Basic Skills Requirement (CBEST)
Prospective teachers interested in enrolling in a teacher preparation program must satisfy the Basic Skills Requirement and Subject Matter Competency in order to be eligible to enroll. These requirements are part of California Education Code and Title 5 Regulations. There are several options for satisfying the Basic Skills Requirement (BSR), with the CBEST exam being one option. CTC CL 667 outlines the various options for meeting BSR.
Subject Matter Competency (CSET)
In addition, California Education Code requires that all candidates for a teaching credential must demonstrate they are proficient in the subject matter area of their intended credential. There are options for satisfying Subject Matter Competency, as outlined on the CTC website. The California Subject Examinations for Teachers® (CSET®) is one way of meeting this requirement. The exams have been developed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for prospective teachers who choose to or are required to meet specific requirements for certification by taking examinations. This requirement must be met prior to enrolling in an intern program.
Check if your Major Satisfies this requirement
Click here for Degree Majors Satisfying Subject Matter Competence
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If your degree major IS NOT an exact match to the credential you are pursuing but in a similar major (e.g. Kinesiology for Physical Education or History for Social Science) you can request an evaluation of coursework to determine if you have met Subject Matter Competency by coursework or coursework and exams. See PSA 23-04
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SUBJECT MATTER COMPETENCY (CSET) EVALUATION FORM |
Preparation Resources for CSET's
CalTPA/ EdSpecTPA
All teacher candidates for a preliminary Multiple and Single Subject Teaching Credential as well as the Education Specialist credential are required to pass an assessment of their teaching performance with K-12 public school students as part of the requirements for earning a preliminary teaching credential. This assessment of teaching performance is designed to measure the candidate's knowledge, skills and ability with relation to California's Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs), including demonstrating his/her ability to appropriately instruct all K-12 students in the Student Academic Content Standards. Interns completing a teacher preparation program must successfully complete Teaching Performance Assessments (CalTPA/ EdSpecTPA) based on the Teaching Performance Expectations (TPE).
RICA
Education Code (EC) sections 44283 and 44283.2 require that Multiple Subject and Education Specialist candidates pass an assessment of competence in reading instruction before receiving a preliminary credential. The assessment developed by the Commission for this purpose is the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment, commonly known as the RICA. Candidates can currently choose between two forms of the RICA – a written examination composed of three separate subtests or a video performance assessment.
- Effective July 1, 2025 the assessment of teacher candidates’ competency in literacy instruction will transition from the RICA to a literacy TPA.
- All candidates enrolled in the August 2023 cohort of the YSCTC Intern program who will complete coursework before July 1, 2025, MUST take and pass the RICA prior to July 1, 2025.
- All candidates enrolling in the August 2024 cohort of the YSCTC Intern program must take and pass RICA prior to July 1, 2025. Candidates who do not pass the RICA by that date will be required to pass the CTC approved Literacy TPA.
- Candidates who will complete the intern program after July 1, 2025 will be required to pass an approved literacy teaching performance assessment.
