Colorado Code
Part 2 - Teachers and Special Services Providers
§ 22-60.5-201. Types of Teacher Licenses Issued - Term - Rules

(A) Holds an earned baccalaureate degree from an accepted institution of higher education;
(B) Has completed an approved program of preparation for teachers or a one-year or two-year alternative teacher program;
(C) Has demonstrated professional competencies in subject areas as specified by rule of the state board of education pursuant to section 22-60.5-203 .
(II) The department of education, in its discretion, may issue an initial or a professional teacher license to any applicant who:
(A) Holds a valid initial or professional principal license or a valid initial or professional administrator license;
(B) Has previously held an initial teacher license.
(II.5) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2009, (SB 09-160), ch. 292, p. 1449, § 4, effective May 21, 2009.)
(III) (A) An initial teacher license is valid in any school districts or nonpublic schools that provide, or charter schools that provide or participate in, an approved induction program for teachers or have obtained a waiver of the approved induction program requirement pursuant to section 22-60.5-114 (2) . Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1)(b)(III)(B) of this section, any initial license issued pursuant to this subsection (1)(b) is valid for a period of three years after the date of issuance and is renewable only once for an additional period of three years.
(B) If an initial teacher licensee is unable to complete an induction program for reasons other than incompetence, the state board of education may renew the licensee's initial teacher license for one or more additional three-year periods upon the initial licensee's showing of good cause for inability to complete an induction program.

(A) Holds a valid initial teacher license;
(B) Has completed an approved induction program and has been recommended for licensure by the school districts, charter school, the institute, or nonpublic school that provided such induction program; except that the applicant need not complete an approved induction program as an initial teacher licensee if the applicant previously completed an induction program while teaching under an adjunct instructor authorization, an emergency authorization, or an interim authorization or if the school district or charter school in which the applicant is employed has obtained a waiver of the induction program requirement pursuant to section 22-60.5-114 (2) . If the applicant is employed by a school district, charter school, or nonpublic school that has obtained a waiver of the induction program requirement, the applicant shall demonstrate completion of any requirements specified in the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic school's plan for support, assistance, and training of initially licensed educators.
(C) Has demonstrated professional competencies in subject areas as specified by rule and regulation of the state board of education pursuant to section 22-60.5-203 if the applicant received an initial teacher license without demonstrating professional competencies pursuant to sub-subparagraph (C) of subparagraph (I) of paragraph (b) of this subsection (1).
(II) The department of education may, in its discretion, issue a professional teacher license to any applicant who:
(A) Holds a valid initial or professional principal license or a valid initial or professional administrator license;
(B) Has previously held a professional teacher license issued pursuant to this article or an equivalent certificate which was issued pursuant to article 60 of this title prior to July 1, 1994.
(II.5) The department of education may issue a professional teacher license to any applicant who meets or exceeds the requirements specified in paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section.
(II.7) The department of education may issue a professional teacher license to an applicant who meets the requirements specified in section 22-60.5-111 (4)(c) (II) or (5)(e)(II).
(III) (A) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1)(c)(III)(B) of this section, any professional teacher license issued pursuant to this subsection (1)(c)(III)(A) is valid for a period of seven years after the date of issuance and is renewable at its expiration pursuant to section 22-60.5-110 . If, as of September 7, 2021, an individual has partially completed the individual's five-year professional teacher licensing period, the licensing period for that individual is extended to a seven-year period. The years that the individual already completed toward the five-year professional teacher licensing period will count toward the individual's new seven-year professional teacher licensing period.
(B) Any professional teacher license issued pursuant to this paragraph (c) which is held in conjunction with a master certificate pursuant to section 22-60.5-202 shall be valid for a period of seven years after the date of issuance and is renewable as provided in section 22-60.5-110 .

(A) The applicant holds a license or certificate from that state that is comparable to a teacher license in this state and the standards for the issuance of such license or certificate meet or exceed the standards of the state board of education for the issuance of a professional teacher license; and
(B) The applicant has had at least three years of successful, evaluated experience within the previous seven years as a teacher in an established elementary or secondary school and can provide documentation of such experience on forms provided by the department.

