Student California Teachers Association

Hi, I'm Seth, and I'm your new SCTA Liaison to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, commonly known as the CCTC. You're probably wondering, "What the heck is the CCTC?" Well, I'm glad you asked!

The CCTC is a government body in Sacramento whose vision is "To ensure that those who educate the children of this state are academically and professionally prepared." The CCTC is made up of school board members, administrators, teachers, and university faculty members. Basically, they are the ones who decide what exactly makes a qualified teacher. They create rules and standards that dictate how teachers need to be trained. They also grant emergency permits and waivers. I like to think of it as the DMV for teaching credentials. The DMV decides what makes a good driver and the rules they must follow, the CCTC decides what makes a superior teacher and what rules they must obey.

The CCTC meets every month in their own building which is a few blocks from the State Capitol in Sacramento. During their meetings they discuss new standards for education, special exemptions for certain waivers/permits, and what position to take on education-related legislation. My job as the CCTC Liaison is to keep the SCTA membership up to date on issues discussed at CCTC meetings each month. So, I will be letting you know about changes within the credential standards as well as changes in testing (such as the MSAT, RICA, and CBEST). My task is to keep you informed, so you will become a well prepared teacher. And if you are ever confused about the way credentialing works in California, or just have questions about becoming a teacher I'm here to answer those concerns. Whatever you may have to say about credentialing in California - that's what I want to hear! So, just let me know what you'd like to hear about and I'll do my best to let you know what's up each month in the CCTC Liaison Banner.

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