SURDS Educator Preparation File Description

Added January 28, 2009; Last updated August 15, 2020

Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statute §23-1-121(4)(c), the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) shall work cooperatively with each institution of higher education that offers an educator preparation program to obtain any data requested by the department. The Department of Higher Education uses this data to prepare a report to the House and Senate Education Committees on enrollment in and review of educator preparation programs in Colorado and to link Colorado educators to the preparation program from which they graduated as part of the Educator Identifier System (C.R.S. §22-68.5). Beginning AY2018-2019 the Ed Prep file in SURDS will be linked to HR data from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to report on recent graduates’ district placement, mobility and retention, and educator performance evaluation ratings. This information will be available to educator preparation programs to inform curriculum and ongoing program improvement. Data for each institution, as well as a state-level analysis will be available to the public in an online dashboard beginning Fall/Winter.

GENERAL

A row in the file is a STUDENT x TERM x ENDORSEMENT PROGRAM. Include all STUDENTS x TERMS IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR in which the student is accepted into and enrolled in courses in an endorsement program. This includes teacher, principal, administrator and special education endorsement area programs, as well as any endorsement listed in the Field Definitions. If students are enrolled in more than one endorsement program, then they need to be shown as one record for each endorsement.

Only report students in terms in which they were enrolled in such endorsement programs, even if they were enrolled in other programs at your institution. For example, if Jane Doe is in fall SURDS enrollment as a history major but was not accepted into and enrolled in classes in an endorsement program in fall, and then in spring is in SURDS enrollment as a history major and also had been accepted into and enrolled in classes in an endorsement program, then report Jane Doe's spring enrollment in the Educator Preparation File, but not her fall enrollment.

For public institutions of higher education only, data reported about a student in the Educator Preparation File should match similar data reported on SURDS enrollment to the extent possible. All student x term combinations in the Educator Preparation File for an institution should also be in a SURDS enrollment file for the institution for the academic year. August Educator Preparation Files should cover the academic year ending with the immediately prior spring term..

 

ENDORSEMENT PROGRAMS BY INSTITUTION

For a complete list of the endorsement programs offered at your institution, for which you should report enrollment in the Teacher Ed File, please visit https://highered.colorado.gov/sites/highered/files/2020-03/approved-educator-preparation-programs-in-colorado.pdf. The first five pages of that document are a “Quick Reference” that show which endorsement programs are offered at your institution. The following pages (of that same document) can be used for additional information and show degree programs by endorsement areas by institution, including CIP and where to find a description of the endorsement in the Rules for the Administration of the Educator Licensing Act of 1991.

The submission deadline for the Educator Preparation File is end of day Tuesday, September 15, 2020. Please login to SURDS and submit your file. Once you have submitted a file with no remaining errors, please finalize it by “signing off” on the file.

Please note the following changes starting 2018-2019:

  • Please take care to indicate if each candidate is completing an endorsement as part of an initial or added endorsement. Some endorsements can only be obtained through initial licensure (e.g., school nurse), some can only be added to an existing license (e.g., reading teacher), and some can be both (e.g., special education generalist). Please see the field definitions (field 12) for Endorsement Areas to determine which to use for each candidate.
  • In the past Special Service Providers (SSPs) were not always reported as it could not be determined if those individuals went on to practice in a school or other setting. Effective AY 2018-19 please include a record for every student, including SSPs. The following endorsement areas are considered SSPs and should be included in the file if there are current candidates/completers at your institution.
    • School Audiologist
    • School Counselor
    • School Nurse
    • School occupational Therapist
    • School Orientation and Mobility specialist
    • School Physical Therapist
    • School Psychologist
    • School Social Worker
    • School Speech-Language Pathologist

  • Completers are identified as those who have completed a licensure/endorsement program and are eligible to receive institutional recommendation for licensure. Please see the field definition (23 62) to ensure both conditions have been met before a record for a candidate is marked with a “1” which would indicate yes, both apply.

  • Please note the following resources to assist you with the Educator Preparation File:

  • A list of the endorsement area programs and their associated degree programs with CIP codes approved for each institution, for which you should report enrollment, is available at https://highered.colorado.gov/sites/highered/files/2020-03/approved-educator-preparation-programs-in-colorado.pdf
  • Field Definitions are available at
    https://highered.colorado.gov/Data/Documentation/FieldDefinitions.aspx?ftype=6&ftype=6
  • A list of the endorsement area programs and their associated degree programs with CIP codes approved for each institution, for which you should report enrollment, is available at http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/TeacherEd/Educators.html and click on “Approved Educator Preparation Programs in Colorado.”

    Should you encounter any technical problems accessing the website or submitting your file, please contact Chris Ammons (chris.ammons@dhe.state.co.us).
    Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you for your cooperation and partnership!
    Sincerely,
    Brittany Lane(brittany.lane@dhe.state.co.us)