Bilingual Authorizations (CL-628b)

Bilingual Authorizations allow the holders to provide instruction to English Learners (EL). Assembly Bill (AB) 1871, signed by the Governor on September 30, 2008, provides for the issuance of bilingual authorizations rather than certificates, and expanded the options available to meet the requirements for the Bilingual Authorization. For a summary of all documents that authorize instruction to EL students, see the leaflet Serving English Learners, CL-622. The section below lists the types of instruction authorized by Bilingual Authorizations. Each type of instruction is defined below.

Types of Instruction to English Learners Authorized by the Bilingual Authorization

• Instruction for English Language Development (ELD)
• Instruction for Primary Language Development
• Specially Designed Academic Instruction Delivered in English (SDAIE)
• Content Instruction Delivered in the Primary Language
  

Definitions of Types of Instruction

Instruction for English language development (ELD) means instruction designed specifically for EL students to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English. This type of instruction is also known as English as a Second Language (ESL) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

• Instruction for primary language development means instruction for EL students to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in their primary language.
  
  
• Specially Designed Academic Instruction Delivered in English (SDAIE) means instruction in a subject area delivered in English that is specially designed to provide EL students with access to the curriculum.
  
  
• Content Instruction Delivered in the Primary Language means instruction for EL students in a subject area delivered in the students’ primary language.
  

Authorization

English Language Development (ELD) and instruction for primary language development are generally authorized at the level indicated by the holder’s prerequisite credential (see list of prerequisites in #1, below) including preschool, grades K-12 and in classes organized primarily for adults. With a Children’s Center Instructional Permit, Child Development Permit or a Children’s Center Supervision Permit, ELD and instruction for primary language development are limited to the programs authorized by the permits. With a Designated Subjects Teaching Credential in adult education, ELD and instruction for primary language development are limited to classes organized primarily for adults. With all prerequisite credentials or permits, Specially Designed Academic Instruction Delivered in English (SDAIE) and content instruction delivered in the primary language are authorized in the subjects and grade levels of the prerequisite credential or permit.

Requirements for the Bilingual Authorization

Individuals must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. Possess a valid California teaching credential, Speech-Language Pathology or Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential with a Special Class Authorization, School Nurse Services Credential with a Special Teaching Authorization in Health, Visiting Faculty Permit, Children’s Center Permit (excluding emergency), or Child Development Permit (excluding Assistant and Associate Permit) that authorizes the holder to provide instruction to pupils.
   
   The following, however, are not appropriate prerequisite credentials or permits:
   • Emergency Permits
   • Provisional Internship Permits
   • Short-Term Staff Permits
   • District Intern Credentials
   • University Intern Credentials
   • Exchange Credentials
   • Sojourn Certificated Employee Credentials
   • Services credentials without a special class authorization
     
     
2. Verify one of the following:
   
   
   1. Valid Language Development Specialist (LDS) Certificate, CLAD Certificate, teaching credential with an English Learner Authorization or CLAD Emphasis, or
      
      
   2. Eligibility for a CLAD Certificate or teaching credential with an English learner authorization based on one of the following:
      
      
      • Passing scores on Subtests 1, 2 and 3 of the California Teacher of English Learners (CTEL) Examination. Scores used for certification purposes may be no older than ten years from the individual passed exam date.
        
        
      • Possession of an out-of-state credential showing an English learner authorization.
        
        
      • Possession of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certificate in Early and Middle Childhood/English as a New Language or Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood/English as a New Language.
        
        
3. Verify one of the following:
   
   
   1. Passing scores on Tests II (or III depending on the language, covering Language and Communication), IV, and V of the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET): World Languages. Scores used for certification purposes may be no older than ten years from the individual passed exam date.
      
      
   2. Completion of course work in a Commission-approved bilingual program. Once the program has been completed, the program sponsor must recommend the applicant for the Bilingual Authorization.
      
      
   3. Completion of course work in a Commission-approved bilingual program combined with passing scores on the CSET: World Languages Examination(s), based on equivalency as determined by a Commission-approved Bilingual Authorization program. For more information, see Coded Correspondence 10-07.

Teachers who hold a valid, non-emergency California Single Subject or Standard Secondary Teaching Credential with a major in a language other than English need not take Test II or III of the CSET: World Languages Exam to qualify for a bilingual authorization in that language. Teachers who hold a three-year or higher degree from a foreign institution in which all instruction is delivered in a language other than English also do not need to take Test II or III to qualify for a bilingual authorization in that language. The foreign institution must be equivalent in status to a regionally-accredited institution of higher education in the United States.

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Examination Information

The CTEL examinations consist of the following three tests:

• CTEL 1: Language and Language Structure
• CTEL 2: Assessment and Instruction
• CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

The CSET: World Languages examinations used for bilingual authorizations consist of the following three tests:

• Test II (or III depending on specific language): Language and Communication (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing).
• Test IV: Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.
• Test V: Geographic, Historical, Sociopolitical, and Sociocultural Contexts.
  

Information regarding test dates, fees, and registration may be obtained by contacting the CSET program directly. See Table 1 for a list of the bilingual subtests by language.

