PEBC Residency
Frequently Asked Questions
Program Questions and Answers
The PEBC Teacher Residency program offers two pathways to the teaching profession through alternative licensure.
Teacher Residents work side-by-side with mentor teachers who are committed to their success. Whether you’re a recent graduate or career changer, the residency experience sets the standard for teacher preparation and offers a unique pathway to transition careers.
Teachers Of Record serve as the sole teacher in the classroom and are supported by our coaches and instructors.
Learn more about which path is right for you.
Teacher Residents and Teachers Of Record begin their training the summer before their residency year at Summer Institute. Summer Institute provides space for community building, identity development and introductory learning around topics such as classroom management and learning standards.
Following Summer Institute, residents are invited to begin setting up their classroom and attending school and district professional development in preparation for the first day of school.
After spending one year in the classroom and completing licensure coursework, residents are eligible to apply for their Initial Colorado Teacher’s License and will begin receiving differentiated post-residency support from our field coaches.
High Priority Resident Practices represent the values PEBC holds in teacher development and have been crosswalked with the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards, InTASC, Core Dispositions and Teaching Works High-Leverage Practices:
- Cultivating teacher identity and agency
- Supporting students across their social, emotional and academic needs
- Designing and implementing high-quality lessons aligned to standards relevant to district, school and content needs
- Designing and implementing appropriate measures of student growth
Applicants may choose to teach in one of our Colorado regions:
- Denver Metro
- Mountain West (Eagle / Aspen)
- San Luis Valley
- Southwest
They may also choose the content area they’d like to teach:
- Early Childhood Education (Ages: Birth to 8)
- Elementary (Grades: K to 6)
- Secondary (Grades: 6 to 12): English, Math, Science and Social Studies
Want to teach a non-core subject? Contact us to find out about additional placement options.
The PEBC Teacher Residency partners with a variety of school types across Colorado including private, charter and traditional public schools. Below is a list of our current school district partners:
Denver Metro:
- 27-J Schools (secondary only)
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools (secondary only)
- Aurora Public Schools (elementary and secondary)
- Denver Public Schools (elementary only)
- Graland Country Day School (Independent, elementary only)
- SOAR (Charter, elementary)
- Stanley British Primary School (Independent, elementary only)
Northwest Colorado:
- Aspen School District
- Eagle County Schools
San Luis Valley:
- Alamosa School District
- Centennial School District
- Center Consolidated School District
- Moffat Consolidated School District #2
- Monte Vista School District
- Mountain Valley School District
- North Conejos School District
- Sangre De Cristo School District
- Sierra Grande School District
Southwest Colorado:
- Archuleta School District
- Bayfield School District
- Dolores School District
- Dolores County School District
- Durango School District 9-R
- Ignacio School District
- Mancos School District
- Montezuma-Cortez School District
- Silverton School District
Mentor teachers are individuals that have been nominated by their principals to support the training of resident teachers. Mentors receive professional development and attend monthly seminars to support their coaching skills. Contact us for more information about becoming a mentor or to nominate a mentor. The PEBC Teacher Residency believes that the residency experience is enriched through a diverse mentor pool and encourages nominations of Educators of Color.
All applicants are responsible for payment of a non-refundable $500 deposit. This deposit is required to secure enrollment in the program and is due within 30 days of acceptance.
Teachers of Record are hired and paid by the district. The cost of the program varies by region and is made in eight monthly installments. Please contact a member of our Residency Team for more information.
Attend an upcoming info session to learn more about program costs and options for funding your teacher preparation.
Selection Day is unique to our Urban, Denver Metro cohort. Selection Day is an opportunity for PEBC Teacher Residency finalists to engage in a day-long, immersive experience that will simulate the type of experiences they will have as a PEBC Teacher Resident. At Selection Day, candidates will have the opportunity to “try on” teaching and receive feedback from PEBC staff, alumni and other stakeholders. They will engage in discussions with peers around issues related to educational equity, collaborate with colleagues and much more. If a candidate is selected to participate in Selection Day they will be sent a Selection Day notification with instructions around what to prepare for prior to the event.
It is highly recommended that all candidates who are invited to Selection Day make every effort possible to be physically present at the event. Exceptions will be made on a case by case basis.
Summer Institute is the first official convening of the cohort and takes place in July. Summer Institute is a foundational aspect of our residency and takes place in all of our urban and rural cohorts throughout Colorado. At Summer Institute residents build community with their peers, meet and begin forming professional relationships with PEBC staff and engage with content that will support them when they enter residency classrooms in the fall including a deep dive into Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.
The PEBC Teacher Residency strives to recruit and retain pre-service teachers who are reflective of the students of the State of Colorado. Our cohorts consistently are comprised of a higher percentage of educators identifying as Persons of Color than the Colorado teacher workforce at large according to recent data. Residents of Color are supported through access to affinity groups during their residency year and an instructional curriculum which is built upon culturally responsive principles. The PEBC Teacher Residency encourages applications from the BIPOC community.
Application Questions and Answers
The PEBC Teacher Residency is currently accepting applications for 2021/22 urban and rural cohorts.
22-23 Urban Application Windows
Priority = Aug 1st - Nov 29th
Regular = Nov 29 - Feb 14th
Extended (Specific Content Areas Only) = Feb 14th - June 30th
Applications for Rural Cohorts (Mountain West, San Luis Valley, Southwest Colorado) will be accepted on a rolling basis beginning on August 1st, 2021.
The extended application window opens once the regular application window is closed. PEBC Teacher Residency will continue to accept applications for select content areas and grade levels based on factors such as partner school needs and mentor availability. It is highly advised that a candidate take advantage of submitting an application in either the priority or regular admissions windows as we cannot guarantee that an application submitted in the extended window will be considered.
General application requirements include the following:
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university. Individuals having obtained a degree from a foreign country will need to have their transcripts evaluated by a NACES member.
- Average 3.0 GPA from last degree conferred
- U.S. citizen, permanent resident or legally able to work in the U.S.
The PEBC Teacher Residency’s screening process includes an application review, phone interview and final interview. The residency core dispositions are used throughout the evaluation process:
- Learning Orientation/Reflectiveness
- Efficacy/Agency
- Identity
- Relationships
- Complexity and Difference
- Professionalism
The PEBC Teacher Residency does encourage international and out-of-state candidates to apply. We offer virtual interview options to support this. We highly encourage candidates to grow their learning about Colorado’s education system and the communities it serves.
Please note: PEBC cannot provide sponsorship to international candidates at this time.
The Recruitment and Admissions Team understands that our residency is designed to support individuals with various levels of experience teaching. With that, we highly encourage candidates to seek recommendations from individuals that can speak to their strengths. This may include a former colleague, industry peer, manager, direct report, child’s teacher (or nanny), former teacher, etc.
Enrollment Questions and Answers
All Resident candidates will be required to apply and obtain an Alternative Teacher License from the Colorado Department of Education upon acceptance into the residency. Residents will work directly with PEBC staff to walk through the process of obtaining this prior to Summer Institute.
All accepted candidates will have to complete a background check through the Colorado Department of Education.
Accepted residents are required to prove their content expertise. While the PEBC Teacher Residency highly encourages all residents to take the Praxis II exam in their content/endorsement area (some districts require this for hire), the Colorado Department of Education may allow you to apply undergraduate credit hours or an undergraduate degree to your license through a transcript review. You will have a chance to learn more about this upon submitting your application to the residency.
Program participants are asked to sign a service agreement. This agreement includes completing the one-year residency program and committing to working in the field of education for two more years. In return, PEBC commits to providing you with five years of differentiated professional development.