Certification in California

To be a substitute, teacher, service provider, or administrator in a California public school or charter school, one must meet certification requirements set by the California Department of Education, Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), and the Local Education Agency (LEA).

Education Code and Title V Regulations include employment requirements for certificated employees. Please contact your LEA for details on employment requirements.Credential Services is required under Education Code 44258.9 to monitor and review all teaching and services assignments at school districts, and all teaching assignments at county charter schools to ensure certification authorizes services in an assigned certificated position.

For information regarding certificated positions available in California, please go to EdJoin.org. Positions currently available within San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) can be found at EdJoin.org/SBCSS.

Levels of Certification

There are different levels of certification in California, each level supports a teacher or service provider’s pathway towards obtaining a clear teaching or clear services credential.

• Waivers
• Permits (Including substitute teaching permits)
• Certificates
• Credential: California Trained
• Credential: Out-of-State/Country Trained
• Added Authorizations

Child Development

Credential Services aids employing agencies and the public when processing Child Development Permits. Applicants seeking any level of Child Development Permit may apply directly with the CTC via paper application with the required processing fee, or utilize the stipend offered by the Child Development Training Consortium (CDTC), when available. Applications submitted through the CDTC will automatically be forwarded onto the CTC for processing after the stipend is given.

Credential Services assists Child Development applicants by reviewing the documentation, experience, and coursework requirements of each application prior to forwarding the application for processing by the CDTC and/or CTC.

Annually, the CDTC is granted a stipend of funds to assist in the processing of Child Development Permits. Until consumed, applicants can utilize this option once every fiscal year for processing Child Development Permits.

Please note additional time will be necessary when processing through the CDTC.

For CDTC application forms and information, please visit the CDTC website.

The requirements for the initial issuance and renewal of each level of permit can be found on the CTC’s Child Development Permit webpage.

All permits, excluding the Associate Teacher Permit which requires coursework for its one-time renewal, require professional growth hours to renew. Verification of this can be documented by a Professional Growth Advisor. For information regarding professional growth, please see CTC’s Manuals and Handbooks webpage.

Fingerprint Clearance Requirements for Certification

For applicants submitting their first application requesting a credential or permit in California, or applicants that held a permit or credential that expired over 18 months ago, CTC will require new fingerprint clearance for certification purposes. This is different from employment fingerprinting.

For questions regarding if you need to complete certification fingerprinting, please contact your employer’s certificated personnel technician. Additional information can be found on CTC’s Fingerprint Information webpage.

Local fingerprinting facilities may be found on the State of California Department of Justice webpage.

Temporary County Certificates

At the request of an employing school district/agency under the purview of SBCSS, an application for certification in California may be reviewed and a Temporary County Certificate (TCC) may be issued for eligible applicants that are in the process of obtaining a teaching or school services certification in the state of California.

The TCC must be initially requested by and obtained from an employing school district/agency under the purview of SBCSS, who then forwards the request along with supporting documentation to Credential Services.