How to Become a Teacher in Colorado

Colorado certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Colorado Department of Education — Educator Licensing publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Complete a Colorado-approved teacher preparation program

   In-state completers applying for a first Colorado teacher license (not CTE authorizations or alternative credentials) must hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution and finish an approved preparation program, including clinical experience. Upload official degree-conferred transcripts in the application—CDE shreds transcripts mailed to the agency.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

2. 2

   Demonstrate content knowledge by Praxis or Multiple Measures

   For each endorsement, submit a passing score on a Colorado State Board–approved Praxis exam, a completed endorsement worksheet, or a CDE Multiple Measures review. House Bill 22-1220 lets first-time applicants on or after August 1, 2023, use Praxis, B-or-higher aligned coursework, or a portfolio of evidence. Early childhood, elementary, and special education generalist candidates have tighter exam or “adequate evidence” rules.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

3. 3

   Submit CBI fingerprints and apply in COOL within 30 days

   Fingerprint results CDE receives remain valid for 30 days unless you already hold a valid CDE license or authorization. If you previously printed for CDE but let credentials lapse or missed the 30-day window, you must reprint. Watch status in your COOL account, then submit the TEACHER application before the window closes.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

4. 4

   Pay the base application fee and receive a three-year Initial license

   CDE’s in-state Initial Teacher checklist publishes a $90 base application fee and a license that expires three years from the date of issue. Out-of-state/out-of-country first-time teacher applications list a $110 base fee. Log in at cool.randasolutions.com to submit.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

5. 5

   Complete induction and advance to a seven-year Professional license

   Initial licenses are valid in districts and schools that maintain an induction program for that license type. After a CDE-approved teacher induction program, apply in COOL to advance; CDE publishes a $90 fee and a Professional license that expires seven years from the date of issue. Include the induction certificate and E-Train evaluator training completion.

   Source: ed.cde.state.co.us

Colorado’s 30-day fingerprint clock is the operational detail that strands otherwise-complete applicants. CBI results do not sit in a year-long holding pen. If COOL shows prints received and you wait to gather transcripts, the background check expires and you reprint. Alternative-program students cannot use the student-teaching fingerprint statute; they print under the Educator Licensing Act when they are ready to apply.

Multiple Measures is a content-competency statute (HB 22-1220), not a waiver of licensure. Praxis remains the default board-approved exam. The coursework path expects B-or-higher grades on endorsement-aligned worksheets; the portfolio path is a CDE review with an annual cap that has closed mid-year when the 1,000-review limit is reached. Early childhood, elementary, and special education generalist candidates cannot lean on a content-area bachelor’s degree the way a secondary history candidate can.

Induction is a placement constraint as well as a professional-learning program. State Board rule says Initial licenses are only valid in districts and schools that maintain an induction program for that license type. A hire into a setting without teacher induction—or without a BOCES partnership—can leave a legally issued Initial license unusable. The induction certificate you upload to advance must match the teacher license, not a principal or SSP induction.

The Initial-to-Professional jump changes both the term and the fee story. Three years versus seven years is the headline; the quieter requirement is E-Train evaluator training completion plus an induction certificate from a CDE-approved provider. Educators who complete induction in year one still hold Initial until they file the advance application. Sitting on a finished induction folder does not automatically mint a Professional license.

Required exams and fees

Colorado uses Colorado-approved Praxis exams with Multiple Measures of Content Competency (coursework or portfolio) as an alternative demonstration of content knowledge. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Colorado

CDE states licenses never directly transfer. Out-of-state/out-of-country preparation completers apply for a first Colorado teacher license through the out-of-state checklist ($110 base fee), must meet or exceed Colorado endorsement requirements, and may use Praxis, coursework worksheets, or Multiple Measures. Applicants with a valid other-state license and three or more years of successful full-time licensed teaching in the previous seven years may be exempt from institutional recommendation under 1 CCR 301-37. Restricted or alternative out-of-state credentials are evaluated against Colorado’s own alternative or authorization categories, not treated as automatic Initial licenses.

Official Colorado reciprocity guidance