SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 22, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing has established a new teaching credential for
pre-kindergarten through third grade (PK-3) aimed at expanding a
diverse workforce of educators who have the necessary knowledge,
skills, and abilities to provide developmentally appropriate
learning for all young children.
The PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction
Credential recognizes the importance of early education in shaping
the academic, social, and emotional development of young learners.
It is designed and intended to help meet the demand for qualified
teachers to support California's
universally available transitional kindergarten for all
four-year-olds by the 2025-26 academic year.
"The establishment of the PK-3 credential is an important moment
in our commitment to ensure that California produces educators grounded in
equitable, inclusive, and diverse teaching practices who are
prepared to provide comprehensive age-appropriate instruction,
including in math and literacy," said Mary
Vixie Sandy, executive director, California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
"This specialized workforce of teachers will reflect the
students they serve and will be empowered to make a lasting impact
on our state's children, families, and communities."
Prospective PK-3 teachers must complete a Commission approved
teacher preparation program that includes coursework and
supervised clinical practice in California schools as well as completion of a
performance assessment demonstrating their competence to teach
early learners.
The new PK-3 credential recognizes and values the rich
background and extensive skills candidates with early childhood
education experience bring to classrooms.
It is for this reason that there are accelerated pathways to
earn the PK-3 credential for professionals with early learning
experience as well as for multiple subject credential holders so
they may begin serving as quickly as possible in transitional
kindergarten and K-3 settings.
On May 2, 2024, the Commission's
Committee on Accreditation approved the first teacher
preparation programs to offer the PK-3 credential including San
Diego County Office of Education, Cal State
Fresno, and San Jose State
University. These programs and others as they are approved
will be listed on the Commission's website.
"Based on our initial interaction with people who are interested
in the PK-3 credential program, we found that many of them are
experienced preschool teachers, and they will bring a lot of
experience and developmentally appropriate practice into the
program and also into the public school system," said Pei-Ying Wu, assistant professor and Fransler
Chair, Joyce M. Huggins Early Education Center, Fresno State.
The establishment of the PK-3 credential, along with the
universal transitional kindergarten (UTK) implementation, is part
of California's larger Master Plan
for Early Learning and Care that underscores the state's commitment
to advance equitable opportunities and outcomes for children.
The Commission began development of the PK-3 credential in
September 2021 following a historic
level of early childhood education investments enacted earlier that
year by the Legislature to support statewide UTK by the 2025-26
school year.
Once fully implemented, UTK is expected to enroll more than
300,000 students and require up to 15,600 additional credentialed
teachers, according to a report from the Learning Policy
Institute.
Those interested in learning how to earn the PK-3 or other
teaching credentials are encouraged to visit the Commission's
Career Pathways tool or contact credentials@ctc.ca.gov.
MORE INFORMATION:
Roadmap to Teaching
PK-3 Credential Resources
Approved Teacher Preparation Programs
Funding Your Future in Teaching
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
is an agency in the Executive Branch of California State
Government. It was created in 1970 by the Ryan Act and is the
oldest of the autonomous state standards boards in the nation. The
major purpose of the agency is to serve as a state standards board
for educator preparation for the public schools of California, the licensing and credentialing of
professional educators in the State, the enforcement of
professional practices of educators, and the discipline of
credential holders in the State of
California.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-introduces-pre-k-through-3rd-grade-teaching-credential-to-elevate-early-childhood-education-workforce-and-outcomes-302152021.html
SOURCE California Commission on
Teacher Credentialing