Colorado Teacher Tenure Rules Await Governor's Pen

DENVER (AP) - New teacher tenure rules in Colorado await the governor's signature before education officials implement four-tier ratings for teachers.

The state Senate gave final approval to teacher tenure rules on a 35-0 vote Tuesday. Gov. John Hickenlooper had until Wednesday to sign the rules into law.

The tenure rules also set up evaluation standards for school principals.

Statewide tenure rules were hotly contested two years ago, but the state Board of Education approved evaluation rules that were accepted by both teachers and activists calling for more accountability. The final rules had wide bipartisan support.

The new teacher evaluations use test scores and other factors to determine which teachers receive employment protections some call tenure. The evaluations will be tested next school year.

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