Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law prescribes specific minimum requirements a candidate must satisfy to be issued a teaching credential, certificate, or permit, including, among other requirements, possession of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, except as provided. Existing law authorizes the commission to approve a regionally accredited institution of higher education to recommend to the commission the issuance of credentials to persons who have successfully completed a teacher education program of the institution if the program meets the standards approved by the commission. Existing law defines a regionally accredited institution of higher education for these purposes to include, among other institutions, a community or junior college that confers baccalaureate degrees and is regionally accredited by specified accrediting entities, as provided.

This bill would delete a community or junior college that confers baccalaureate degrees and is regionally accredited by specified accrediting entities from the definition of “regionally accredited.” The bill would instead require a baccalaureate degree from an accredited community or junior college to include specific coursework in basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills in the English language, as provided, in order for that baccalaureate degree to satisfy the baccalaureate degree requirement for a teaching credential, certificate, or permit.

This bill would establish the California Community College designated subjects career technical education credential pilot program. This bill would authorize the commission, from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2033, inclusive, to approve a community college that offers a baccalaureate degree program, as specified, to recommend to the commission the issuance of a designated subjects career technical education credential in a subject aligned with the community colleges’ approved baccalaureate degree major to persons who have successfully completed a program of personalized preparation for that credential if the preparation program meets commission-approved standards.

This bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to conduct an interim statewide evaluation of the programs of personalized preparation for designated subjects career technical education credentials at community colleges that are accredited by the commission, as provided. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office, on or before January 1, 2032, to report the results of the interim statewide evaluation to the Legislature and the Governor.

Existing law establishes the minimum requirements for the 3-year preliminary designated subjects career technical education teaching credential as including, among other things, 3 years or the equivalent of adequate, successful, and recent experience in, or experience and education in, the subject named on the credential.

This bill would authorize the minimum requirements for the 3-year preliminary designated subjects career technical educational teaching credential to also be satisfied by a baccalaureate degree in the industry sector or subject named on the credential from a regionally accredited community college, junior college, or institution of higher education instead of the above-described subject matter experience.