Renew your Colorado teaching license with accredited online courses
CDE requires 90 contact hours or 6 semester hours every 7 years. Model Teaching professional development courses earn contact hours directly. University-partnered courses earn graduate credits that count for renewal and may also apply to your district salary schedule. Self-paced and 100% online.
Are you renewing your license or advancing your salary?
Colorado teacher license renewal requirements from CDE
A Colorado Professional Teacher License is valid for 7 years. To renew it, CDE requires 90 contact hours of applicable professional development, or 6 semester hours of college coursework, or any combination of the two. The renewal application fee is 90 dollars. Professional development must relate to your endorsement areas, the Colorado Academic Standards, the Colorado Quality Standards for educators, school culture and climate, leadership, or student safety and well-being.
Two required specializations apply within the 90 hours
Both count toward the 90-hour total. They do not add to it.
Teachers complete a minimum of 10 contact hours, with a minimum of 1 contact hour in each area, covering behavioral health that is culturally responsive and trauma- and evidence-informed, and awareness of laws and practices for educating students with disabilities, including Child Find and inclusive learning environments. This applies to professional licenses expiring on or after 30 June 2025 and repeats every 7 years. Special services providers, principals, and administrators complete 10 contact hours on the disability law element only.
This applies once, to professional teacher licenses with an elementary, English, math, science, or social studies endorsement, including middle-level endorsements, expiring on or after 1 September 2025. See the English learner section below for the three documentation pathways.
How many hours do I need?
CDE sets the same 90-hour total for all teachers. The specializations differ by role. Select your role to see what applies.
What you need
90 contact hours, including 10 hours of behavioral health and special education, and 45 hours of English learner professional learning at the first renewal after 1 September 2025. 6 semester hours equal the full 90.
90 contact hours, including the 10-hour behavioral health and special education requirement. The 45-hour English learner requirement applies if the endorsement is English, math, science, social studies, or middle-level. 6 semester hours equal the full 90.
90 contact hours, including 10 contact hours on disability law for special services providers. 6 semester hours equal the full 90.
90 contact hours, including 10 contact hours on disability law for principals and administrators. 6 semester hours equal the full 90.
Our 90-hour PD bundle covers a full Colorado renewal in one purchase.
See the bundleWhat counts toward Colorado license renewal
CDE accepts a wide range of activity types. Most convert at 15 clock hours to 1 semester hour.
- Professional development contact hours. Workshops, conferences, and online courses count directly as contact hours. This is the fastest and least expensive route to 90 hours. (Recommended for renewal.)
- College or university coursework. Graduate-level semester credits count at 15 contact hours per semester hour. Coursework must apply to your endorsement areas. (Recommended if you also want salary schedule credit.)
- In-service education. District or BOCES in-service converts at 15 clock hours per semester hour.
- School and district performance involvement. Committee work, curriculum development, and literacy or numeracy programs convert at 15 clock hours per semester hour.
- Internships, externships, and educational travel. Both convert at 15 clock hours per semester hour. Travel time is excluded.
CDE does not pre-approve providers. CDE states that it does not pre-approve CEUs, training, or professional development workshops, conferences, or in-services. There is no approved-provider list to check and no pre-approval form to file. At renewal you document that your professional development aligns with your endorsement areas and the standards CDE names. Download a syllabus from any course page to keep with your records.
How Model Teaching courses meet Colorado requirements
Model Teaching offers two course types, and both count in Colorado. Professional development courses earn contact hours directly and apply to the 90-hour total. A 90-hour bundle covers a full renewal in one purchase. University-partnered courses earn graduate-level semester credits from regionally accredited universities, at 15 contact hours per credit, so 6 credits also complete a renewal and produce an official transcript for a district salary schedule. Course topics include English language learners, special education and needs, and classroom management and behavior, which map to the specializations CDE requires. All courses are self-paced and 100% online, with 1 year of access.
Read more about Colorado teacher license renewal and relicensure
Colorado renews the Professional Teacher License on a 7-year cycle. CDE requires 90 contact hours of applicable professional development, 6 semester hours of college coursework, or any combination of the two, completed within the 7 years the license is active. The renewal application costs 90 dollars. CDE evaluates applications within 45 business days of receipt.
