Professional Development: Colorado

Analysis of Colorado's policies

Colorado requires that teachers receive copies of their evaluations "at least two weeks before the last class day of the school year." The state also specifies that professional development activities for teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations must be aligned with findings from teacher evaluations.

Citation

Colorado Revised Statute 22-9-106

Recommendations for Colorado

Require that evaluation systems provide teachers with feedback about their performance.
Although Colorado requires teachers to receive copies of their evaluations, this only ensures that teachers will receive their ratings, not necessarily feedback on their performance. Colorado should specify that teachers should receive specific feedback on identified strengths and areas that need improvement.  

Ensure that professional development is aligned with findings from teachers' evaluations.
While Colorado has taken steps to ensure that teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations receive coordinated professional development based on these findings, the state should strengthen this policy by requiring that all teachers receive professional development that is aligned with their evaluation results.

State response to our analysis

Colorado recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.