Introduction

The stand-alone Bilingual Education Specialist Endorsement (BES) must be taken after or concurrent with the 24 credit hour CLDE K-12 Endorsement. Applicants to this endorsement should be bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English; Bilingual Education Specialist Endorsement courses will be taught bilingually.

Candidates who complete the BES K-12 endorsement will leave the program(s) with greater understandings of crucial ideas and skills, including: 

• Asset-based, positive dispositions toward bilingual students, their linguistic practices, their families, and their communities 
• Critically informed perspectives on the history, laws, and social forces shaping the education of bilingual students in Colorado 
• Linguistic analysis of English and Spanish 
• Theories of language, bilingualism, and biliteracy development
• Practices to support access to rigorous content for bilingual students, to improve assessment and its application to instruction for bilingual students, and to leverage students’ bilingualism in teaching.

Recommendations for endorsements are made by the CLDE Program, but endorsement is granted by the State of Colorado. Individual state requirements vary and may include teaching experience and examinations in addition to a valid teaching credential. Students should consult with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) or another state in which they wish to be endorsed for the most updated endorsement requirements.

All courses may be applied directly toward a full master's degree in CLDE. Additional courses and applications are required for the master's degree. For additional information about the master's degree, please contact academicservices@ucdenver.edu.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Course
CLDE 5824	Theories and Methods of Bilingual Education	3
Select one Spanish Sociolinguistic Course:		3
SPAN 5060	Dialects of the Spanish-Speaking World
SPAN 5020	Spanish Sociolinguistics
SPAN 5080	Spanish in the United States
SPAN 5076	Spanish in Colorado
Select one Spanish Pedagogy Course:		3
SPAN 5030	The Learning and Teaching of Heritage Speakers
SPAN 5040	Spanish Classroom Methods and Practice
Total Hours		9

Program Requirements and Courses

To complete the Bilingual endorsement students must complete the appropriate course work as outlined in the tables. All courses require a grade of B- or better to count to the MA or endorsement and a 3.0 minimum GPA is required for graduation. If necessary, courses may be retaken for a better grade.

Course Scheduling

Because classes are scheduled through the Modern Languages Department (Spanish), students should work with their Faculty Advisor about course selection and scheduling.

Planning

For practicing full-time teachers, we recommend taking one course each fall and spring semester and up to two courses each summer. Some courses are offered only once per year.

Active Status

Students must complete their programs within seven years, maintaining a GPA of 3.0. Students typically take four courses each calendar year. Failure to enroll over three contiguous semesters will result in a requirement to submit readmission materials.