ESL Endorsement Program Colorado
Advance your teaching career by earning your
ESL/Bilingual Endorsement
In Partnership with
Overview
The fastest growing population in education is English learners, regardless of the grade level you teach. Which also means that ESL teachers are in high demand right now. You can get a master's degree if you are looking to pay more money, but that also costs more money. That's why we're offering a more budget friendly option.
The most affordable ESL endorsement program for Colorado teachers is now available. We've partnered with Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) to help teachers save more of their money, while also making themselves more marketable.
If you are a certified teacher in Colorado, all you have to do is pass our courses with a B- or better.
The worksheet to add an endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education can be found by clicking on this link.
The reason you are allowed to take our classes is that Calumet College of St. Joseph holds regional accreditation (CCSJ also qualifies since they are approved by Illinois and other states as an alternative program).
We’ve done the legwork, contacting the Colorado Department of Education to make sure you are covered. Of course, we also recommend that you check in as well about approval prior to signing up for courses.
After that, all you'll need to do is take 24 credit hours (semester hours) that meet the specific requirements of our program. That would include the 18 hours we offer for most other states and an extra 6 hours to satisfy the state of Colorado.
*You can also submit documented professional development in this area or work experience in this category to satisfy up to 6 semester hours. (Therefore meaning you only need 18 hours if you can provide that documentation).
When We Say Affordable, We Mean It.
Total tuition cost for either endorsement: $3,600. That's 18 hours at $200 per credit hour. No hidden application fees, book fees, technology fees, library fees, or anything else. Total transparency for your piece of mind.
As fellow teachers, we also know the limits of your time. That's why all of our endorsement courses are added to our online programs. This means each of your classes is only 5 weeks long and is delivered in an asynchronous format, meaning you can log in and complete assignments when you have time in your busy schedule. Multiple classes run at the same time, meaning you have choices in the speed you move through our program.
And unlike almost all of the other schools, we allow you to choose the order of the courses you want to take. There are no prerequisites, meaning you can jump in and start taking classes at any time.
We believe you should take classes when you are ready, therefore we're always ready to help you get started. No waiting lists here.
You also get to choose the speed of the program. Take 2 classes at a time and finish in as fast as 18 weeks, or space them out and take longer. We realize not everyone has the same schedule, or the same ability to pay. So we leave it up to you to decide how fast you want to go.
Courses and Competencies
Whether you are looking for an ESL or bilingual endorsement, you'll have to take 6 specific courses. These courses are almost the same, with 1 slight variation.
Regardless of the endorsement, these 5 classes are the same:
- MTI 511 Linguistics for ESL/Bilingual Educators (3 hours)
- MTI 514 Theoretical Foundations of Teaching ESL and Bilingual Students (3 hours)
- MTI 551 Assessment of Bilingual and ESL Students (3 hours)
- MTI 550 Cross-Cultural Studies for Teaching Limited English Proficient Students (3 hours)
- MTI 569 Culturally Responsive Teaching for ESL and Bilingual Students (3 hours)
If you are getting your ESL endorsement, you will also take:
If you are getting your bilingual endorsement, you will also take:
There is also a requirement with this endorsement to have 100 clock hours field experience in applicable settings. All hours must be in a setting where ESL students are receiving services. To help satisfy this, we've built 100 hours into our courses. However, there is another option.
In lieu of documenting 100 hours, teachers can provide an administrator’s letter saying they are working with English learners in their classroom.
Technically speaking, clock hours may be waived if the educator has at least 3 months of teaching experience in an ESL setting, in which case a school district may submit an employment verification letter (not clock hours) to verify the educator’s teaching experience in an ESL setting.
To earn the bilingual endorsement, teachers must also pass the appropriate language proficiency test administered by the Illinois Licensure Testing System. (The ESL endorsement does not require an exam as of this date).