University of Colorado Colorado Springs

The Alternative Licensure Program consists of ten courses (33 credits) altogether.

Foundations of Licensure
To successfully complete the ALP, you must pass all six Foundations of Licensure courses before your Alternative License expires. These courses provide a background in state and federal regulations, diverse student populations, classroom management, learning theory and instructional planning. We strongly recommend that you take them before starting to teach.

• School, Society and Diversity
• Educational Psychology
• Intro to Special Education
• ESL for Educators
• Instructional and Classroom Management Strategies I
• Instructional and Classroom Management Strategies II

Alternative License Year
During your first year (August-May) as the teacher of record in a Colorado classroom, you must successfully complete all four Alternative License Year courses. These courses include content-specific methods as well as clinical supervision. In your ALP year you will be supported by a team including your university supervisor, your school principal/assistant principal, and school colleague who will serve as a mentor.

• Secondary (Content) Methods
• Alternative Teacher Seminar in Secondary Education I
• Teaching Content and Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents
• Alternative Teacher Seminar in Secondary Education II
   

During your Alternative License year, you will be the teacher of record in your school from Day One. At the same time, you will be enrolled in two ALP courses each semester:

CURR 549X Secondary Content Methods (Fall): This online course, taught by your University Supervisor, will help you provide instruction to your students according to the Colorado Academic Standards.

CURR 5018 Alternative Teacher Seminar in Secondary Education I (Fall): This is a hybrid course. Your University Supervisor will conduct on-site observations, you'll complete assignments online and we will meet on campus once a month.

CURR 5407 Teaching Content and Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents (Spring): This online course will deepen your understanding of content-specific instructional methods, especially for English learners.

CURR 5020 Alternative Teacher Seminar in Secondary Education II (Spring): This is a hybrid course. Your University Supervisor will conduct on-site observations, you'll complete assignments online and we will meet on campus once a month. Capstone assessments include (1) an electronic portfolio of evidence that you have met all 17 elements of the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards and (2) the edTPA, a national teacher performance assessment.

As classrooms become more and more diverse, teachers need to respond skillfully and with compassion. Through a combination of coursework and community partnerships, ALP candidates develop competencies in inclusive education to ensure all students receive an excellent education.