Colorado Teacher Certification

So you want to earn your Colorado Teacher Certification? There are two ways to get it:

Initial Colorado Teaching Certification

1. Earn a Bachelors Degree from an accredited school. If you already have a Bachelors Degree,you can take your career and education to the next level and sign up for a Master’s Degree Program
2. Teacher prep. You should take any teacher prep courses, student teaching, or internships.
3. You will need to complete the content area assessment through the PLACE or Praxis II.
4. Obtain fingerprint cards and pass the background check. Call (303) 239-4208
5. Submit the following:
   • Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Fingerprint card and processing fee to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
   • Mail To:
     Colorado Bureau of Investigation
     690 Kipling Street, Suite 3000
     Denver, CO. 80215
   • Completed Application
   • Fee payable to Colorado Department of Education
   • Official Transcripts of all degrees and credits you have earned
   • Also, include copies of your test scores
   • Mail To:
     Educator Licensing
     Colorado Department of Education
     201 E. Colfax Ave. Room 105
     Denver, Colorado 80203-1799
6. Do you want to renew your Colorado Teacher Certification?
   • Apply for your renewal

Colorado Alternative Teacher Certification

Alternatively, there is another path you can take to get your teaching Colorado Teacher Certification before they complete the teacher education program. You can teach under the supervision of a qualified support team of teachers and administrators.

1. Obviously you must still earn your Bachelors Degree from a credited university. Ideally, you should always continue your education in efforts to earn a Master’s Degree.
2. 1 year of Alternative Teacher Preparation Program.  The cost varies between $2,000 and $8,000. The costs can be drastically lowered given your specific circumstances. Call (303) 866-6628 to learn more.
3. You’ll need to complete the Content Area Assessment through the PLACE or Praxis II.
4. Submit the following:
   • Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Fingerprint card and processing fee to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
   • Mail To:
     Colorado Bureau of Investigation
     690 Kipling Street, Suite 3000
     Denver, CO. 80215
   • Completed Application
   • $60 check payable to Colorado State Department of Education
   • Official Transcripts of all degrees and credits you have earned
   • Also, include copies of your test scores
   • Mail To:
     Educator Licensing
     Colorado Department of Education
     201 E. Colfax Ave. Room 105
     Denver, Colorado 80203-1799
5. Enroll In the Teacher Induction Program. Your specific TIR agencies should be able to direct you from there.

Photo by Alexis O'Toole on Flickr.com