CSET Program
Evaluation Systems Group of Pearson
1224 N Market Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95834
http://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com
Phone: (800) 205-3334 (toll free, US and Canada only)
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Pacific Time - M–F (excl. holidays)
Automated information system (available 24 hours)

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Assessor Agency for Portuguese

To earn a Bilingual authorization in Portuguese, individuals may take the CSET: World Languages Subtest IV (Bilingual Education and Bilingualism) and the Bilingual assessment administered by the following Commission-approved assessor agency:

California State University-Stanislaus
1 University Circle
Turlock, CA 95382
(209) 667-3638
Contact: Dr. Elmano Costa
CSU Stanislaus Center for Portuguese Studies
ecosta@csustan.edu

Obtaining a Bilingual Authorization Based on a Previously Issued Comparable Document

Individuals holding a valid Bilingual Certificate of Competence (BCC) or BCLAD Certificate may apply to have a Bilingual Authorization added to any valid prerequisite credential or permit with the submission of an application ( form 41-4) and current application fee. Please note that a separate application and fee will be required for each document for which the authorization is requested. This action is not required. The BCC and BCLAD Certificate authorize the same service as the Bilingual Authorization and remain valid as long as the teacher’s prerequisite teaching credential remains valid.

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Out-of-State Prepared Individuals with Bilingual Authorization

If an individual is applying for a Multiple Subject, Single Subject, or Education Specialist Teaching Credential and evidence of a full bilingual authorization from a state other than California is submitted with that application packet, there is no need to apply separately for the bilingual authorization; the bilingual authorization will be listed on the corresponding teaching credential. There is no need to submit a separate application and fee if applying via this method.

All other individuals who hold a bilingual authorization from a state other than California may apply directly to the Commission for a bilingual authorization by satisfying all of the following:

1. Possess a valid California prerequisite credential.
2. Satisfy the second-language requirement.
3. Submit a copy of the out-of-state credential verifying a full bilingual authorization [1].
4. Submit a completed application ( form 41-4).
5. Submit full application processing fees.
   

Note [1]: See Table 2 at the end of this leaflet for more information on comparable out-of-state bilingual authorizations.

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Applying for a Bilingual Authorization

Individuals that complete a Bilingual Authorization program or a combination of program course work and bilingual examinations must be recommended by their Commission-approved Bilingual Authorization program sponsor and complete the application and payment online. Individuals that pass all the required CSET: World Languages subtests and meet the requirements below may apply directly to the Commission
for the Bilingual Authorization by submitting all of the following:

1. One of the following:
   1. Verify holding or eligibility for a CLAD Certificate or teaching credential with an English learner authorization (For more information, see leaflet CL-628C).
   2. Original or photocopy of a CTEL Examination score report.
   3. Photocopy of an out-of-state credential showing a full English learner authorization.
2. Original or photocopy of the CSET: World Languages Examination score report.
3. Completed application ( form 41-4).
4. Application processing fee.

Applicants requesting the bilingual authorization who hold more than one eligible document must designate the specific prerequisite document to which the authorization should be added. If more than one valid prerequisite document is held, it is not necessary to file an additional application or pay an additional fee, as the authorization on one document already applies to all other valid prerequisites held by the teacher. However, if an individual wants to add the authorization to more than one document, a separate application and fee will be required for each additional valid prerequisite document.

Submit the materials listed above through your employer or directly to:

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

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Table 1
CSET Subtests Required for the Bilingual Authorization

• The first subtest listed (either Subtest II or Subtest III, depending on the language) assesses language and communication skills.
  
  Note: the language and communication skills subtest that can be used toward a Bilingual Authorization is the same subtest for that content area as is used toward obtaining the Single Subject Teaching Credential in the corresponding language other than English.
  
  
• Subtest IV does not focus on any specific language (the same test applies to all languages) and assesses the methodology of bilingual education.
  
  
• Subtest V assesses bilingual cultural knowledge (the same test is used for Cantonese and Mandarin).

Click the table header to sort by that column. Type the Language name, or Requirement Type in the second row to filter that column.

Note [1]: For the Bilingual Authorization, passage of this subtest is not required if (1) you hold a valid, nonemergency Single Subject or Standard Secondary Teaching Credential with a major in the language authorized by the Bilingual Authorization you are seeking or (2) you hold a three-year or higher degree from a foreign institution in which all instruction is delivered in the language authorized by the Bilingual Authorization you are seeking and the institution is equivalent in status to a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States.

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Guide to Out-of-State Bilingual Authorizations
May 2017

Individuals who hold teaching credentials from another state with one of the authorizations listed in the following chart may request that the corresponding Bilingual authorization be listed on their California teaching credential. For additional information, see Coded Correspondence 17-05 regarding Bilingual authorizations.

This is a guide and may not contain all acceptable Bilingual authorizations issued by each state. The Commission continues to research this information and changes will be made as additional information becomes available.

An individual who holds a document with a Bilingual authorization not included in the guide must provide a letter from the state agency that issued the document that verifies that the document issued authorized the holder to provide the equivalent English language development (ELD), specially designed academic instruction in English (SDAIE), primary language development, and content instruction delivered in the primary language services at the time the individual earned the document. Primary language development is defined as instruction for English learner students to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in their primary language. Content instruction delivered in the primary language is defined as instruction for English learner students in a subject area delivered in the students’ primary language.

The Commission reserves the right to make the final determination regarding the equivalency of any authorization submitted for evaluation. 

Table 2
Out-of-State Bilingual Authorizations/Endorsements

Click the table header to sort by that column. Type the Sate name, or Authorization/ Endorsement Type in the second row to filter that column.

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