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HB26-1291 • 2026

Educator Performance Evaluations

Under current law, a local board of education's (local board) or board of cooperative services' (BOCES) licensed personnel employment performance system must ensure that nonprobationary teachers recei

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Rep. L. Goldstein, Rep. E. Hamrick, Sen. C. Kolker
Last action
2026-03-12
Official status
House Committee on Education Postpone Indefinitely
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide information on how local school boards and BOCES can design their own evaluation systems with input from various stakeholders. This claim was removed as it is not supported by the official source material.

Teacher Performance Evaluations

This bill changes how often nonprobationary teachers must receive formal evaluations in Colorado schools.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the requirement for nonprobationary teachers to receive a formal evaluation every academic year to once every three academic years.
  • Requires that if a nonprobationary teacher receives an ineffective rating, they must have another evaluation the following year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Nonprobationary teachers in Colorado schools
  • Local school boards and BOCES

Terms To Know

nonprobationary teacher
A teacher who has completed their probation period and is considered a permanent staff member.
BOCES (Board of Cooperative Services)
An organization that provides shared services to multiple school districts in Colorado.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how often informal evaluations, observations, coaching, or feedback should occur.
  • It is unclear what the effective date for this legislation will be.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

HOU Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for evaluating highly effective teachers and ensures that nonprobationary teachers who request it receive regular observations and evaluations.

  • Creates a modified rubric to measure the performance of highly effective teachers with at least three consecutive years of high ratings, focusing on professional growth and career development.
  • Requires local boards or BOCES to provide documented observations and written evaluation reports for nonprobationary teachers who request them after receiving an effective rating.
  • Ensures that formal evaluations are scheduled equitably across academic years based on predetermined criteria.
  • The amendment text includes technical legal language which may be difficult to fully interpret without additional context.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-12 House

