The Oct. 23-24 meeting of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) approved work plans to move forward for clarifying options for candidates to meet the subject matter requirements for teaching credentials, updating commission-approved exams and restructuring the Administrative Services Credential Program. Commissioners also received an update on proposed revisions to the Child Development Permit Performance Expectations.
Options for meeting subject matter requirements
Assembly Bill 130 (2021) created new options for preliminary teaching credential candidates to demonstrate their credential-appropriate subject matter competence. Prior to AB 130, candidates could only meet the subject matter requirement (SMR) through successful completion of the credential and subject-specific California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET) or through completing a Commission-approved subject matter program.
AB 130 created new options for candidates to meet the SMR, including through a undergraduate degree in a major that aligns with the credential they are seeking; by completing coursework that aligns with the credential-specific content domain descriptions; through completion of an undergraduate degree in a Commission-approved undergraduate preparation program; by successfully passing the credential-appropriate CSET; or through a combination of these options.
“These new options came with unintended consequences,” said Juliet Wahleithner, Division of Research, Evaluation and Assessment director for the commission. “While AB 130 created options, it also created new areas of confusion for both programs and candidates. And so, we have some actions to expand on those options. The plan outlined in this item seeks to create new options to eliminate or at least diminish those areas of confusion.”
Action 1: Expand degree majors: The current specificity of degrees poses challenges for candidates in closely related fields. This action would change current statute to allow for greater flexibility in areas where candidates may hold similar degrees.
Action 2: Streamline SMR domains: Streamline and simplify the language in the existing SMR domains to ensure consistency in their scope and format across the credential subject. Wahleithner said this is necessary because the domains were never set up for the transcript review process that is required to evaluate coursework.
Action 3: Revise SMR structures: This longer-term action will revise existing SMRs, which were developed to support the set-up of the CSET. Currently, the SMRs differ in scope, specificity and format across credential areas and updated PK-12 standards and frameworks need to be incorporated.
Action 4: Explore transcript analysis tool: Explore ways to simplify and modernize the transcript review process, possibly through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Action 5: Explore micro-certification feasibility: When candidates do not pass a transcript review fully, little information is available about which courses align with SMR domains. This action would explore the creation of focused courses of studies at preparation programs that clearly align with SMR domains.
The CTC voted to move forward with actions 1-3 and explore actions 4-5. Commissioners and public commenters raised concerns about the AI component of evaluating transcripts.
Improvements to commission-approved exams
Over the past decade, statutory and regulatory changes have broadened the ways in which teacher candidates may demonstrate readiness for credentialing. Examinations have shifted from being the default route to one of several options, alongside expanded coursework and degree-based pathways. At the same time, standards and credential structures have evolved. These changes prompt the need to review and revise examinations to ensure continued alignment.
Several current exam contracts are nearing the end of their terms, initiating a contract-driven update cycle and presenting an opportunity to modernize the state’s educator assessment system in a coordinated, cost-effective and candidate-focused way. In some cases, this will involve targeted updates to reflect revised standards or credential areas. In others, it may require replacement or redesign, depending on each exam’s purpose, usage and alignment needs.
Full redevelopment is costly and often depends on vendor cost-recovery models tied to candidate fees. Each exam will follow a path tailored to its role in the licensure system. All will be guided by the same goals: clarity, equity and coherence across pathways and long-term sustainability.
The commission approved staff to move forward with a plan to evaluate available options for each exam, including possible adoption or modification of existing off-the-shelf assessments. Where appropriate, recommendations will prioritize approaches that reduce candidate costs and burdens while upholding technical quality. All options must align with the commission’s educator preparation standards, and the State Board of Education’s adopted academic content standards and frameworks for California’s TK–12 students.
Exams being evaluated are the CSET, California Basic Educational Skills Test, Early Completion Option Examinations and the California Teacher of English Learners Exam.
Administrative Services credential
AB 1454 requires that by Sept. 1, 2028, the commission ensure that the program standards for Administrative Services credential (ASC) programs include preparation on how to support teachers in delivering instruction through effective means for teaching literacy. In addition, Gov. Gavin Newsom included in his veto message for AB 2725 in 2024 a request that the commission develop two pathways to the ASC: one for teachers and one for other credential holders.
The proposed workplan consists of engaging constituents to gather information regarding the roles held by administrators who do not supervise/coach teachers, drafting authorization statements for the current and proposed Non-Teaching (NT) Administrative Services Credential and presenting information/action item for commission input and approval of new or revised authorization statements
The authorization statement defines the activities the credential holders will be permitted to perform and/or oversee. Once the scope of work for a new credential is determined, the current ASC standards can be unpacked to determine how much of the existing content applies to both a teaching and a non-teaching pathway. A clear authorization statement will guide how the standards are revised, ensuring that the preparation content matches the responsibilities of each pathway and that updates are coherent across programs.
While both commissioners and public commenters, including the American Federation of Teachers and the California Teachers Association, expressed heavy concern with non-teachers becoming administrators that are supposed to oversee and guide curriculum, the plan was still approved to move forward.
In other CTC meeting items:
- Commissioners received an update on proposed revisions to the Child Development Permit Performance Expectations that consolidate content; emphasize observable, teachable actions tied to evidence that can be seen in practice; and improves alignment between the performance expectations and the updated child development permit matrix so programs can feasibly prepare their candidates within existing unit constraints.
- Three commissioners had their last meeting with the CTC: Bonnie Klatt, commission vice chair and teacher representative; Monica Martinez, public representative; and Cheryl Cotton, State Superintendent of Public Instruction designee.
- Joining the commission as the Governor’s appointee is Richard Simpson, who has been chief of staff for many legislators and is a former Sacramento County board member; and new student board member Joseph Morrison, a student teacher teaching high school physics at O’Faro Charter High School while completing his Physical Science Single Subject Teaching Credential at San Diego State University.
