Teacher credentialing: community college baccalaureate degrees

Students with eligible community-college bachelor’s degrees can use them toward teacher credential requirements if the degrees include English-language reading, writing, and math coursework. Community colleges and their districts cannot offer programs that combine credential training with bachelor’s-degree study.

What the law does ​

• Requires a community-college bachelor’s degree used for a teaching credential, permit, certificate, or specified education-services credential to include qualifying English-language reading, writing, and mathematics coursework.
• Allows qualifying coursework from accredited community or junior colleges to count toward basic-skills, subject-matter, and added teaching-authorization requirements.
• Bars California community colleges and community college districts from offering integrated programs that combine professional teacher preparation and subject-matter preparation while students complete a bachelor’s degree.
• Limits Commission on Teacher Credentialing approval to institutions other than community colleges for recommending credential applicants who complete their teacher education programs.

Who it affects ​

• Community-college bachelor’s-degree holders seeking teaching credentials, emergency permits, district intern credentials, specialty credentials, or teacher-librarian services credentials.
• California community colleges and community college districts.
• The Commission on Teacher Credentialing and teacher-preparation institutions.

Context ​

Community-college coursework may still count toward specified credential and subject-matter requirements.