CO certification

Colorado teacher certification

Colorado reports 16 teaching credentials and 2 alternative routes to Title II, and licensed 2,175 new teachers in the latest year.

Credential rules change. Confirm current requirements with Colorado Department of Education.

Teaching credentials in Colorado

Each row is a credential Colorado reported to Title II. Initial means a first credential for a new teacher. Years is the length of validity.

Colorado credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Adjunct Instructor Authorization	Yes	3	Yes	K-12, K-12, K-12
Alternative Teacher License	Yes	3	Yes	K-6, 7-12
Emergency Authorization	Yes	1	Yes	K-6, 7-12
Exchange Educator Interim	No	1	No	Not reported
Five-Year Substitute Authorization	No	5	Yes	K-12, K-12
Initial Career and Technical Authorization	Yes	3	No	7-12
Initial Teacher License	Yes	3	Yes	K-6, 6-8, 7-12
Interim Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-6, 7-12
Interim Authorization for Alternative Teacher Preparation	Yes	1	Yes	K-6, 6-8, 7-12
Master Teacher Certificate	No	7	Yes	K-6, 6-8, 7-12
Native American Language and Culture Instruction	No	5	Yes	Not reported
One-Year Substitute Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-12, K-12
Professional Career and Technical Authorization	No	5	Yes	7-12
Professional Teacher License	No	5	Yes	K-6, 6-8, 7-12
Temporary Educator Eligibility Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-12, K-12
Three-Year Substitute Authorization	No	3	Yes	K-12, K-12

Requirements

Yes means the state reports the item as required for that credential. Tests shows only whether tests are required; Title II does not name the tests.

Credential	Bachelor's	Master's	Education degree	Prep program	Tests	Performance assessment	Clinical	Coursework	Credit hours	Min. GPA	Transcripts	Employment	Mentoring	Recency	Background check	Fingerprint	Police check
Adjunct Instructor Authorization	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Alternative Teacher License	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Emergency Authorization	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Exchange Educator Interim	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Five-Year Substitute Authorization	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial Career and Technical Authorization	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Initial Teacher License	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Interim Authorization	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Interim Authorization for Alternative Teacher Preparation	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Master Teacher Certificate	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Native American Language and Culture Instruction	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
One-Year Substitute Authorization	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Professional Career and Technical Authorization	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Professional Teacher License	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Temporary Educator Eligibility Authorization	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Three-Year Substitute Authorization	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Verify a teaching license in Colorado

Teaching licenses in Colorado are verified on the lookup service run by Colorado Department of Education. Search there by the teacher's name or certificate number to see current status.

PT3 does not verify licenses and holds no records of individual teachers.

Renewal

Renew times is how many times the credential can be renewed; renewal years is the length of each renewal.

Renewal
Credential	Renewable	Renew times	Renewal years	Details
Adjunct Instructor Authorization	Yes	100	3	Request from a school district, BOCES, charter school or facility school, demonstrating the need for the continued authorization of the applicant so that he/she can continue to provide instruction relevant to the applicant's area of expertise; submission of an application and payment of the established application evaluation fee.
Alternative Teacher License	Yes	1	1	Inability to complete program due to unforeseen hardship (such as medical hardship).
Emergency Authorization	Yes	1	1	Request of school district to the Colorado State Board of Education (SBE), providing the SBE with evidence of a documented need for essential educational services for students, which can be provided by the applicant, and which would otherwise be unavailable due to a shortage of licensed teachers with appropriate endorsements.
Exchange Educator Interim	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Five-Year Substitute Authorization	Yes	100	5	Completion and submission of an application and evaluation fee.
Initial Career and Technical Authorization	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Initial Teacher License	Yes	1	3	An initial license may be renewed for one or more additional three-year periods if the license-holder is unable to complete and induction program for reasons other than incompetence. The applicant must submit an application, an evaluation fee and an attestation as to the circumstances related to his/her inability to complete an induction program.
Interim Authorization	Yes	1	1	Completion and submission of an application and the appropriate evaluation fee. Or, if issued to an alternative preparation program candidate, must be in the second year of a two-year program.
Interim Authorization for Alternative Teacher Preparation	Yes	1	1	May be renewed once to complete a two-year alternative preparation program.
Master Teacher Certificate	Yes	100	7	Maintenance of national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, completion and submission of an application and an evaluation fee. Applicant must also hold a valid Colorado Professional Teacher License. The Master's Certificate extends a Colorado Professional License from 5 years to 7 years.
Native American Language and Culture Instruction	Yes	10	5	Bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited college/university in an area of native languages or five years’ experience of verified, demonstrated expertise in a native American language of a federally recognized tribe and confirmation that the individual will be teaching in cooperation with a licensed teacher
One-Year Substitute Authorization	Yes	100	1	Applicant includes a request for the authorization, signed by the local school district when application is submitted along with the evaluation fee.
Professional Career and Technical Authorization	Yes	100	5	Completion of 6 semester hours or 90 clock hours of content-related professional development coursework; completion and submission of application and evaluation fee.
Professional Teacher License	Yes	100	5	Six semester hours or 90 clock hours of endorsement-relevant professional development credit.
Temporary Educator Eligibility Authorization	Yes	2	1	Completion and submission of an application that includes evidence of continuing progress toward meeting the requirements for a Colorado Initial Teacher license with a special education endorsement.
Three-Year Substitute Authorization	Yes	100	3	Completion and submission of the application and payment of the evaluation fee.

