Gov. Hickenlooper signs education reform bill into law today

DENVER — Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2012 — Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation today to implement a statewide educator effectiveness evaluation system. The rules cover the quality standards school districts must adopt in their educator evaluation systems, teacher content knowledge standards, the structure of performance evaluations, definitions of performance evaluations and consequences, and the role of the Colorado Department of Education.  

HB12-1001 “Rule Review Evaluation of Educator Effectiveness” was sponsored by Reps. Carole Murray and Bob Gardner and Sens. Mike Johnston and Nancy Spence. The bill passed with 99 of 100 possible votes in the General Assembly and demonstrates Colorado’s nationally recognized leadership and commitment to education reform. The bill’s broadbase of stakeholders share the goal that every child in Colorado deserves excellent teachers and principals regardless of region, ethnic or socioeconomic background.

Enacted in 2010, Senate Bill 10-191 requires the General Assembly to approve the rules adopted by the State Board of Education to implement a statewide system that evaluates the effectiveness of licensed personnel employed by school districts and boards of cooperative services. The passage of HB 12-1001 approves the educator effectiveness evaluation system and allows for its implementation.

For a complete list of Hickenlooper’s 2012 legislation decisions, visit www.colorado.gov/governor.

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