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SB 25-154

Access to Educator Pathways

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jennifer Bacon and 40 co-sponsors

Expands teacher licensure options by allowing up to two content- or performance-based assessments for certain endorsements and ties TREP course participation to community college t

Governor Signed
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Bill Summary · SB 25-154

SB 25-154 — Access to Educator Pathways (Governor Signed)

Status: Governor signed (May 9, 2025). Effective: 90 days after adjournment of the 2025 General Assembly (fiscal note cites August 6, 2025, assuming no referendum).

Purpose

To expand and streamline pathways into teaching by (1) narrowing and clarifying the assessment options used to demonstrate minimum coursework standards for certain licensure endorsements, and (2) limiting which higher‑education providers may participate in the Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation (TREP) concurrent‑enrollment program unless they charge community‑college‑level tuition.

Key provisions

  • Assessment limits and content (amends C.R.S. 22-60.5-203)

    • For candidates pursuing endorsements in:
    • Early childhood special education (birth–grade 3),
    • Elementary education (K–6), or
    • Special education generalist,
    • If candidates choose to meet minimum coursework standards via approved content‑based or performance‑based assessments (or a combination), they must complete no more than two assessments.
    • The law specifies the core domains those assessments must measure:
    • Early childhood special education: (1) knowledge/skills for safe/effective practice serving birth–grade 3; and (2) knowledge/skills to support K–6 reading and writing development.
    • Elementary: (1) math knowledge/skills essential for K–6 students; and (2) K–6 reading and writing support.
    • Special education generalist: (1) basic principles and application of general special education; and (2) K–6 reading and writing support.
    • Currently licensed Colorado teachers seeking to add certain endorsements may alternatively demonstrate competency by evidence of sufficiently high grades in approved coursework; additional flexibility is allowed when review‑panel portfolio slots (up to 1,000) are unfilled.

  • TREP participation and tuition rule (adds C.R.S. 22-35-108.5(8); amends 22-35-110)

    • Four‑year institutions that deliver off‑campus instruction and whose courses are in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix or part of a statewide degree transfer agreement may participate in TREP only if the courses are offered at a tuition rate that does not exceed the tuition rate established by the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (effectively the community college tuition rate).
    • TREP background: created by SB21-185, TREP enables eligible K‑12 students to earn college credit with tuition waived for up to two years after 12th grade; TREP pupils are funded through school finance at a flat per‑pupil rate (estimated at $10,480 in FY 2025‑26).

Who is affected

  • Prospective teachers/candidates seeking early childhood special education, elementary, or special education generalist endorsements.
  • Currently licensed Colorado teachers seeking additional endorsements.
  • Four‑year institutions offering off‑campus/transferable courses.
  • K‑12 districts, TREP students, and institutions that host TREP courses.
  • Colorado Department of Education (CDE) — minor administrative tasks.

Fiscal & administrative impact

  • Fiscal note (final): minimal state workload impact; no appropriation required; no projected change in state revenue or expenditures.
  • CDE: minimal additional workload to update documentation and reporting.
  • Institutions of higher education: potential small changes in enrollment, tuition revenue, and workload if TREP participation changes; overall impacts expected to be minimal.
  • School finance: TREP enrollment changes would affect state share of total program funding, but any change is expected to be minimal.

Statutory changes (selected)

  • Amends: C.R.S. 22-60.5-203; 22-35-110
  • Adds: C.R.S. 22-35-108.5(8)

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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