The California Education Code allows for justification for the registration of certification documents by the County Office of Education per Education Code Section 44330.

The Commission assists the County Offices of Education with the registration of the documents in several ways:

  • By sending copies of waiver documents issued to each county office;
  • Employers, education agencies, or anyone who seeks proof that a document has been granted by the Commission must use the Search for an Educator navigation button on the Commission’s Home page, select the Secured Search, key in the social security number and date of birth of the person whom you wish to verify, and view the electronically displayed information, for that is the official record;
  • Local employing agencies must keep records of appropriate certification for all individuals serving in a position that requires certification. Education Code section 44430 requires individuals to register their documents with their employing agency. County Offices of Education may access status reports listing the credentials that have been granted, rejected or denied if a county of employment has been noted on an application. For all other certificated staff, the employing agency must obtain verification of certification held by their employees. Using the online system will expedite the timeline for the employers to receive the appropriate information.

Assignment

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing is responsible for the issuance of credentials and appropriate assignment for teaching and non-teaching positions in California public schools.

Employing a person who holds the appropriate credential assures the employing agency that the teacher, counselor, administrator, librarian, nurse, or other certificated employee has met the standards established for that position by the state through legislation (Education Code) and regulation (California Code of Regulations, Title 5). School site administrators, as well as district and county administrators, have the responsibility under EC §44258.9(b) to have evidence of the credential(s) each individual holds in order to make a legal and appropriate assignment.

For a complete list of authorizations and the type of instruction to which they pertain, please refer to the Administrator's Assignment Manual [PDF]. 

Many assignment questions can be resolved without the need to contact the Commission. Please view the Assignment Resources page in the CIG to locate specific information on the topic of concern.

Contact Information

Local school districts with questions having to do with the specific assignment of teachers if unable to locate an answer through the Assignment Resources page should contact their county office of education (COE) for guidance. If the COE is unsure of the clear answer to provide, the COE may contact the Commission Assignment Unit for additional information.

Questions regarding any credential related issue can always be sent to the Commission’s Information Services via the Contact Credentialing form and questions needing further research or explanation will be routed to the appropriate division or unit for response.

 

 

Expediting Applications

The Commission will only consider requests to expedite the processing of paper applications (subject to the 50-day processing time) from a California public school district, county office of education, charter school, or other entity that has a county/district/school (CDS) code issued by the California Department of Education (CDE). The Commission will not consider requests from private employment agencies or companies, or individual educators. Requests can only be considered if the application has been received by the Commission and is at an online status of “Pending Evaluation.”

Expedite requests will only be considered for employment purposes which are limited to the following three reasons:

  • The LEA wants to make an immediate offer of employment
  • The educator is in immediate jeopardy of being removed from the classroom
  • The educator is at risk of having his or her pay withheld (does not apply to salary advancement purposes)

Employing agencies seeking to expedite an application must contact the Division of Licensure Certification via the Contact Credentialing form with “EXPEDITE REQUEST – Educator’s Name” in the subject line.

Waivers

Since July 1, 1994, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing has had the authority to issue waiver documents that have expressly to do with educator preparation and credentialing, and with the ability of employers to employ or assign persons who are not appropriately credentialed for their assignment. All other waivers (including Child Development) are under the legal authority of the State Board of Education or Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Waivers are issued or denied based upon the Commission’s established criteria and factors such as an employer’s continuing needs; the support the employer will provide to the applicant; or extenuating, extraordinary and unanticipated circumstances.

If a first-time applicant for a variable term waiver does not have fingerprint clearance on file with the Commission, the applicant must complete the process for applying for a Certificate of Clearance. See Coded Correspondence 14-02 for more information.

Waiver Handbook

The Waiver Handbook serves as a guide to give employing agencies a single resource that includes all of the current information about the waiver process, when to submit a waiver, criteria for all waivers, the denial process and all forms that are necessary for a waiver request. Use this link for the Waiver Handbook [PDF].

Waiver Reports

The Commission publishes monthly reports of credential waivers issued and denied on our Waiver Reports page.

 

Contact Information

Employing agencies may email questions to our Waiver Unit at waivers@ctc.ca.gov.

Validation of Service

The validation of service procedure may be utilized by an employer when an employee has rendered service in a position requiring certification for a period in which the employee did not hold appropriate certification or a Temporary County Certificate (Education Code Section 44332/44332.5/45036 and Title 5 Sections 80600, 80601, 80603 and 80604).

Regulations specify the circumstances under which validation of service may be requested, thereby making the system more equitable to those who apply for their credentials on time. Two requirements must be met:

 first, the applicant must have been eligible for the appropriate credential at all times during the period of the service requiring validation, and

 second, a valid credential required for the position must have been issued to the applicant by the Commission after the period when the service was rendered. Validation of service must be requested on the Approval of Service Rendered Without a Valid Credential Form [PDF] (CL-224). See Coded Correspondence 96-9614.

Since the Validation of Service must be presented to the Commission, a chart with submission deadline dates has been created for employing agencies to see the date an item needs to arrive at the Commission office so it can be available to be placed on the next Commission Meeting agenda. Check out the chart for the deadline dates.

Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID)

As part of the California Longitudinal Teacher Integrated Data Education System (CALTIDES) Project, the Commission is required by Education Code §44230.5 to assign a non-personally identifiable Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) to educators that hold documents authorizing service in California's public schools.

Note that the Commission does not distribute the SEID number of any educator in an email, nor provide it to anyone in the public, not even to the individual educator. As the SEID is designated by law to be a non-personally identifiable number, used for state mandated reporting purposes, it would defeat the purpose of the SEID to identify it with a specific individual.

Employing agencies with questions related to the SEID should write SEID@ctc.ca.gov. Do not write the CTC Online or Information Services email addresses with SEID issues. The CTC Online email box is only for technical issues related to the online application recommendation system and Info Services staff cannot respond to SEID questions or requests.

 

 

Temporary County Certificates (TCC)

Education Code 44332 and 44332.5 authorize the issuance of Temporary County Certificates and the payment of warrants to individuals who hold a TCC. This section was revised as a result of SB 148 (Bergeson) and again with AB 1139 (Woodruff) in 1991.

The employer must make sure to the best of their ability that the individual meets the academic requirements for the permit prior to placing them in a position and submitting the application to the Commission. The county may issue a TCC, which allows the individual to serve in their school for up to a year while the application is being processed by the Commission.

 

Updated January 7, 2020

 

Updated October 02, 2025