What Colorado says
How this move starts
Colorado evaluates out-of-state preparation, content knowledge, licenses and recent fully licensed experience for a first Colorado teacher license and requested endorsements.
Where the state decides
CDE determines the license duration, endorsement alignment and any examination requirement only after reviewing a complete application.
No blanket reciprocity claim
What this guide will not guess
A state pair alone cannot settle your exact credential, tests or timeline. Those answers can change with your license type, endorsements, preparation and experience. This page shows the reviewed Colorado rule; the move planner uses your teaching details to narrow the checklist.
Your Texas record
Confirm exactly what you hold
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides the official virtual certificate for Texas educators. Search the record for current certificates and certificate history; the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) oversees educator certification.
- •Current, expired and inactive Texas certificates
- •Certificate history when TEA has history attached to the record
- •An official-record date that should show the present date
Compact check
Use the regular out-of-state path
This pair is not currently a two-member compact route. Colorado's out-of-state rules control.
Check compact eligibilityYour likely order
5 reviewed steps
- 01Confirm the Colorado endorsement requested
- 02Gather official transcripts and preparation or experience verification
- 03Document content knowledge for each endorsement
- 04Submit fingerprints to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation
- 05Apply through the COOL licensure account
What can change the answer
- 01A valid Social Security number is required to apply; an applicant who has only an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number must contact CDE before applying
- 02Program verification may be replaced only by qualifying recent fully licensed experience under the agency's criteria
- 03Alternative, emergency, provisional, substitute and similar experience does not count toward the three-year experience provision
- 04The application must be submitted within 30 days after CDE receives the background check
- 05After 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
The records worth gathering first
Credential outcome
A first Colorado teacher license may be issued for one, three or seven years depending on the applicant's qualifications and CDE evaluation.
Content knowledge
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.
Core evidence
CDE lists official transcripts from every institution, program verification or qualifying licensed-experience evidence, copies of educator licenses, work history, identity evidence and any required disclosure documents.
Base application fee
$110 is the published base teacher-license application fee. Colorado law prohibits refunding the application-evaluation fee; fingerprint and third-party costs are separate.
Agency review
CDE states that it evaluates a complete application within 45 business days and requires filing within 30 days after receiving the background check. An applicant has 60 days after an incomplete notice to cure the deficiency or request reconsideration; missing the deadline causes the application to be deemed withdrawn.
Texas to Colorado questions
Does a Texas teaching license automatically transfer to Colorado?
No. Your Texas credential is evidence for the application, but Colorado Department of Education decides which Colorado license, endorsements, tests and remaining conditions apply.
Can I use the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact from Texas to Colorado?
This is not currently a move between two listed compact member states. Use Colorado's regular out-of-state pathway unless the destination agency tells you a different route applies.
What should I gather before applying in Colorado?
Start with your current Texas license record, exact endorsements, preparation transcripts, experience verification and test history. Then follow the evidence requests in Colorado's application.
What does the TeachPassport move planner include?
It uses your credential, experience, subjects, grades and destination to prepare likely steps, reusable worksheets and official links. You can use it without an account or save the move.
Official sources
State material only