CDE publishes fixed conversions between units. One semester hour equals 15 contact hours. One quarter hour equals 10 contact hours. One CEU equals 10 contact hours. A teacher completing 6 graduate semester credits meets the requirement in full. A teacher completing 90 hours of workshops, conferences, or online professional development also meets it in full. Combinations are permitted.
CDE does not pre-approve professional development. CDE states that it does not pre-approve CEUs, training, or professional development workshops, conferences, or in-services. Educators document at renewal that their professional development applies to their endorsement areas. Acceptable areas include the Colorado Academic Standards, the Colorado Quality Standards for educators, school culture and climate, leadership, and student safety and well-being. Accepted activity types include in-service education, college coursework, school and district performance involvement, internships and externships, educational travel, and ongoing professional development such as workshops, conferences, research, publications, and supervision.
Two specializations now apply within the 90 hours. Teachers renewing a professional license that expires on or after 30 June 2025 must complete at least 10 contact hours, with at least 1 contact hour in each area, covering behavioral health that is culturally responsive and trauma- and evidence-informed, and awareness of laws and practices for educating students with disabilities, including Child Find and inclusive learning environments. Special services providers, principals, and administrators complete 10 contact hours on the disability element. This requirement repeats every 7 years at renewal.
The second specialization is larger. Teachers renewing a professional license with an elementary, English, math, science, or social studies endorsement, including middle-level endorsements, that expires on or after 1 September 2025 must document 45 contact hours of English learner professional learning. It applies one time. The 45 hours may be used toward the 90-hour total for that renewal cycle only. Up to 10 of the 45 hours may come from relevant work experience implementing the standards in a teaching assignment, verified by a letter from a supervisor.
Colorado teachers also search for relicensure and recertification. CDE uses the term renewal, and the credential is the Professional Teacher License. An Initial Teacher License is a separate credential. It advances to a Professional Teacher License through a CDE-approved induction program, documented with an induction certificate, rather than through professional development hours. The official requirements are published on the CDE renewal checklist, the CDE educator professional development requirements page, and the CDE general accepted activities page.
Build your own Colorado renewal bundle
Buy your hours or credits once, then choose any courses until you have what CDE requires. Both paths satisfy the 90-hour requirement. Pick the one that matches your goal.
One-time price, no per-course charges. Covers a full CDE renewal on its own.
- Contact hours apply directly to the 90-hour CDE requirement
- Choose any courses from the full professional development menu
- Topics covering English language learners, special education, and classroom behavior
- A certificate of completion for each course, for your renewal records
- Self-paced, 100% online, with 1 year of access
Need a different size? See all PD hour bundles
$199 up front, then $70 per credit as you finish. Equal to 90 contact hours, and adds an official transcript.
- 1 semester credit counts as 15 CDE contact hours
- Official transcript and letter grade for a district salary lane change
- Credits also apply toward a master's degree
- Issued by a regionally accredited university partner
- Self-paced, 100% online, with 1 year of access
Need a different size? See all credit bundles
Graduate credits and official transcripts are issued directly by our university partners
The 45-hour CDE English learner requirement
CDE requires 45 contact hours of English learner professional learning from teachers renewing a professional license with an elementary, English, math, science, or social studies endorsement, including middle-level endorsements, where the license expires on or after 1 September 2025. The requirement applies one time. The 45 hours count toward the 90-hour renewal total for that cycle only.
These hours do not have to be pre-approved. CDE states that professional development does not have to be pre-approved to count toward this requirement. There are three ways to document the 45 hours.
CDE issues a single certificate to submit with the renewal application. CDE pre-approves only programs that deliver all 45 hours and address every standard element.
Use CDE's English Learner PD Standards Matrix to show how your coursework aligns to the four quality standards. This route accepts professional development you already completed, including hours used for a previous renewal.
Teachers who completed an approved educator preparation program receive an APV form confirming the requirement is satisfied.
Up to 10 of the 45 hours may come from work experience. Implementing the standards as part of a teaching assignment counts, verified by a letter from a supervisor.
Model Teaching offers English language learner courses in both the professional development and university-credit catalogs. Model Teaching is not a CDE pre-approved English learner program, so use the Standards Matrix route. Download the syllabus for each course you take and keep it with your Standards Matrix documentation.
Full rules and the Standards Matrix are published on the CDE English learner PD pathways page.
