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Colorado Department of Education test requirements

Will I need another teacher test in Colorado?

Requirements can differ by certificate, subject, grade span and prior score.

Open Teachers from Out-of-State/Out-of-Country
Official state guidance State makes the decision Checked 2026-08-23

Testing and assessment treatment

Requirement

Each requested endorsement needs accepted content-knowledge evidence, such as an approved exam, endorsement worksheet or CDE multiple-measures approval; CDE may determine an exam is still required.

Which out-of-state path this covers

Colorado evaluates out-of-state or out-of-country preparation, content knowledge, licenses and licensed experience for a first Colorado teacher license and requested endorsements.

What can change this answer

CDE determines the license duration, endorsement alignment and any examination requirement only after reviewing a complete application.

Documents you may need

CDE lists official transcripts from every institution, the program verification form, copies of all educator licenses, work history, identity evidence, any required disclosure documents and, for some alternative-program completers, a state letter confirming the program.

Where the testing answer can change

  • •A valid Social Security number is required to apply; an applicant who has only an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number must contact CDE before applying
  • •The program verification form comes from the registrar or certification officer of the preparing college or university; a program completed outside the United States is verified through the NACES course-by-course evaluation instead
  • •An out-of-state alternative-program completer without three years of fully licensed experience after preparation also needs an official, signed letter from that state's department of education confirming the program was state-approved and describing its entry and exit requirements
  • •Listed work experience counts as licensed experience only where the license copies cover its dates
  • •The application must be submitted within 30 days after CDE receives the background check
  • •After an incomplete-application notice, the applicant has 60 days to supply the missing material or request reconsideration; CDE does not extend that deadline to wait for a background check

Register and send scores only for the exact exam code named by the state agency.

Official sources

Check again by 2026-11-23