Become a Teacher in Colorado
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
201 East Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 866-6600
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Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Colorado
Important Note: Education licensure requirements, statistics and other information are subject to change. Teach.com makes its best effort to keep content accurate; however, the official sources are the state education departments. Please confirm licensing requirements with your state before applying for licensure or renewal. (Last update: 04/27/2020)
Every state requires at least a bachelor’s degree for teacher certification, but some have additional undergraduate credit hour restrictions. Colorado requires that the bachelor’s degree include a teacher preparation program. For Elementary educator licensure, there are no specific coursework requirements. Special Education Generalist, Early Childhood, K-12 and Secondary licenses require 24 credit hours of required content. The Special Education Specialist Initial license requires some graduate work or a full master’s degree, depending on what type of special needs students you plan to work with.
Getting a teaching certificate usually involves the completion of an accredited certification course with both pedagogical theory and classroom practice components. These courses can be completed either on-site or online. Colorado require student teaching as part of the teacher preparation program.
Upgrading from an initial to a professional certification requires a teacher induction program consisting of “supervision by mentor teachers, ongoing professional development, and training, including ethics, and performance evaluations.” The Colorado Department of Education provides a list of Approved Educator Preparation Programs.
Unlike most states, Colorado does not require a basic skills test. All that is required is a Subject Area Competence test, which can be fulfilled by the appropriate Praxis Subject Assessment. Colorado has approved the adoption of Praxis exams for most content areas.
You can learn more about the Praxis exams by visiting Teach.coms' Ultimate Guide to the Praxis Exams and read more about teacher certification tests on Teach.com.
Initial Teaching Certifications
Earning your Colorado teaching credential will require the completion of the appropriate amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program. Colorado offers an Initial License, valid for three years, for beginning teachers; you must complete a Teacher Induction Program to qualify for a Professional License, which must be renewed every five years. In addition to Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary certifications, Colorado has certifications for Special Education Generalist and Special Education Specialist. Learn more about getting your Colorado teaching credential through the Colorado Department of Education Office of Educator Preparation, Licensing and Enforcement.
Read more about getting your teaching credential on Teach.com.
Discover an 8-week Online Teaching Short Course from Harvard's Bok Center
Higher Education Teaching Certificate
The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Alternative Certification in Colorado
Colorado also has an alternative certification program. These programs are open to teachers with a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university who have not completed any other certification program involving student teaching. For more information, visit the Colorado alternative licensing website.
The Troops to Teachers program offers a way for veterans to transition to teaching careers.
Colorado Teacher Certification Information & Links
Transferring Your Certification
Certification Reciprocity in Colorado
Interstate reciprocity is a program that allows teachers certified in one state to teach in another state. To find out which other state teaching licenses can be used in Colorado, visit the Teach.com reciprocity page. Or, for more specific questions about your situation, contact the Colorado Department of Education.
To find out what other state teaching licenses can be used in Colorado, check out our Teacher Certification Reciprocity page on Teach.com.
Career Advancement
Professional Development for Colorado Teachers
Colorado’s professional development program aims to improve teaching and administration, and thereby the quality of the students’ education. Every five years, a teacher is required to complete a minimum of five credit hours of development activities. To learn more about professional development in Colorado, visit the Colorado Department of Education's professional development page.
Colorado public policy strongly supports induction for teachers through mentoring and professional development. For more information about Colorado’s induction program, visit the Department of Education’s page on moving from an Initial License to a Professional License.
Benefits of a Master's Degree in Colorado
It is no longer enough to just have years of experience in teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, the careers of teachers increasingly depend on their results in the classroom. A master's degree in the field of education can give you more educational theory and classroom skills, as well as more hands-on student teaching experience with a mentor.
After a master’s program, you may achieve better results in the classroom and may have more job security and the potential for higher pay.
Learn more about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Teaching vs. Master of Education on Teach.com.
Higher Education Teaching Certificate
The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Jobs, Benefits, and Opportunities for Teachers in Colorado
Colorado Teaching Jobs
The Colorado Board of Education partners with Colorado.Teachers-Teachers to run a teaching job site where aspiring teachers can easily filter jobs by subject area and by location.
Learn more about finding a teaching job on Teach.com.
Colorado Teacher Salary and Incentives
The average salary for an elementary school teacher in Colorado is $54,670, and for secondary school teachers is about $56,000, according to 2019 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salary schedules vary by school district. Colorado offers loan forgiveness as an incentive to teachers working in low-income schools. Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.
Colorado Teacher Benefits and Retirement
Colorado maintains the Public Employee Retirement Association to assist public employees such as teachers in funding their retirement. Additionally, there are many benefits offered to Colorado teachers, such as health care, dental care, and annual leave and sick days.
Learn more about benefits for teachers.
Colorado Teacher Shortage Areas
- Music
- Business Education
- Early ChildhoodEducation
- English as a Second Language
- General Shortages
- Special Education
- Counseling
- Psychologist
- Nurse
- Social Worker
- Foreign Languages
- Mathematics
- Sciences
Teacher Shortage information was provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listings for 2020–2021, and was determined by examining the most recent data about unfilled teaching positions; positions filled by teachers certified by irregular, provisional, temporary, or emergency certification; and teachers teaching in subject areas other than their area of preparation.
Financial Aid in Colorado
Colorado residents are eligible for the Applegate/Jackson/Parks Future Teacher Scholarship as well as the TEACH Grant, a grant that gives financial aid to students in return for an agreement to teach in a high-need school.
Learn more about how to finance your Master's degree on Teach.com.
Information last updated: May 2020