Prepared in Another State: Route 2 - Two or More Years of Teaching Experience

California has three routes for a professional-level license teacher from another state to apply for a California credential. It's important to know which route you qualify for because the materials you need to provide for your application will vary depending on your out-of-state experience. Keep reading to learn more about Route 2!

Should I take Route 2?

This is your route if these apply to you:

• You hold a professional-level teaching license out-of-state and have two or more years of full-time, out-of-state teaching experience.
• You're able and willing to provide a few more documents than you would have to if you applied under Route 1 because it means less requirements later to get your Clear credential.
• You have time to gather documentation of your out-of-state teaching experience. Since you have no control over how quickly your former employer(s) can provide this, you may want to apply under Route 1 if you're in a hurry to get your California credential. Just keep in mind that not being able to provide this with your initial application means that in order to clear your credential, you'll have to either complete a California induction program or eventually obtain the documentation of your out-of-state teaching experience after all and provide it to the Commission.

What do I need to apply?

Your application packet should include the following items:

• Application packet
  
  
• Copy of out-of-state teaching credential
  • This must be a professional-level license in a comparable subject area issued in California. Not sure if your license is professional-level? In most cases, if your license was issued for only three years or less and includes terms like intern, apprentice, temporary, or alternative or if you still need to complete a subject matter examination, you have not yet met the requirements of a professional-level credential. It should also be noted that California does not issue Middle School teaching authorizations. If you have only a Middle School grades authorization on your out-of-state license, you may apply for the Multiple Subjects credential or the Single Subject Credential, but not both. Also, if your out-of-state license is issued in "Special Education" or in a specialty area that does not align with a California specialty area, you may be issued a California Preliminary credential based on completion of an out-of-state generic program in one of the following specialty areas: Mild to Moderate Support Needs, Extensive Support Needs, or Early Childhood Special Education. More details can be found in the Miscellaneous Questions section of Frequently Asked Questions for Out-of-State Prepared Applicants.
    
    
• Official transcripts showing conferral of a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally-accredited college or university
  • Hard copies do not need to be in their original sealed envelope. You may also have official e-transcripts emailed from your college or university to etranscripts@ctc.ca.gov.
    
    
• Verification letter of two or more years of teaching experience
  • This must be an original letter (photocopies not accepted), written by your out-of-state employer that verifies your years of service. To qualify, we only need to verify a minimum of two years of full-time teaching experience. The letter must be on official letterhead from the school or school district, and it must state that the experience was full-time or show that full time hours were completed. Additionally, it must show the beginning and ending dates of hire and be signed by the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, or HR personnel. The signature must be either be ‘wet ink’ or an acceptable electronic signature. HR forms with original signatures may also be accepted in lieu of a letter as long as they meet all the requirements mentioned above.
    
    
• Two summative annual performance evaluations
  • The two evaluations must be satisfactory or better and coincide with two years of verified service on your experience verification letter. Photocopies of the evaluations are acceptable, and they do not need signatures. Informal classroom observations are not accepted to meet this requirement because they are not considered to be summative year-end evaluations. Avoid sending observations that took place on one day for a short amount of time, and instead only send in evaluations that encompass the year’s performance, which are typically completed during the months of April, May, or June.
    
    
  • If summative evaluations aren't available, you may submit a supplemental evaluation letter instead. This letter must be on the school or district letterhead completed by an administrator, signed with an original signature which must be either ‘wet ink’ or an acceptable electronic signature using Adobe or DocuSign services. The letter must verify that you have satisfactorily met these four professional teaching standards.
    1. The use of teaching strategies that motivate all students to engage in the learning process.
    2. The ability to establish and maintain high standards for student behavior.
    3. A demonstration of deep knowledge of the subject being taught and the use of appropriate instructional strategies that promote student understanding.
    4. An ability to plan and implement a sequence of appropriate instructional activities.
    
    

• Basic Skills Requirement (optional but highly recommended)
  • The California Basic Skills Requirement (BSR) ensures that California educators have met a certain standard in the three areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. Acceptable materials include passing CBEST exam scores, qualifying out-of-state exam scores, or official transcripts that show qualifying college coursework. Further details regarding these options, including which out-of-state exams are acceptable, can be found here. Whenever possible, we recommend that you submit verification of meeting this requirement along with your initial application packet. However, if you have not yet met this requirement, no need to worry; you may still be issued your first California credential. In these cases, the credential will be issued with a requirement listed that states that the Basic Skills Requirement must be met within a year from the issuance date to remain valid.

Where do I send my application packet?

To apply, mail all materials in one envelope to the following address:

Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Certification Division
1900 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95811-4213

Recalculating route...

If after reading about Route 2 you're not sure that it's the right route for you, take a look at the other routes. If you have less than two years of out-of-state teaching experience or can't get the documentation to verify it, check out Route 1! If you're National Board Certified, Route 3 might be the one for you.

Help! I think I'm lost!

If you have additional questions, please visit Frequently Asked Questions for Out-of-State Prepared Applicants or reach out to the Education Career Counselors via email at careerguidance@ctc.ca.gov.