, (SB 11-245), ch. 201, p. 842, § 2, effective August 10, 2011.)

(6) The department shall annually prepare a report concerning the enrollment in, graduation rates from, and effectiveness of the review of educator preparation programs authorized by the commission. In addition the report shall include data on the outcomes of graduates of educator preparation programs pursuant to section 22-2-112 (1)(q), C.R.S. The report shall also state the percentage of educator candidates graduating from each program during the preceding twelve months that applied for and received an initial license pursuant to section 22-60.5-201, C.R.S., and the percentage of the graduates who passed the assessments administered pursuant to section 22-60.5-203, C.R.S. For purposes of completing the report required pursuant to this subsection (6), the department of higher education and the department of education shall share any relevant data that complies with state and federal regulations with the other agency. The department shall provide notice to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, that the report is available to the members of the committees upon request.

(7) The general assembly encourages the department to collaborate with national accrediting bodies of educator preparation and to offer concurrent and joint site visits to educator preparation programs at institutions of higher education to the extent feasible.

(8) On or before December 30, 2013, the commission shall review the provisions of this section and any associated commission policies and make recommendations for a new system to review, evaluate, and assist educator preparation programs regarding the requirements of Senate Bill 08-212, enacted in 2008, Senate Bill 10-191, enacted in 2010, House Bill 09-1065, enacted in 2009, Senate Bill 10-036, enacted in 2010, Senate Bill 11-245, enacted in 2011, and any laws pertaining to educator preparation programs enacted in 2013.