California Ed. Statistics
Avg. Elem. Teacher Salary* | $82,560 |
Avg. Sec. Teacher Salary* | $85,080 |
Avg. Admin. Salary* | $128,880 |
Teacher Retention (?) | 95% |
Vacation Wks/Yr | 15 |
Learn how to become a teacher in California (or administrator). Choose the description of certification you are most interested in or situation that best describes you:
Avg. Elem. Teacher Salary* | $82,560 |
Avg. Sec. Teacher Salary* | $85,080 |
Avg. Admin. Salary* | $128,880 |
Teacher Retention (?) | 95% |
Vacation Wks/Yr | 15 |
Investing in our future is vitally important and strangely difficult. In order to fight oppression from the greedy and power-hungry elite, to better our ways of life with advancing technology, and to increase our country's overall views toward the concept of acceptance, we need education to be a priority. Learn how you can be a spoke in this terribly important wheel. See how California measures up to the rest of the country by viewing the percentage of state revenue going toward education in each state. (see State Education Spending vs. Overall State Revenue).
According to the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, as of the 2009-10 school year there were a total of 347,046 educators working in the state’s public schools. The number of new qualified candidates available to teach in California classrooms, however, has been dwindling, with just 20,000 new candidates in the 2009-10 school year as compared to the 2003-04 high of 31,397 new teachers. The good news is the Commission anticipates more Californians will become teachers in the next few years, motivated by desire to help educate California’s youth and hopeful of strong job prospects as competition for new positions has decreased. Find schools offering teaching certification programs in California.
Grand Canyon University - Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral programs
For those seeking licensure or looking to enter the field of education for the first time, but with a degree in a field other than education, GCU has initial programs that lead to licensure and programs that do not lead to licensure.
USC Rossier Master of Arts in Teaching Online — No GRE *
Purdue Global University - offering Bachelors and Masters programs
From master’s degrees to teacher-certification pathways, Purdue Global University offers flexible online education programs to help you pursue a career in teaching, enhance your current skills, or advance in your education career.*
The State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing [ph: (888) 921-4213] issues an Elementary Teaching Credential (Multiple Subject) and a Secondary Teaching Credential (Single Subject) to qualified applicants. To earn a Preliminary Credential, which is the first type of teaching credential available to new applicants and is valid for five years, you must have at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and complete an approved California teacher preparation program. Additional educational requirements for preliminary credentialing are as follows:
Elementary Teaching Credential (Multiple Subject):For an overview of California certification requirements for prospective teachers, visit the Certification Requirements section of the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET) website.
For comprehensive California Commission on Teacher Credentialing examination information, click here.
Basic skills testing:If you are pursuing Elementary (Multiple Subject) Teaching Credentials, you must also pass a Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA).
Content area assessment testing:
You must also pass examination(s) in the subject(s) in which you wish to become credentialed.
If you attend an in state, Commission-approved teacher preparation program, you must also complete the student teaching portion of that program, under California rules. During this field placement, which varies in length depending upon your college or university’s policies, you will be placed in a classroom specific to the credential you are pursuing and will work under the supervision of a mentor teacher. This mentor teacher will offer you guidance and advice, and track your progress as you lead the class, prepare and implement lesson plans, and perform the day-to-day duties of a classroom teacher. At the end of your internship, your mentor will provide a written assessment of your student teaching program.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has also enacted special requirements for applicants who have experience teaching in a private school. Under these rules, if you have three to five years of private school teaching experience, you are exempt from the student teaching requirement. If you have six years of private school teaching experience, you are exempt from completing a teacher preparation program and from fulfilling the student teaching requirement. This experience must be documented and supplemented by copies of performance evaluations. More information for applicants who have private school teaching experience is available here.
As part of the teacher credentialing process, you must complete a criminal history background check, which includes fingerprinting, and apply for a Certificate of Clearance. To begin the process, print three copies of the Request for LiveScan Service. Submit these copies to the LiveScan operator who takes your fingerprints (locations may be found here). If you complete the credentialing application online, you will be given instructions on how to verify the fingerprinting process has begun. If you submit the application via postal mail, you must attach a copy of the Request for LiveScan Service to verify that your fingerprints were taken.
The fingerprint and character identification process will take one to three days to complete. When you have met the requirements for the Certificate of Clearance, you will receive an email from the Commission notifying you of this..
For more information on California teacher preparation programs, contact the colleges and universities that offer them.
If you need further information on the teacher credentialing process in California, contact the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing at (888) 921-4213 or visit their website.
* 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data - Conditions in your area may vary.
**Teacher Retention Sources - U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education, Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999–2000 (“Public School Teacher Questionnaire,” “Private School Teacher Questionnaire,” and “Public Charter School Teacher Questionnaire”), and 2000–01 Teacher Follow-up Survey (“Questionnaire for Current Teachers” and “Questionnaire for Former Teachers,” Table 1.01). Washington, DC.
State estimations based on analysis by Richard Ingersoll, Professor of Education and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, from the National Center for Education Statistics Student and Staffing Survey, and therefore include a slight margin of error.