House committee advances bill to ease licensure barriers for special education and early childhood teachers

The House Education Committee on Monday voted to advance Senate Bill 154, a package of changes aimed at easing licensure requirements for teachers seeking endorsements in special education and early childhood, sponsors said.

Supporters said the measure removes unnecessary testing barriers that keep qualified candidates out of classrooms and expands alternative pathways for currently licensed teachers to add high‑need endorsements. The committee voted to send the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; the roll call recorded eight votes in favor and five opposed.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Alyssa Hamrick, told the committee Colorado faces a severe teacher shortage and that testing costs and retesting requirements are a barrier for candidates seeking special education and early childhood endorsements. “This bill does not lower the bar for becoming a teacher. Rather, it modernizes our system to evaluate readiness based on meaningful teaching skills, not test taking ability,” Hamrick said.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses said the shortage is especially acute in special education. Hamrick cited a state fact sheet that nearly 7,000 teaching positions were left vacant across the state during the 2023–24 school year and that more than 1,500 of those were either unfilled or staffed with emergency measures. Proponents said reducing duplicative exams and allowing coursework or other evidence as an alternative will help fill classrooms sooner.

Colorado Department of Education official Dr. Marita Tovar, who oversees educator preparation and licensing, told the committee changes adopted in the Senate removed statutory mandates on the number of competency tests and directed the State Board of Education and department staff to begin removing some required subject‑matter tests. “The language in the bill creating statutory mandates for the number of competency tests was removed,” Tovar said, adding that the State Board will vote on a new elementary math test at its next meeting.

Tovar said the special education generalist endorsement currently requires multiple assessments — five in many cases — and that the bill narrows required testing for that endorsement. “This bill would reduce to only three assessments, which is one teaching reading, one math, and then one special education generalist,” she said.

Teachers and advocates gave personal accounts of how the current system affected them. Alexandra Manasco, who taught special education in Cherry Creek School District, said she lost her job after failing to transfer a Wisconsin special education license to Colorado because she could not afford multiple practice exams. “I lost my job in February because I have not been able to successfully transfer my special education Wisconsin teaching license to Colorado,” Manasco said. Testimony from current teachers and school directors described long vacancy lists, heavy caseloads and classroom disruption caused by staffing gaps.

The consortium representing district special education directors and the Colorado Education Association testified in support, saying the bill creates multiple pathways for licensure and would help fill high‑need positions. “As the teaching shortages continue to increase, any way we can ensure multiple pathways for licensure is a positive step forward to be able to fill vacant positions,” Lisa Humbert, executive director of the Consortium of Directors of Special Education, said.

Concerns and clarifications: Several committee members pressed whether eliminating some subject tests — especially elementary science or social studies subtests — might reduce teacher content knowledge in classrooms. Representative Garcia Sander asked whether removing a science test could lead universities and preparers to de‑emphasize science instruction. Tovar replied that teacher effectiveness can be demonstrated by multiple measures and that higher education authorization and program reviews are expected to ensure candidates receive content preparation.

Procedure and next steps: Representative Hamrick moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; the motion carried on a roll call vote, 8–5. The transcript records the votes by name. The State Board and the Colorado Department of Education will need to implement changes to assessments and to the multiple‑measures portfolio process cited in the bill.

Ending: Supporters framed the bill as a targeted update intended to preserve standards while removing what they described as redundant exams and financial barriers. Opponents warned against removing safeguards that document content knowledge. The bill will go next to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration.