§ 44259. — 44259. (Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 46, Sec. 2.)

(a)
Except as provided in clauses (i) and (iii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), a program of professional preparation for multiple or single subject teaching credentials shall not include more than two years of full-time study of professional preparation.
(b)
The minimum requirements for the preliminary multiple subject, single subject, or education specialist teaching credential are all of the following:
(1)
A baccalaureate degree or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Except as provided in subdivision (c) of Section 44227, for single subject teaching credentials, the baccalaureate degree shall not be in professional education. The
commission shall encourage regionally accredited institutions of higher education to offer undergraduate minors in education and special education to students who intend to become single subject credentialed teachers.
(2)
[Reserved]
(3)
(A)
Satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation that has been accredited by the Committee on Accreditation on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted by the commission. In accordance with the commission’s assessment and performance standards, a program shall include a teaching performance assessment as set forth in Section 44320.2 that is aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. The commission shall ensure that a candidate recommended for a credential or certificate has demonstrated satisfactory ability to assist pupils to meet or exceed
academic content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the state board. Programs that meet this requirement for professional preparation shall include any of the following:
(i)
Integrated programs of subject matter preparation and professional preparation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 44259.1.
(ii)
Postbaccalaureate programs of professional preparation, pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 44259.1.
(iii)
Internship programs of professional preparation, pursuant to Section 44321, Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325), Article 11 (commencing with Section 44380), and Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3.
(iv)
Degree programs offered pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 78060) of Chapter 1 of Part 48 of
Division 7 of Title 3.
(B)
A program of professional preparation pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall provide experience that addresses all of the following:
(i)
Health education, including a basic understanding of youth mental health, study of nutrition, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the physiological and sociological effects of the abuse of alcohol, narcotics, and drugs and the use of tobacco. Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation shall also meet the standards established by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.
(ii)
Field experience in methods of delivering appropriate educational services to pupils with exceptional needs in regular education programs.
(iii)
Advanced computer-based technology, including the uses of
technology in educational settings.
(4)
Study of effective means of teaching literacy, including, but not limited to, the study of reading as described in subparagraphs (A) and (B), and evidence-based means of teaching foundational reading skills in print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency to all pupils, including tiered supports for pupils with reading difficulties, English learners, and pupils with exceptional needs. The study of effective means of teaching literacy shall be in accordance with the commission’s standards of program quality and effectiveness and current teaching performance expectations, shall be aligned to the current English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework adopted by the state board, and shall incorporate the program guidelines for dyslexia developed pursuant to Section 56335. The study of reading shall meet the following requirements:
(A)
Commencing January 1, 1997, satisfactory completion of comprehensive reading instruction that is research based and includes all of the following:
(i)
The study of organized, systematic, explicit skills including phonemic awareness, direct, systematic, explicit phonics, and decoding skills.
(ii)
A strong literature, language, and comprehension component with a balance of oral and written language.
(iii)
Ongoing diagnostic techniques that inform teaching and assessment.
(iv)
Early intervention techniques.
(v)
Guided practice in a clinical setting.
(B)
For
purposes of this section, “direct, systematic, explicit phonics” means phonemic awareness, spelling patterns, the direct instruction of sound/symbol codes and practice in connected text, and the relationship of direct, systematic, explicit phonics to the components set forth in clauses (i) to (v), inclusive, of subparagraph (A).
(C)
A program for the multiple subject teaching credential and the education specialist teaching credential also shall include the study of integrated methods of teaching language arts.
(5)
(A)
Verification of subject matter competence, demonstrated through one of the following methods:
(i)
Completion of a subject matter program approved by the commission on the basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section
44310).
(ii)
Passage of a subject matter examination pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 44280).
(iii)
Successful completion of coursework at one or more regionally accredited institutions of higher education that addresses each of the domains of the subject matter requirements adopted by the commission in the content area of the credential pursuant to Section 44282, as verified by a commission-approved program of professional preparation. Coursework completed at a community or junior college that is regionally accredited by an accrediting agency listed in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section 44203 or by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges may count for purposes of this clause.
(iv)
Successful completion
of a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education with the following, as applicable:
(I)
For single subject credentials, a major in one of the subject areas in which the commission credentials candidates.
(II)
For multiple subject credentials, a liberal studies major or other degree that includes coursework in the content areas pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 44282.
