Every Colorado license type,
with the PDP hours behind it.
A curated reference for K-12 educators working in Colorado. Each row shows the district-set Professional Development Plan (PDP) hours, accepted college semester credit hours, renewal cycle, and the public CDE citation that backs the numbers — so a recertification window never opens with a guessing game.
Seeded from public CDE guidance — owner-maintained
The rows below are seeded from publicly available Colorado Department of Education licensure guidance. The full dataset lives in one editable TypeScript module — src/lib/business/co-license-types.ts — so anyone maintaining the CredenSync educator experience can refresh the numbers, add a new pathway, or update a citation without touching the page itself.
When a number is uncertain, this page shows — rather than guessing. Treat the rows as a starting point: the citation in each row links to the underlying public source, and the linked Colorado Department of Education educator-licensure landing page is the authoritative reference for any individual case.
Each row tells the same five-part story
The library groups Colorado educator license types by pathway so the renewal rules for a CTE teacher read next to the renewal rules for a school principal — instead of getting lost inside a single undifferentiated list.
Colorado license types, grouped by pathway
Each table covers one pathway. Rows are ordered the way CDE lists them in its educator-licensure guidance.
Initial
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial Colorado Teaching LicenseEntry-level Colorado teaching license for candidates who have completed a CDE-approved educator preparation program and the required content exam(s). Valid for 3 years; the holder must complete a CDE-approved induction program to advance to the Professional license. | — | — | 3-year cycle | CDE Initial License |
Alternative Principal LicenseEntry-level Colorado principal license for candidates who are completing a CDE-approved alternative principal preparation program (typically while employed as a building administrator). Valid for 3 years; not directly renewable — must convert to the Professional Principal license upon program completion. | — | — | 3-year cycle | CDE Alternative Principal |
Standard
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Professional Colorado Teaching LicenseColorado’s standard renewable teaching license, earned after the Initial holder completes a CDE-approved induction program. Renewal uses the local-district Professional Development Plan (PDP) process — there is no fixed CDE-wide clock-hour total; districts set the required PD hours (often ≈30 contact hours per cycle) and document via the CDE P-II/U-LEADS system. | — | — | 5-year cycle | CDE Professional License Renewal |
Professional Special Services License (School Counselor)Issued to Colorado school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers. Same 5-year renewal cadence as the Professional teaching license; PD content is logged via the district PDP and tied to the school counselor / pupil services standards rather than core content pedagogy. | — | — | 5-year cycle | CDE Special Services License |
Administrator
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Professional Principal LicenseIssued to Colorado building-level administrators (principal, assistant principal) after completion of a CDE-approved principal preparation program. Renewal every 5 years via the district PDP process — no fixed state-wide clock-hour total; PD is logged in CDE P-II and aligned to the Colorado Principal Quality Standards. | — | — | 5-year cycle | CDE Principal License Renewal |
Career & Technical
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Career & Technical Education (CTE) AuthorizationCDE authorizes CTE teachers through the CTE endorsement on a teaching license — typically a POST-Secondary occupational credential plus either a bachelor’s degree or qualifying work experience. Renewal follows the same district PDP process as a Standard Professional teaching license; occupational credentials are documented separately on the CDE CTE applicant page. | — | — | 5-year cycle | CDE CTE Authorization |
Bring this reference into a living recertification record
The CredenSync educator plan keeps your Colorado district PDP hours, college credit conversions, and renewal cycle visible in one place — and warns you before a window opens. Start free while you evaluate.