This 20-hour asynchronous pathway builds on the Shared Core to prepare first-year and early-career school social workers for legally grounded, role-clear, and sustainable practice in Colorado public schools. Participants learn Colorado SSP licensing and induction requirements, the difference between CDE and DORA credentials, and how to anchor their role in the SSWAA National School Social Work Practice Model and CDE service guidance. The course covers ethics, confidentiality, FERPA, and required disclosures. It also covers mandated reporting, suicide-risk, and threat-assessment protocols, which participants apply as members of a team rather than as investigators or sole decision-makers. Participants practice setting professional boundaries, delivering brief school-based individual, group, and family support, and contributing to FBA/BIP work within MTSS. The pathway closes with caseload management, mentoring, an induction portfolio, and a Year 2 plan, and every module includes job-embedded tasks that count as induction evidence.
The School Counselor Profession-Specific Pathway is a 20-hour asynchronous induction course designed for first-year and early-career school counselors in Colorado public schools. Building on a shared 20-hour core completed alongside school psychologists, social workers, and nurses, this pathway sharpens role-specific knowledge across ten sequential modules. Content covers ASCA National Model implementation, Colorado ICAP, ethics, confidentiality, mandated reporting, suicide and threat assessment protocols, non-counseling duty management, program data use, and sustainable practice. The course emphasizes practical application through job-embedded tasks tied to learners' actual buildings and caseloads, rather than passive content consumption. It supports licensure progression from the Initial to Professional Special Service Provider credential by generating induction portfolio evidence, though formal license advancement requires completion through a CDE-approved local induction program.
Course Description
The Shared Core Induction Course is a foundational course for school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors, and school nurses who serve Colorado students. Designed for professionals who are new to the profession, new to Colorado Schools, or seeking a shared framework with their colleagues, this course builds common knowledge, shared language, and foundational practices to support effective school-based mental health practice. The Shared Core Induction Course must be completed before beginning a profession-specific pathway course.
Learner Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Describe foundational legal, ethical, and professional considerations that guide school-based mental health practice.
- Explain the relationship between student mental health, learning, school success, and multi-tiered systems of support.
- Recognize common student mental health concerns and identify appropriate pathways for prevention, intervention, and support.
- Apply foundational principles related to suicide prevention, school safety, crisis response, and behavioral threat assessment.
- Identify practices that support effective family engagement, community partnerships, and collaboration across professional roles.
- Identify professional practices that support appropriate boundaries, wellness, and sustainable school-based mental health practice.
Shared Core Induction Course Reference Guide (Click to open PDF)
A Reference Guide is available to support participants throughout the course and in their professional practice. It includes module overviews, key terms, and definitions, commonly used acronyms, and links to Colorado and national resources. Participants are encouraged to save the guide for future reference and easy access to embedded resources.
Completion Time
20 hours of asynchronous professional learning
Completion Requirement
Complete all required course modules, activities, and the course evaluation.
- If you have an existing CDE Moodle LMS account, log in and self-enroll in the course.
- If you are new to the CDE Moodle LMS platform, complete this form to register and enroll in the course.
This free 1.5 hour course was designed for Colorado School Nurses with the goals of (1) engaging the participant with evidence-based asthma care coordination principles and standardized tools and (2) addressing emerging asthma-related issues that impact our communities, including air quality and health equity.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe 3 components of asthma care coordination for School Nurses
- Identify 3 asthma trigger mitigation strategies for School Nurses, including addressing poor air quality
- Use 2 evidence-based resources for asthma trigger mitigation strategies to enhance professional practice
A Certificate of Completion with 1.5 training hours is awarded when a learner completes this course and submits an evaluation.
For questions, email SchoolNurseSpecialists@cde.state.co.usThe Building Bridges for Asthma Care program was designed as a school nurse-oriented program by an interdisciplinary team of allergy and pulmonary specialists with input from stakeholders including a national steering committee and school nurses. The manual was revised and licensed in 2019. This training series was developed in 2021. This is considered a next level, comprehensive, systematic approach to a school-based asthma care program.
Prior to this course, we recommend you take our introductory course: Asthma Management Foundations & Challenges for School Nurses
This free 1.5 hour training can be used to help school nurses build an asthma program for their schools. A course completion certificate for 1.5 hours is available after completing the lessons.
For questions, email SchoolNurseSpecialists@cde.state.co.us
This course serves to improve understanding of CDE’s portion of the School Health Services (SHS) program. This course can be used by new coordinators who need training, current coordinators needing a refresher, or by anyone who needs an understanding of CDE's side of the program. This tool contains quizzes and various support tools also available on the CDE School Health Services website.
For questions or comments, contact Andria Thornhill
This course is designed for current comprehensive health education grantees to build a community of practice while implementing their work plans.
This course explores high impact instructional strategies for health education.
For more information on the course contact:
Jamie Hurley
hurley_j@cde.state.co.us
Colorado Department of Education Health and Wellness Unit Staff Members partnered with workforce training specialists at Kaiser Permanente to develop a 2-part training to school leaders state-wide. The course includes a self-paced mental health awareness training and a 2-hour zoom session in which practical tools and strategies for fostering a mental health connected school environment are shared. Participants will receive a Google Drive folder with which they could go back into their school environment and implement the course with their team(s). This is a self-paced online version of the live training.