MA Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education with Bilingual Education Specialist Endorsement

Applicants to the MA with the Bilingual Education Specialist (BES) endorsement should be bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English; Bilingual Specialist Endorsement courses will be taught bilingually. Candidates who complete the MA in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLDE) with BES endorsement will leave their program 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.

Per CDE requirements, the Bilingual Education Specialist Endorsement must be obtained after or in conjunction with the Endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLDE). Students can concurrently complete the CLDE MA with both the CLDE and BES endorsements.

Note for Elementary education BAMA students: your teacher licensure MA classes count as electives for this option.