    House Committee on Education Postpone Indefinitely

  2. 2026-02-23 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Education

Official Summary Text

Under current law, a local board of education's (local board) or board of cooperative services' (BOCES) licensed personnel employment performance system must ensure that nonprobationary teachers receive one evaluation resulting in a written evaluation report in each academic year.
The bill requires that nonprobationary teachers receive one evaluation resulting in a written evaluation report at least once every 3 academic years; except that, if a nonprobationary teacher receives a less than effective rating, the local board or BOCES may require that the nonprobationary teacher receive one evaluation that results in a written evaluation report in the next academic year.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0165.04 Jacob Baus x2173 HOUSE BILL 26-1291
House Committees Senate Committees
Education
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING MODIFICATIONS TO THE EXECUTION OF LICENSED101
PERSONNEL PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS.102
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
Under current law, a local board of education's (local board) or
board of cooperative services' (BOCES) licensed personnel employment
performance system must ensure that nonprobationary teachers receive
one evaluation resulting in a written evaluation report in each academic
year.
The bill requires that nonprobationary teachers receive one
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Hamrick and Goldstein,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Kolker,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
evaluation resulting in a written evaluation report at least once every 3
academic years; except that, if a nonprobationary teacher receives a less
than effective rating, the local board or BOCES may require that the
nonprobationary teacher receive one evaluation that results in a written
evaluation report in the next academic year.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 22-9-102 as2
follows:3
22-9-102. Legislative declaration.4
(1) The general assembly hereby declares that:5
(a) A system to evaluate E VALUATING the effectiveness of6
licensed personnel is crucial ESSENTIAL to improving the quality of7
education in this state and declares that such a system shall be applicable8
to all licensed personnel in the school districts and boards of cooperative9
services throughout the state; and INSTRUCTION AND STUDENT OUTCOMES10
IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS;11
(b) The purposes of the evaluation shall be to: LOCAL BOARDS OF12
EDUCATION AND BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE SERVICES ARE BEST13
POSITIONED TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT EVALUATION SYSTEMS THAT14
REFLECT LOCAL NEEDS AND STAFFING REALITIES , CONSISTENT WITH15
GUIDING STATE STANDARDS;16
(I) Serve as a basis for the improvement of instruction;17
(II) Enhance the implementation of programs of curriculum;18
(III) Serve as a measurement of the professional growth and19
development of licensed personnel;20
(IV) Evaluate the level of performance based on the effectiveness21
of licensed personnel; and22
(V) Provide a basis for making decisions in the areas of hiring,23
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compensation, promotion, assignment, professional development, earning1
and retaining nonprobationary status, dismissal, and nonrenewal of2
contract.3
(c) R EQUIRING ANNUAL FORMAL EVALUATIONS FOR ALL4
NONPROBATIONARY TEACHERS CAN STRAIN LIMITED ADMINISTRATIVE5
CAPACITY WITHOUT NECESSARILY IMPROVING INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE;6
AND7
(d) ALLOWING DISTRICTS TO CONDUCT FORMAL EVALUATIONS OF8
NONPROBATIONARY TEACHERS ON A PERIODIC BASIS, WHILE MAINTAINING9
ANNUAL EVALUATIONS FOR PROBATIONARY AND LESS T HAN EFFECTIVE10
TEACHERS , SUPPORTS MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK , INSTRUCTIONAL11
IMPROVEMENT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY.12
(2) The general assembly further declares that a professionally13
sound and credible system to evaluate the effectiveness of licensed14
personnel shall be designed with the involvement of licensed personnel15
and citizens of the school district or board of cooperative services16
THEREFORE, IT IS THE INTENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO GRANT17
LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS OR BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE SERVICES18
FLEXIBILITY REGARDING EVALUATION FREQUENCY AND THE DESIGNATION19
OF QUALIFIED EVALUATORS WITHIN THEIR LICENSED PERSONNEL20
EVALUATION SYSTEMS.21
(3) The general assembly further declares that the involvement22
and support of parents of children in public schools, acting as partners23
with teachers and public school administrators, are key to the educational24
progress of their children.25
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-9-106, amend (1)26
introductory portion, (1)(c) introductory portion, and (1)(c)(II); and add27
HB26-1291-3-
(10) as follows:1
22-9-106. Local boards of education - duties - performance2
evaluation system - compliance - rules.3
(1) All school districts and boards A LOCAL BOARD OR A BOARD4
of cooperative services that employ EMPLOYS licensed personnel shall5
adopt a written system to evaluate the employment performance of school6
district and OR board of cooperative services licensed personnel,7
including all teachers, principals, and administrators, with the exception8
of licensed personnel employed by a board of cooperative services for a9
period of six weeks or less. In developing the licensed personnel10
performance evaluation system and any amendments, thereto the local11
board and board of cooperative services shall comply with subsection12
(1.5) of this section and shall consult with administrators, principals, and13
teachers employed within the district or participating districts in a board14
of cooperative services, parents, and the school district licensed personnel15
performance evaluation council or the board of cooperative services16
personnel performance evaluation council created pursuant to section17
22-9-107. The performance evaluation system must address all of the18
performance standards established by rule of the state board and adopted19
by the general assembly pursuant to section 22-9-105.5, and must contain,20
but need not be limited to, the following information:21
(c) The frequency and duration of the evaluations, which must be22
on a regular basis and of such A frequency and duration as to ensure THAT23
ENSURES the collection of a sufficient amount of data from which reliable24
conclusions and findings may be drawn. At a minimum, the performance25
LICENSED PERSONNEL evaluation system must ensure that:26
(II) (A ) Nonprobationary teacher s receive at least one27
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DOCUMENTED observation each academic year and one evaluation that1
results in a written evaluation report pursuant to subsection (3) of this2
section each academic year according to the performance standards3
established by rule of the state board and adopted by the general assembly4
pursuant to section 22-9-105.5. Nonprobationary teachers AT LEAST ONCE5
EVERY THREE ACADEMIC YEARS . A NONPROBATIONARY TEACHER must6
receive the written evaluation report at least two weeks before the last7
class day of the school year IN WHICH THE EVALUATION IS CONDUCTED.8
(B) F OR A NONPROBATIONARY TEACHER WHO RECEIVES A LESS9
THAN EFFECTIVE RATING, THE LOCAL BOARD OR BOARD OF COOPERATIVE10
SERVICES SHALL REQUIRE THAT THE NONPROBATIONARY TEACHER11
RECEIVES AT LEAST ONE DOCUMENTED OBSERVATION IN THE NEXT12
ACADEMIC YEAR AND ONE EVALUATION THAT RESULTS IN A WRITTEN13
EVALUATION REPORT PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (3) OF THIS SECTION IN14
THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR.15
(10) THIS SECTION, INCLUDING SUBSECTION (1)(c) OF THIS SECTION16
CONCERNING THE FREQUENCY OF FORMAL EVALUATIONS , DOES NOT17
PROHIBIT A LOCAL BOARD OR BOARD OF COOPERATIVE SERVICES FROM18
ADOPTING, OR A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR BOARD OF COOPERATIVE SERVICES19
FROM IMPLEMENTING AND MAINTAINING , A LICENSED PERSONNEL20
EVALUATION POLICY OR LICENSED PERSONNEL EVALUATION SYSTEM THAT21
INCLUDES INFORMAL EVALUATIONS , OBSERVATIONS , COACHING , OR22
FEEDBACK THAT IS UNRELATED TO THE EVALUATION DESCRIBED IN THIS23
SECTION BUT THAT IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUPPORTING A LICENSED24
PERSONNEL AND THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.25
SECTION 3. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,26
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate27
HB26-1291-5-
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for1
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state2
institutions.3
HB26-1291-6-