Colorado River BOCES currently partners with Mountain BOCES to provide alternative licensure programming for candidates with a Bachelors Degree seeking initial licensure as a teacher, as well as principal licensure.

Colorado River BOCES currently offers a program for adding a special education generalist endorsement to your existing teacher license.

Special Education Generalist - Added Endorsement

Program Model

This program leverages personalized, project-based, and competency-based learning models to support candidates in the engaged application of knowledge and skills acquired to be a successful special education teacher.  Candidates enter the program with different background and skills that are considered in the design of their Individual Learner Pathway, which defines the activities and competencies needed to be demonstrated to be recommended for the added endorsement.  Learner activities are identified in the context of the position, school, district and BOCES in which the candidate works. Gaps in learner opportunities are supplemented with digital resources, such as those of the IRIS Center, and other individually determined activities.  After applying for and being approved to participate in the program, candidates work as a paid, full-time special education teacher in the schools, allow the candidates to apply learning directly to classroom experience and gain relevance in their instruction.

Program Logistics

• The program costs $5,000 and leads to an added endorsement on an existing teaching license as a special education generalist.  Candidates pay for the program or in some cases receive support through their district.

• The program is designed for completion in one year, with an option to extend to two years.

• Candidates must possess a current Colorado teaching license.

• It is prefered that candidates have multiple years of classroom experience.

• Candidates must pass the appropriate content assessment prior to entering the program (Elementary Content Exam).

• Candidates are accepted throughout the State.

• Candidates have a local support team including their supervisor, mentor, director of special education and are assigned a field supervisor through the program.

• Candidates are provided a bootcamp training to make certain they have the necessary information to begin the work with students.

Program Completion

Candidate competency on the framework of skills necessary to be an effective special education teacher is established through a multi-faceted approach.  Classroom and other observations (conducted by their mentor, supervisor and field supervisor), documentation of evidence demonstrating competency (such as lesson plans, student plans, student data etc), successful completion of job tasks, and successful demonstration of their effectiveness in the district’s formal evaluation system are considered collectively to establish the candidate’s competency.  After completing the program, candidates must pass the special education generalist assessment prior to adding the endorsement to their license.

Program Contact

Troy A. Lange, Executive Director

tlange@crboces.org

970.948.3045