Licensure Loopholes: California

Analysis of California's policies

California allows individuals who have not yet met internship program subject-matter competency requirements to teach on either a Provisional Internship Permit (PIP) or a Short-Term Staff Permit (STSP). The PIP is only available at the request of an employment agency to fill an immediate staffing need. Those serving on a PIP must take all prerequisite exams in the first year. If the exams are not passed, the candidate has one additional year to pass them. To continue to teach, the candidate must pass all exams and be admitted to either an internship or a student-teacher-based credential program at the end of two years. The STSP is only available at the request of an employment agency to fill an acute staffing need. This permit expires at the end of the employing agency's school year and cannot be issued for more than one year. It is not renewable and is available to an individual only once in a lifetime.

Citation

State of California Provisional Internship Permit http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl856.pdf California Code of Regulations, Section 80021.1 State of California Short-Term Staff Permit http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl858.pdf

Recommendations for California

Ensure that all teachers pass required subject-matter licensing tests before they enter the classroom.
All students are entitled to teachers who know the subject matter they are teaching. Permitting individuals who have not yet passed state licensing tests to teach neglects the needs of students, instead extending personal consideration to adults who may not be able to meet minimal state standards. California should ensure that all teachers pass licensing tests— an important minimum benchmark for entering the profession—before entering the classroom.

Limit exceptions to one year.
There might be limited and exceptional circumstances under which conditional or emergency licenses need to be granted. In these instances, it is reasonable for a state to give teachers up to one year to pass required licensure tests. However, by allowing the PIP to be renewed for an additional year if teachers take but do not pass licensing tests during the first year, California's current policy puts students at risk.

State response to our analysis

California recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.