Colorado Academy

Internship Program
Colorado Academy’s Internship Program is designed to give a high level of training, mentoring and support and is conducted entirely on the Colorado Academy campus in southwest Denver.

Qualifications and Selection
Colorado Academy internship opportunities are available to those who have a bachelor’s degree with sufficient content in the area in which they plan to teach and who are eager for additional instruction in the skills needed to become an expert teacher. The program also provides an alternative licensure option and is endorsed by the Colorado Department of Education.

The State of Colorado requires 225 hours of training which can include previous training and/or experiences. Once an intern has been accepted to the Colorado Academy Internship Program, a careful review of his/her previous training and experiences is made, and a personalized training program is developed to support the intern’s learning. The Intern Advisory Committee generally awards credit for previous experiences if the experiences include supervision, direct coaching, and/or instruction.

Colorado Academy selects only a few interns each year. Final selections typically are made between the end of March and the middle of April. The small size of the program, along with the concentration of expert resources, makes an internship at Colorado Academy a unique opportunity. While there is no guarantee of future employment at Colorado Academy, interns are able to receive a Colorado teaching license and are provided invaluable career counseling.

Interns accepted into the program have all costs defrayed by CA. There is no stipend attached, but the program is flexible, so interns can have outside part-time employment if needed.

Training Sessions and Performance Evaluation
All intern training at Colorado Academy takes place on campus in weekly sessions throughout the school year. The training is delivered by more than 30 CA faculty members who are experts in the training topics. Many of the training sessions include all interns, no matter the area of teaching concentration, and other sessions are designed exclusively for individual interns.

Each intern completes a portfolio, which includes specific assessments related to the intern training and to experiences that demonstrate an understanding of and competency in teaching performance. The assessments are carefully reviewed by the CA Intern Advisory Committee and are discussed with the intern.

Mentored experiences
CA mentor teachers are experts in their profession. They not only demonstrate excellence in the classroom and understand the dynamics of school environments, but also have significant training in mentoring and counseling skills.

Each intern typically is assigned two mentors during the course of a school year and spends time with each in two different classroom settings. Mentors work closely with the intern to provide feedback about teaching methods and strategies. Since the intern does not have exclusive responsibility for a classroom, there is ample opportunity to visit classes throughout the school, to observe their mentors on a regular basis, and to conference with CA colleagues.

Curriculum Areas
Internships are available in the following curriculum areas: Early Childhood; Elementary; Secondary Science, Math, Language Arts, and Social Sciences; Music; Spanish; Instructional Technology; Art Education; and Physical Education.

How to Apply
Candidates for the Internship Program should apply directly to the Colorado Department of Education for acceptance to the Alternative Licensure Program. Once the candidate has been approved, he or she should send that documentation, along with a résumé, transcripts, and letter of application to Colorado Academy.   Application materials should be directed to:
        Fran Trujillo
        Director of Intern/Alternative Licensure Program
        3800 S. Pierce St.
        Denver CO, 80235