Move up your Colorado salary schedule with graduate credits
Colorado does not run a statewide salary program. Each district sets its own salary schedule, and graduate credits and degrees are the usual way teachers move into a higher lane. The number of credits a lane requires, what it is worth, and whether coursework needs district approval before you enroll are set by your district. Check your district salary schedule or negotiated agreement first. Graduate credits earned for a lane change also count toward CDE renewal at 15 contact hours per credit.
Accredited transcripts
Every university-partnered course produces an official transcript and letter grade from a regionally accredited university partner, which is the documentation districts ask for on a lane change.
Rolling credit processing
Credits are processed on a rolling basis. Request your transcript when you finish a course rather than waiting for a term to close.
Credits count twice
One graduate credit equals 15 CDE contact hours. Credits earned for a salary lane also apply to your 90-hour renewal total.
Choose how you earn your Colorado hours
Professional development bundles are priced by hours. Graduate credit bundles charge a one-time bundle fee plus 70 dollars per credit when you finish a course and request your transcript.
One-time price. No per-course charges.
90 contact hours
Exactly what CDE requires.
- Covers the full 90-hour CDE requirement in one purchase
- Choose any courses from the full professional development menu
- Self-paced, 100% online, 1 year of access
One-time price. No per-course charges.
50 contact hours
Top up a partial cycle.
- 50 contact hours toward the 90-hour total
- Choose any courses from the full professional development menu
- Self-paced, 100% online, 1 year of access
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$619 total for 6 credits.
- 6 semester hours, equal to 90 contact hours, a complete renewal
- Official transcript and letter grade for a district salary lane change
- Credits also apply toward a master's degree
Need more hours? 100-hour bundles are $159, 150-hour are $179, and 200-hour are $199.
View bundled optionsFrequently asked questions
Common questions about Colorado teacher license renewal, CDE contact hours, and the new specialization requirements.
Requirements How many hours are required to renew a Colorado teaching license?
90 contact hours, or 6 semester hours of college coursework, or any combination of the two, within the 7 years the license is active.
Renewal How long is a Colorado Professional Teacher License valid?
7 years from the date of issue. The renewal application fee is 90 dollars, and CDE evaluates applications within 45 business days of receipt.
Credits How do contact hours convert to semester credits?
1 semester hour equals 15 contact hours. 1 quarter hour equals 10 contact hours. 1 CEU equals 10 contact hours. 6 semester hours equal the full 90 contact hours.
Process Does CDE have to approve my professional development in advance?
No. CDE states it does not pre-approve CEUs, training, or professional development workshops, conferences, or in-services. You document at renewal that the professional development applies to your endorsement areas and the standards CDE names.
Requirements Who has to complete the 45-hour English learner requirement?
Teachers renewing a professional license with an elementary, English, math, science, or social studies endorsement, including middle-level endorsements, where the license expires on or after 1 September 2025. It applies one time, and the hours count toward the 90-hour total for that cycle only.
Process Does the English learner professional development have to be pre-approved?
No. CDE states that professional development does not have to be pre-approved to count. You can complete a CDE pre-approved program and receive a single certificate, or document your own aligned coursework using CDE's English Learner PD Standards Matrix. Up to 10 of the 45 hours may come from relevant work experience verified by a supervisor.
Requirements What is the 10-hour behavioral health and special education requirement?
Teachers renewing a professional license expiring on or after 30 June 2025 complete at least 10 contact hours, with at least 1 contact hour in each area, covering behavioral health that is culturally responsive and trauma- and evidence-informed, and awareness of laws and practices for educating students with disabilities, including Child Find and inclusive learning environments. Special services providers, principals, and administrators complete 10 contact hours on the disability element.
Salary Can renewal credits also raise my pay?
In many cases, yes. Colorado has no statewide salary program, so each district sets its own schedule. Graduate credits are the usual route to a higher lane. One graduate credit also equals 15 CDE contact hours, so the same coursework may apply to both.
Costs What is the most affordable way to renew in Colorado?
Professional development contact hours. A 90-hour bundle is $155 and covers exactly the 90 hours CDE requires. Graduate credits cost more and are worth choosing when you also want transcript credit for a salary lane or a master's.
Ready to renew your Colorado teaching license?
Earn the 90 contact hours CDE requires, or the 6 semester hours that equal them, at your own pace and fully online.
Model Teaching strives to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on renewal and salary advancement requirements for every state. Requirements can change and vary by district, so we encourage you to do your own research and confirm exactly what you need with your state licensing agency and district before you enroll.