Emergency and temporary credentials

Emergency credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Adjunct Instructor Authorization	Yes	3	Yes	K-12, K-12, K-12
Alternative Teacher License	Yes	3	Yes	K-6, 7-12
Emergency Authorization	Yes	1	Yes	K-6, 7-12
Exchange Educator Interim	No	1	No	Not reported
Initial Career and Technical Authorization	Yes	3	No	7-12
Interim Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-6, 7-12
Interim Authorization for Alternative Teacher Preparation	Yes	1	Yes	K-6, 6-8, 7-12
One-Year Substitute Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-12, K-12
Temporary Educator Eligibility Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-12, K-12

Out-of-state teachers

Title II lists no separate out-of-state credential for Colorado. Ask Colorado Department of Education how it reviews licenses from other states.

Newly licensed teachers prepared out of state: 483.

Substitute teaching

Substitute credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Five-Year Substitute Authorization	No	5	Yes	K-12, K-12
One-Year Substitute Authorization	No	1	Yes	K-12, K-12
Three-Year Substitute Authorization	No	3	Yes	K-12, K-12

Alternative routes

Alternative Teacher Program - One Year (teach while completing)
Alternative Teacher Program - Two Years (teach while completing)

All alternative routes in Colorado

About Colorado certification

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) strives to ensure all teachers are of the highest quality and possess the required licenses and endorsements. For most teachers in Colorado, obtaining licensure in the state is done primarily through completing an approved educator preparation program at an established college or university (“traditional route”) or through a designated agency for alternative teacher preparation (“alternative route”).

Governance Structure & Accountability

Beginning in fall 2023, due to the passing of Senate Bill 23-258, CDE and the State Board of Education have sole responsibility for authorizing and monitoring both traditional and alternative educator preparation providers. Previously, this responsibility was shared with the Colorado Department of Higher Education. As stipulated in 23-1-121(4)(a)(I),C.R.S. and 22-60.5, C.R.S., CDE is required to review all traditional and alternative educator preparation providers not more frequently than once every five years to ensure their programs meet the statutory requirements for reauthorization.

Reauthorization review teams are comprised of academic experts in the field of educator preparation, individuals familiar with the P20 pipeline in Colorado and, when possible, a local K12 practitioner from a partner district associated with the institution. In addition to on-site reauthorization visits, CDE reviews all new educator preparation program proposals submitted by institutions of higher education (IHEs) and proposals submitted for alternative licensure programs. Upon successful review by staff, new program proposals are approved by the official governing board of the agency, the State Board of Education.

CDE has a statutory responsibility to prepare an annual report on the effectiveness of both traditional and alternative educator preparation programs, with data on traditional programs provided by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). The focus of this Educator Preparation Program Report (EPP Report) is on an educator’s first three years of placement as a teacher and includes the following outcomes: (a) educator placement, (b) educator mobility, (c) educator retention, and (d) educator performance evaluation ratings. Additionally, the report includes the number of students who graduated from each educator preparation program during the past year and who received initial teaching licenses. The EPP Report was released for the first time in January 2020 and is refreshed annually with an additional year of data. In January 2022, first-attempt and highest-score pass rates on initial licensure exams and initial licensure application and approval rates were added to the EPP Report.

State Focus

In 2018-19 CDE created the Educator Shortage Survey, which is an annual statewide survey for all school districts and BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services) that employ educators, to gather data on the number of vacant teaching positions by endorsement area as well as the number of vacant special services provider positions and the ways those vacancies were filled, if they were filled at all. These shortage data allow CDE to identify educator shortage areas in Colorado and to report to the Colorado Legislature to inform decisions regarding support for recruiting and retaining educators. The 2024-25 data reflected an increase in the number of vacancies statewide but a decrease in the use of shortage mechanisms to fill vacancies.

In addition to the Educator Shortage Survey, CDE also maintains publicly-available interactive GIS maps to visualize the Colorado educator workforce pipeline. These GIS maps provide insight into district educator shortages, educator preparation program enrollment and completion, educator diversity, and other contextual demographic and economic data. Especially useful for teams tackling educator shortage challenges, these GIS maps support the exploration of how place influences educator shortage and the development and implementation of recommendations and plans to strengthen Colorado’s educator workforce pipeline.

Additionally, CDE has partnered with other statewide education, workforce development, and community groups to create a one-stop-shop that ignites interest and guides people into the profession of teaching. For example, one close partner is TEACH Colorado, which is focused on improving the perception of teaching and recruiting the next generation of teachers in Colorado. TEACH Colorado, launched in 2020, serves as the tech-forward teacher recruitment infrastructure that (a) identifies "prospects" who are open to teaching; (b) cultivates their interest by showing them how teaching meets what they want in a career; and (c) converts them into applicants of an educator preparation program by providing supports and resources. In 2023-2024, TEACH Colorado partnered with 100% of the educator preparation programs in Colorado to provide support to candidates.

How to become a teacher in Colorado Colorado teacher preparation providers

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a teaching certificate in Colorado?

Colorado reports 16 credentials to Title II, 6 of them initial. 4 initial credentials require a bachelor's degree, 2 require a preparation program and 1 require tests. Apply through Colorado Department of Education.

How do I verify a teaching license in Colorado?

Licenses are verified on the lookup service run by Colorado Department of Education. PT3 does not verify licenses.

Can I renew a Colorado teaching certificate?

14 of 16 Colorado credentials are reported as renewable. Renewal details by credential are listed in the Renewal section.

Does Colorado issue emergency or temporary teaching certificates?

Yes. Title II lists 9: Adjunct Instructor Authorization; Alternative Teacher License; Emergency Authorization; Exchange Educator Interim; Initial Career and Technical Authorization.

Can I teach in Colorado with an out-of-state license?

Title II lists no separate out-of-state credential for Colorado. Ask Colorado Department of Education how it reviews licenses from other states.

Is there alternative teacher certification in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado reports 2 alternative routes to Title II.