Preparation

Training educators who will make a difference

CDE and the Colorado Department of Higher Education partner to increase the quality of the state’s educator preparation programs. They approve and reauthorize all programs.

The Colorado Department of Higher Education also provides annual reports to the legislature about educator preparation programs.

Becoming an educator in Colorado

Interested in becoming a teacher — or leading a school or district?

Educator preparation through institutions of higher education

• State-approved educator preparation programs offered by colleges and universities.
• Information about completing a Traditional Educator Preparation Program

Alternative programs

• The Alternative Teacher Licensing Program is for aspiring teachers who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher but have not completed an approved educator preparation program and student teaching. Candidates teach under the supervision of a professional support team while taking educational coursework.

• The Alternative Principal Preparation Program is for aspiring principals who have not completed an approved principal licensure program at a college or university. Candidates are employed as a principal or assistant principal while completing coursework.

Becoming an approved or reauthorized educator preparation program

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education approves the educator preparation programs; the Colorado State Board of Education approves program content. Find instructions and forms for the approval and reauthorization process below:

• Institutes of Higher Education: Developing an Educator Preparation Program or Adding an Endorsement to an Existing Program
• Becoming a Designated Agency for Alternative Teacher Preparation