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Educator Licensing Office

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Welcome to Educator Licensure!

Colorado issues four licenses - teacher, principal, administrator and special services - and 14 authorizations, including substitute, emergency and career and technical education (CTE). Select the corresponding button at right for more information.

Related Information and Requirements

  • Background checks/fingerprints (via icon below)

link to fingerprinting information

Additional Services

To apply:

  1. Select a button below to review requirements.
  2. Select the Out-of-State button if you completed a teacher, principal, administrator or special services preparation outside Colorado and are applying for your first Colorado credential of that type.

ALL OUT-of-STATE CANDIDATES

out-of-state/international applicants: first-time Colorado teacher, principal, administrator, special services

TEACHER

alternative, initial, professional, teacher of record

SPECIAL SERVICES

school SLP, audiologist, psychologist, OT, PT, RN, O&M specialist, social work, counselor

PRINCIPAL

 initial, professional, authorization for alternative preparation

ADMINISTRATOR

administrator, director/special education, director/gifted education

ALL  AUTHORIZATIONS

substitute, emergency, TDAP, TEE, CTE, SLPA, adjunct, SSP intern, educational interpreter, JROTC, exchange educator and more

Content Exam Requirements

Register for PRAXIS exams

 

Resources for District/BOCES Leaders

  • Oath Requirement - for all public school educators
  • The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) presents the Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE), a common language of ethics developed by educators for educators regarding professional practice. Ideal for in-service training or professional learning communities (PLCs). Get started with the following resources:
    • MCEE video features the educators who helped develop the MCEE and speaks to the importance of the code and its application in the classroom
    • DistruptEd is a two-part video conversation with Troy Hutchings and Phil Rogers about the Code of Ethics (Part 1 and Part 2)
    • Contact NASDTEC at support@nasdtec.org with questions or comments.

 

News

The latest information/news about educator preparation and licensure.

  • Changes Coming for Content Knowledge Demonstration Requirements

At its April 2025 meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education approved the following changes -- effective Sept. 1 -- due to regenerated and discontinued Praxis exams:

  • Family & Consumer Sciences #5123 will replace 5122
  • Social Studies #5581 will replace 5081
  • Technology & Engineering #5053 will replace 5051

CDE's licensure office will recognize passing scores on the discontinued exams for five years (until Aug. 31, 2030) for applicants who pass them by Aug. 31, 2025.

Also effective Sept. 1, the state board removed the science and social studies content knowledge demonstration requirement for applicants seeking the following endorsements, thereby replacing the Praxis 5901 elementary three-subtest bundle with only the Praxis 5903 elementary math exam and reducing the number of content exams to the following:

  • Elementary Education (grades K-6): Praxis 5903 elementary math and 5205 teaching reading.
  • Special Education Generalist (ages 5-21): Praxis 5903 elementary math, 5205 teaching reading and 5355 special education content knowledge.

All candidates seeking to obtain a license with the reduced requirements may apply on or after Sept. 1, 2025.

 

  • Multiple Measures Revisions and Temporary Submission Closure

Senate Bill 25-154 extended the use of the Multiple Measures (MM) grades option -- previously only for first-time licensure candidates -- to licensed teachers seeking to add endorsements in the following content areas only:

  • Early Childhood Education (ages 0-8)
  • Early Childhood Special Education (ages 0-8)
  • Elementary Education (grades K-6)
  • Special Education Generalist (ages 5-21)

These shifts require CDE to revise both the submission process and how the 1,000-review cap will be managed moving forward. The following timeline has been established to implement these changes, as well as those mentioned above:

  • June 20: Last day to submit MM applications under the current requirements
  • June 21-July 31: MM submission form unavailable/portal closed for updates; CDE will reviewing all existing submissions.
  • Aug. 1: MM form reopens with new eligibility criteria
  • Sept. 1: Reduced requirements for elementary and special education generalist endorsements (whether via MM or Praxis) go into effect; candidates may apply under the new criteria.

Questions should be directed as follows:

 

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