(III)
For education specialist credentials, either a major in one of the subject areas in which the commission credentials candidates or a liberal studies or other major that includes coursework in the content areas pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 44282.
(v)
Demonstration that the candidate, through a combination of the methods
described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) in whole or in part, has met or exceeded each of the domains of the subject matter requirements adopted by the commission in the content area of the credential pursuant to Section 44282 for multiple and single subject credentials, or pursuant to Section 44265 for education specialist credentials.
(B)
(i)
The commission shall ensure that subject matter standards and examinations are aligned with the academic content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the state board.
(ii)
The commission shall maintain the subject matter domains that include both broad content areas to support coursework review pursuant to clause (iii) of subparagraph (A) and specific content elements to delineate subject matter examination specifications pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) and Article 5 (commencing with Section
44280).
(6)
Demonstration of a knowledge of the principles and provisions of the Constitution of the United States pursuant to Section 44335.
(7)
Demonstration, in accordance with the commission’s standards of program quality and effectiveness, of basic competency in the use of computers in the classroom as determined by one of the following:
(A)
Successful completion of a commission-approved program or course.
(B)
Successful passage of an assessment that is developed, approved, and administered by the commission.
(c)
The minimum requirements for the clear multiple or single subject teaching credential shall include all of the following requirements:
(1)
Possession of a valid preliminary teaching credential, as prescribed in subdivision (b), possession of a valid equivalent credential or certificate, or completion of equivalent requirements as determined by the commission.
(2)
Except as provided in paragraph (3), completion of a program of beginning teacher induction, including either of the following:
(A)
A program of beginning teacher induction that is provided by one or more local educational agencies and has been approved by the commission on the basis of initial review and periodic evaluations of the program in relation to appropriate standards of credential program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted by the commission pursuant to this subdivision. The program standards shall encourage innovation and experimentation in the continuous preparation
and induction of beginning teachers.
(B)
A program of beginning teacher induction that is sponsored by a regionally accredited institution of higher education in cooperation with one or more local school districts, that addresses the individual professional needs of beginning teachers and meets the commission’s standards of induction. The commission shall ensure that preparation and induction programs that qualify candidates for professional credentials extend and refine each beginning teacher’s professional skills in relation to the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and the academic content and performance standards for pupils adopted by the state board.
(3)
(A)
If a candidate satisfies the requirements of subdivision (b) through completion of an accredited internship program of professional preparation, and if that internship program fulfills
induction standards and is approved as set forth in this subdivision, the commission shall determine that the candidate has fulfilled the requirements of paragraph (2).
(B)
If an approved induction program is verified as unavailable to a beginning teacher, the commission shall accept completion of an approved clear credential program after completion of a baccalaureate degree at a regionally accredited institution of higher education as fulfilling the requirements of paragraph (2). The commission shall adopt regulations to implement this subparagraph.
(d)
The commission shall develop and implement standards of program quality and effectiveness that provide for the areas of application listed in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive, of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), starting in professional preparation and continuing through induction.
(e)
A credential that was issued before January 1, 1993, shall remain in force as long as it is valid under the laws and regulations that were in effect on the date it was issued. The commission shall not, by regulation, invalidate an otherwise valid credential, unless it issues to the holder of the credential, in substitution, a new credential authorized by another provision in this chapter that is no more restrictive than the credential for which it was substituted with respect to the kind of service authorized and the grades, classes, or types of schools in which it authorizes service.
(f)
A credential program that is approved by the commission shall not deny an individual access to that program solely on the grounds that the individual obtained a teaching credential through completion of an internship program when that internship program has been accredited by the commission.
(g)
Notwithstanding this section, persons who were performing teaching services as of January 1, 1999, pursuant to the language of this section that was in effect before that date, may continue to perform those services without complying with any requirements that may be added by the amendments adding this subdivision.
(h)
Paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) does not apply to any person who, as of January 1, 1997, holds a multiple or single subject teaching credential, or to any person enrolled in a program of professional preparation for a multiple or single subject teaching credential as of January 1, 1997, who subsequently completes that program. It is the intent of the Legislature that the requirements of paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) apply only to persons who enter a program of professional preparation on or after January 1, 1997.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 46, Sec. 2. (AB 1034) Effective January 1, 2026.