Selecting Accurate Determinations and Best Practices for Monitoring Authorities

This page is intended for Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and Monitoring Authorities (MAs) to support their assignment monitoring in the California Statewide Assignment Accountability System (CalSAAS) by providing guidance for selecting the best determination for certain assignment scenarios.

Core Setting Determination

The assignment must align with EC §44258.1 in order to be considered an appropriate core setting assignment. If all statutory requirements were met on or before census date, then the Core Setting determination should be selected.

To legally serve in a core setting assignment, the educator must hold a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (or equivalent document that authorizes teaching in a self-contained classroom setting). Review of statewide data revealed that many exceptions with this determination may not have met this requirement as the educator on the exception held a Single Subject, Education Specialist, or Career Technical Education (CTE) teaching credential, all of which do not authorize the holder to teach in a core setting.

• Best Practices for Monitoring Authorities (MAs): Review all Predetermined Core Setting exceptions and Return to LEA any exceptions for which the educator did not hold the prerequisite credential. Assignments reported in CALPADS as Core Setting are automatically predetermined in CalSAAS as such, and require the local educational agency and its monitoring authority to review to determine the legality of the assignment.

*Helpful Tip: If the educator was serving in an appropriate core assignment, then the Appropriate Assignment or CALPADS Error determinations should not be selected, even if there was a reporting error.

Local Assignment Options Determination

To be considered appropriately authorized for an assignment, an educator must either 1) hold a Commission issued credential authorization that aligns with their assignment, or 2) be legally authorized via flexibility in Education Code or Title 5 Regulations, commonly referred to as Local Assignment Options (LAOs). LAOs are used entirely at the discretion of the local level. The local educational agency is responsible for reviewing the statutory or regulatory language to ensure all requirements are satisfied.

When reviewing exceptions in CalSAAS, if all requirements were met on census date, then the Local Assignment Options determination should be selected. Two of the most commonly used LAOs are T5 §80005(b) and EC §44865, which require the educator in the assignment to hold a full teaching credential earned based on a bachelor’s degree and student teaching. Review of statewide data revealed that many exceptions determined by the local educational agency or monitoring authority in CalSAAS as Local Assignment Options with these two LAOs did not meet this requirement as the educator held a waiver, Career Technical Education (CTE) credential, emergency permit or intern document.

• Best Practices for Monitoring Authorities (MAs): Review all exceptions submitted with T5 80005(b) or EC 44865 and Return to LEA any for which the educator did not hold a full teaching credential, and request the LEA review and provide clarification on the legality of the assignment.

*Helpful Tip: If the educator was legally authorized on census date via a Local Assignment Option, then the Appropriate Assignment or CALPADS Error determinations should not be selected, even if there was also a reporting error. If requirements were met after census date but during the same school year, then the Corrected MA determination should be selected.