History of TILA

TILA has functioned as a designated agency for alternative teacher licensure since 2001 and has been approved by the Colorado Department of Education. The agency can recommend licensure for teachers seeking endorsements in elementary education, special education and a variety of secondary content areas.

Since its inception, TILA has recommended licensure for over 400 teachers in a variety of endorsement areas, the majority being in special education. The program has grown significantly over the last five years and is a recent recipient of a federally sponsored Department of Education Transition to Teaching grant that will support 250 classroom teachers in the Alternative Teacher Licensure program by 2014, statewide.

The program has developed a strong partnership with the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC) that enables licensure candidates to earn 9 graduate credits at the University. These credits will directly transfer into one of two M.A. programs (Curriculum and Instruction with a Focus on Language, Literacy and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Special Education) at UCDHSC. The cost of these credits is included in the TILA fee schedule. The path to the graduate credits is embedded into the State-approved TILA program and negotiated into the agreement between TILA and UCDHSC.