Advancing from an Initial License to a Professional License

Preparing to Apply

Am I in the Right Place?

This checklist is for applicants who hold a Colorado initial teacher license, have completed a Colorado State Board of Education-approved induction program and who would like to advance to a professional teacher license.

If you already hold a Colorado professional license, please review the other checklists and make the appropriate selection.

Plan Ahead

You will need electronic copies of all documentation.
( Get Help with Document Scanning )
Allow ample time to request any third party transcripts or other documentation.

Application Fee:

$90.00

License Expires:

5 years from date of issue

Checklist

Identification

In most cases, additional fingerprinting is not required for this application.
- If you already hold a valid, CDE-issued education credential and have consistently maintained an active credential (authorization or license) since you submitted your fingerprints, you can skip this step. We reserve the right to evaluate your application for adherence to the fingerprint requirements and will notify you by email should any follow-up be needed.
- If you have submitted fingerprints for CDE credentialing in the past, but allowed all credentials to lapse and have held no active credential for a period exceeding 1 year, you must submit a new set of fingerprints.
( View Fingerprinting Instructions )

Confirm you have a valid form of government-issued identification.
( View List of Valid IDs )

Education

Obtain a copy of your induction certificate.

Employment

Within the application you must include employment history for at least the past 5 years.
- Include employer/business name, dates of employment, reason for leaving, work addresses, supervisor names, and contact information.
- Include teaching experience from more than 5 years ago, if you have it.

Self-Disclosure

If applicable, obtain supporting documentation on the following:
- Past criminal history
- Disciplinary actions
- Any issues related to licensure or employment
( View Self-Disclosure Requirements )

Register and Apply

Once you have gathered all of the information listed above, begin the online application process by logging in to your eLicensing account. Select the TEACHER application.

Log In

For questions, email CDELicensing@cde.state.co.us or call 303-866-6628.

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