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New Induction Programs

If you’re reading this, then you are a school district, BOCES, charter school or non-public school interested in creating an induction program for teachers, special service providers (SSPs) or principals and administrators.

Note: If you're an educator who is looking to:

  • Complete an induction program, please contact your district or BOCES.
  • Move your initial license to a professional license, access the licensure checklist to review the requirements.

New Induction Programs

Vision: Every new educator, leader and special service provider participates in high-quality induction that supports their transition into the profession and their development as a professional educator committed to student success.

Who Can Apply to Be an Approved Induction Program

Any school, district, or BOCES in Colorado can apply to be an approved induction provider. This includes non-public schools and charter schools.

Types of Induction Programs

There are three types of induction programs in Colorado:

  • New teacher induction
  • New Special Service Provider (SSP) induction
  • New principal or administrator induction

As a new provider, you will need to decide whether to offer teacher, SSP, and/or principal/administrator induction.  Note that, according to Colorado Board of Education rule, initial licenses are only valid in districts and schools that maintain an induction program for that license type.  Most schools and districts will want to have all three types of induction available or have a clear plan to partner with another organization (BOCES or other induction provider) to ensure that any initial license holders have access to induction.

Timeline to Apply

Initial induction applications can be submitted any time, but they are reviewed twice a year, in April and October.  Applications submitted from November to March will be reviewed in April.  Applications submitted from April to September will be reviewed in October. 

Once approved, all program renewals are due on January 15.  This means that a program approved in November would have a renewal date of January 15 in just over 5 years (due to the timing of the program approval).  For example, an approval in November of 2024 would have a renewal date of January 15 of 2030.

Application Due Date Anticipated Response
April 15 June 1
October 15 December 1

Developing Your Program

For an initial induction application, the focus should be on designing a strong program that works for your context. Program leaders who are designing an induction program should start by reviewing the induction handbook and rubric for the induction audience they would like to focus on (linked below).  They should create internal documents, including feedback from stakeholders, for how the induction program will run, what content will be included, and what supports will be in place. 

Application Resources

The resources below are designed to help shape your induction application.  Programs must meet the minimum requirements in the program rubric in order to be an approved induction program.

 

Induction Handbook (start here)

 

Application Process

Once the new induction program is designed, then program leaders will submit an initial induction program application.  In this case, the program leaders will not evaluate themselves on the induction rubric since the program is not yet running.  Instead, they will provide up to a 500-word narrative for each section of the rubric: program design, professional development, high-quality mentoring, and continuous improvement.  These narratives will describe how the program will operate and how it will be structured to meet the induction standards in the rubric.

Induction programs also have the option to submit supporting program documentation such as survey results, program data or an induction handbook.  This documentation is not required for program approval but it can be helpful in providing additional context for reviewers.

Note that separate applications will need to be submitted for any audience you will be providing induction programming for: teacher, SSP, and/or principal/administrator.  Applications may be downloaded using the buttons below.  Once complete, applications can be emailed to educator_development@cde.state.co.us

Frequently Asked Questions

Question:  My district provides induction for teachers and SSP’s but our new principals go through an induction program provided by a BOCES.  Which form do I submit?

Answer:  Providers should only submit the form for programs they actively operate.  In this instance, the district would submit the Teacher and SSP forms and the BOCES would submit the Principal/Admin form.


Question:  Should we submit additional documentation beyond the induction rubric?

Answer:  Reviewers rely primarily on the induction rubric and accompanying narratives to complete their induction review.  However, programs may also submit survey results, program data, calendars and/or induction handbooks if desired.  Additional documentation beyond the rubric and narrative is optional. This accompanying documentation will only be considered if induction reviewers need additional context for any statements in the narrative or rating within the rubric.  


Question:  Will our program be rejected if one of the indicators is not in place?

Answer:   Not necessarily.  CDE reviewers understand the need for support in some of these indicators.  It is important that providers are candid about areas needing improvement in the completed rubric.  CDE’s Educator Development Team will use this information to plan for future training, resources and other support.  As you complete your application, pay attention to the "MUST" and "SHOULD" designations in the rubric.  Indicators that are a "MUST" need to be present in some way in order for a program to be approved.


Question:  What is the minimum number of points for a program to be approved?

Answer:  CDE will not have a minimum score for a program to be approved.  The rating element of the rubric is a tool that is intended to be used for self-reflection.  Use this tool to identify areas to target for improvement over time and note these plans in the narrative sections.  Completed rubrics will be reviewed holistically, and CDE will provide constructive feedback for use in local planning discussions.


Questions?

Please reach out to Educator Development.