Becoming a Licensed Teacher in Colorado
Completion Timeline
In order to be certified as a teacher in Colorado one must complete a bachelor’s degree from the state accredited institutions or the applicant will have to be evaluated by the Colorado State Board of Education so as to be deemed fit for certification in their specialized areas of instruction that entails English, History or Math (Waddock 46). The academic calendar timeline of instructional program operates on a 16-week fall semester, a 16-week spring semester and an 8-week summer session.
Premised on the Waddock 33 research, the professional development plan embraced is based on the University of Colorado, for instance, in the 2017/2018 academic calendar of fall semester, registration will be done in April 2017 and classes begin on August and it will end in December. The spring semester registration will be done in October 2017 and classes will begin on January 2018. At the end of March and early April there will be a spring break and studies will resume in May also marking the end of the semester. The registration for summer session will be done in April 2018 and classes will begin in June and it will run up to August.
College Courses
The Board does not emphasize on basic skills test, sciences or liberal arts in order for one to be verified; but it requires candidates to be evaluated on basis of content tests such as PLACE and Praxis II so as to prove competency. It also requires applicants who have completed a preparation program for teachers which constitute clinical hours with students. This program has to be approved by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).
After successfully enrolling in the teacher education, the following is the list of some of the courses which will be undertaken in order to satisfy the teacher licensure board; Beginning School Field Experience I & II, contemporary American Education, and educational psychology. Additionally, Education of Exceptional Children, Instruction and Evaluation, and Methodology for Secondary Education are instrumental.
Obtaining a License
It is a prerequisite for candidates to pass the criminal background check by submitting their fingerprints to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation before applying to be certified; this earns the applicant the initial educator license which is valid for three years. A professional license is issued to a candidate who holds a Colorado initial teacher license after completing an induction program approved by the board (Waddock 50). In other cases, for out-of-state applicants for the teaching certification, they have to submit an officially signed letter from their state Department of Education, approving State set program and its requirements.
According to the CDE, its set requirements of license application have to be met. In order to obtain the teacher license, the following steps should be made:
- The submission of passing scores of the content tests evaluated
- The submission of fingerprints for criminal check process to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations.
- The conduction of verification process of the bachelor’s degree completed and teacher preparation program through verified and approved program form.
- Completion of application and the payment of non-refundable application fees.
Interview Portfolio
Teacher portfolio is a fundamental tool in an interview; it helps to demonstrate to the panel what exactly can be done in class. The items may entail photographs, a classroom management plan, a lesson plan draft, also a performance record of the last class handled, written notes on the students’ performance will prove result-oriented instructioning.
Work Cited
Waddock, Bodwell. Total responsibility management the manual. Greenleaf Pub. 2016.