Eligibility

Denver Teaching Fellows is a highly-selective alternative route to teaching program designed for outstanding individuals dedicated to impacting student achievement in Denver Public Schools. Teaching Fellows will teach math, science, special education, or bilingual Spanish (K-6) education. To apply, candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements. No previous coursework in education or teaching experience is required.

• You must possess a bachelor's degree (conferred by June 2009).
• Your undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or higher.
• You must be eligible to work in the United States.
• You cannot be a current district or fully-licensed teacher.
• You must meet requirements for your subject area (math, science, bilingual Spanish (K-6), or special education).

You must possess a bachelor's degree.
Candidates who either hold a bachelor’s degree or who are currently completing their bachelor's degree coursework from an accredited university and expect to have the degree awarded no later than June 2009 are eligible to apply. Please note that a bachelor's degree is a requirement for licensure. Graduates of foreign universities must have their transcripts evaluated by an approved agency. When requesting an evaluation, be sure that the agency specifically states that you have received the U.S. equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in your subject area AND provides a full listing of your coursework. Applications that include foreign transcripts will not be reviewed until the completed evaluation has been faxed or mailed to the Fellows office. Graduates of foreign universities must have their transcripts evaluated by one of the following foreign credential evaluation agencies prior to applying:

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
Educational Credential Evaluators
International Education Research Foundation
World Education Services

Your undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or higher.
Individuals must possess an average undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Teaching Fellows program may make exceptions for candidates whose GPA is between a 2.5 and 3.0 and who demonstrate a strong record of achievement in their previous endeavors. Candidates with a GPA lower than 3.0 will have the opportunity to address any issues relevant to their academic performance by including a brief statement in the online application.

You must be eligible to work in the United States.
Applicants must present proof of legal work status in order to become employees of Denver Public Schools.

You cannot be a current district or fully-licensed teacher.
Current district teachers, as well as teachers already in possession of their teaching licensure/certification from Colorado or any other state, are not eligible for the Fellows program. For more information about teaching positions for candidates who already hold their initial or professional licensure, please refer to the Denver Public Schools Human Resources website.

You must meet coursework and testing requirements for your subject area.
The goal of the Teaching Fellows program is to find outstanding new teachers who will enter their classrooms as highly qualified new educators. Therefore, candidates must meet coursework and testing requirements according to state, district, and licensure program guidelines for the subject they wish to teach before they begin teaching. Fellows will teach in math, science, special education, and bilingual Spanish (K-6) classrooms —the greatest areas of need in the district.

Eligibility requirements vary by subject; however, candidates typically must have completed 30 semester hours in their content area. See table below for more details. Please keep these eligibility requirements in mind when stating your subject area preferences on your online application.  Candidates who have 24 of the required 30 credits for their subject area of interest may be eligible to make up for credit deficiencies in other ways prior to when they start teaching.  For more information, contact the Denver Teaching Fellows office directly for individual next steps.  Before final acceptance into the program, candidates must submit official transcripts so that course credits and GPA may be verified. (Please visit Apply Now page for more detail.) These requirements are non-negotiable.

Beyond the specific coursework eligibility requirements for each subject area listed below, Fellows are responsible for registering for, studying for, and passing the Praxis II and/or PLACE – both are subject area-specific exams. Admission to the Teaching Fellows program is contingent upon passage of these required tests, and passing scores must be on file with the Fellows office before the start of the Training Institute. Candidates should wait to register for the Praxis II and/or PLACE until they have submitted their online application and have received specific, individualized direction on the appropriate Praxis II and/or PLACE subject examination for their candidacy from the Fellows program office. For more important dates and information about registering for the exams, be sure to review the Testing Requirements section of this website.

Subject Area- Specific Coursework & Testing Requirements

With careful review of these eligibility requirements, Teaching Fellows candidates will benefit from a streamlined application and selection process and, if selected, will have the opportunity to participate in an intensive Training Institute this summer before embarking on a new career in education.

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