(3.5) The department of education may, at its discretion, issue a professional license provided for in paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section to any applicant who is certified by a nationally recognized teacher certification organization that is approved by the state board of education.

Source: L. 91: Entire article added, p. 483, § 1, effective June 6. L. 94: (1)(b)(I)(C), (1)(b)(III), and (1)(c)(I)(B) amended and (1)(c)(I)(C) added, p. 1801, § 1, effective May 31. L. 96: (3) amended, p. 1785, § 2, effective June 3. L. 97: (1)(b)(III), (1)(c)(I)(B), and (2) amended and (3.5) added, pp. 1659, 1662, 1664, §§ 10, 14, 22, effective June 5. L. 99: (3) amended, p. 890, § 1, effective May 24; IP(1)(b)(I) amended and (1)(b)(II.5) added, p. 1196, § 11, effective June 1. L. 2000: IP(1)(c)(I) and (3) amended and (1)(c)(II.5) added, p. 1103, § 1, effective August 2. L. 2002: IP(1)(c)(I) amended, p. 1020, § 33, effective June 1. L. 2004: (1)(a)(I)(B), (1)(a)(I)(C), (1)(a)(II)(A), (1)(b)(I)(A), IP(1)(c)(I), and (1)(c)(I)(B) amended and (1)(c)(II.7) added, p. 1279, § 3, effective May 28. L. 2005: (1)(b), (1)(c)(I), (1)(c)(II), (2), (3), and (4) amended, p. 177, § 12, effective April 7. L. 2006: (1)(b)(I)(C), (1)(b)(III)(A), and (5) amended, p. 637, § 50, effective August 7. L. 2007: (1)(a)(IV) amended, p. 55, § 2, effective March 14. L. 2009: IP(1), (1)(a), IP(1)(b)(I), (1)(b)(I)(B), and (1)(b)(II.5) amended, (SB 09-160), ch. 292, p. 1449, § 4, effective May 21. L. 2017: (1)(a)(I)(D) amended, (HB 17-1332), ch. 268, p. 1479, § 1, effective August 9; (1)(a)(IV) and (1)(a)(V) amended, (SB 17-052), ch. 5, p. 11, § 6, effective August 9. L. 2018: (1)(a)(IV), (1)(a)(V), (1)(b)(III)(A), IP(1)(c)(I), and (1)(c)(I)(B) amended, (SB 18-160), ch. 97, p. 761, § 5, effective August 8; (1)(a.5) added and IP(1)(b)(I) and (1)(b)(I)(B) amended, (HB 18-1309), ch. 269, p. 1661, § 4, effective August 8; (3)(b)(I)(B) amended and (3)(b)(III) added, (HB 18-1095), ch. 47, p. 481, § 1, effective August 8; (3)(b)(I)(B) amended, (HB 18-1130), ch. 76, p. 659, § 1, effective August 8. L. 2019: (3)(b)(I)(B) amended and (3)(b)(III) repealed, (HB 19-1059), ch. 30, p. 97, § 2, effective March 11; (1)(a)(IV), (1)(a)(V), (1)(b)(III)(A), and (1)(c)(I)(B) amended, (SB 19-069), ch. 37, p. 124, § 6, effective August 2. L. 2020: (1)(a.5)(I)(B) and (1)(b)(I)(B) amended, (HB 20-1418), ch. 197, p. 944, § 14, effective June 30. L. 2021: (1)(c)(III)(A) amended, (HB 21-1104), ch. 245, p. 1320, § 2, effective September 7.
Editor's note: Amendments to subsection (3)(b)(I)(B) by HB 18-1095 and HB 18-1130 were harmonized.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 19-1059, see section 1 of chapter 30, Session Laws of Colorado 2019. For the legislative declaration in HB 20-1418, see section 1 of chapter 197, Session Laws of Colorado 2020. For the legislative declaration in HB 21-1104, see section 1 of chapter 245, Session Laws of Colorado 2021.