Licensure for Substitute Teachers: California
Hiring Policy
Analysis of California's policies
Substitute License(s):
California offers three substitute permits: the Emergency 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit, Emergency Career Substitute Teacher Permit, and Emergency Substitute Teaching Permit for Prospective Teachers. The Emergency 30-day Substitute Teaching Permit and the Emergency Career Substitute Teacher Permit both require a bachelor's degree and passage of the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST). The Emergency Career permit also requires "three consecutive years of at least ninety days per year of day-to-day substitute teaching."
The Emergency Substitute Teaching Permit for Prospective Teachers requires:
- "Completion of a minimum of ninety semester units of course work from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
- Verification of current enrollment in a regionally accredited four-year California institution of higher education;
- Passage of the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) unless exempted by statutes or regulations."
Length of Assignment: California permits substitute teachers who hold the 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit and the Emergency Substitute Teaching Permit for Prospective Teachers to teach for no more than 30 consecutive days in the same classroom assignment. The state permits substitutes who hold the Emergency Career Substitute Permit to teach for no more than 60 consecutive days in the same classroom assignment.
Evaluation of Long-term Substitutes: California has no requirements for the evaluation of any of its substitute teachers.
Recommendations for California
Distinguish requirements for short-term and long-term substitutes.
California should distinguish between requirements for short-term and long-term substitutes so that it can ensure that its requirements are appropriate for the needs of these teachers. The state's long-term substitute requirements should be rigorous (e.g., that
all long-term substitutes have current or expired licenses) to help
ensure that teachers who are spending extended periods of time with
students are prepared to do so.
Limit the number of consecutive days a short-term substitute can teach in the same classroom.
California should limit the number of consecutive days a short-term substitute can teach in the same classroom without completing additional requirements or obtaining a long-term substitute license. The maximum number of days should be no more than 10 percent of the length of the school year. California's policy of allowing substitute teachers to teach 30 consecutive days in the same classroom may be detrimental to instructional quality and daily productivity.
Require long-term substitute teachers to be evaluated.
California should maintain standards for substitute teacher quality and accountability for all substitutes, but especially for long-term substitutes who are expected to stand in for licensed teachers for extended periods of time. California can help ensure that substitute teachers are held to high standards and have access to the supports necessary to improve their practice by
requiring evaluations— which it may find appropriate to modify from its
standard, state-required teacher evaluations— of long-term
substitutes.
State response to our analysis
California declined to respond to NCTQ's analyses.
Updated: December 2017
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California
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Hiring
- Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers
- Provisional and Emergency Licensure
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Teacher and Principal Evaluation
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Retaining Effective Teachers
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How we graded
Research rationale
Research finds that teacher absences negatively affect student achievement and growth.[1] While some of this is attributable to the disruption of regular classroom practices and instruction,[2] it may also be attributable to substitute teacher quality. The gap in instructional quality and daily productivity when a regular teacher is replaced by a substitute teacher is significant.[3] However, absences covered by substitutes licensed by the state are not as detrimental to student achievement as those covered by non-licensed substitutes.[4] Some research hypothesizes that the low-skill level and mobility of substitute teachers may contribute to the reduction in instructional focus and quality and that even when substitute teachers are good instructors, they may be unable to effectively implement a teacher of record's long-term instructional strategies.[5] Parents, teachers, principals, and students have concerns about substitute teachers' quality and qualifications.[6] States should maintain rigorous standards for substitute teacher quality and accountability for all substitutes, but especially for long-term substitutes who are expected to stand in for teachers for long stretches of time.
[1]Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). Do teacher absences impact student achievement? Longitudinal evidence from one urban school district. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(2), 181-200.; Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2009). Are teacher absences worth worrying about in the United States? Education Finance and Policy, 4(2), 115-149.; Joseph, N., Waymack, N., & Zielaski, D. (2014). Roll call: The importance of teacher attendance. National Council on Teacher Quality. Retrieved from https://www.nctq.org/dmsView/RollCall_TeacherAttendance; Zubrzycki, J. (2012). Educators take another look at substitutes. Education Week, 31(36), 1-16.
[2] Rundall, R. A. (1986). Continuity in subbing: Problems and solutions. Clearing House, 59(5), 240.; Turbeville, I. F. (1987). The relationship of selected teacher characteristics on teacher absenteeism in selected school districts of South Carolina (Unpublished Dissertation). University of South Carolina.
[3] Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). Do teacher absences impact student achievement? Longitudinal evidence from one urban school district. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(2), 181-200.; Varlas, L. (2001). Succeeding with substitute teachers. Education Update, 43(7).; Gagne, R. M. (1977). The conditions of learning (3d ed.). New York, NY: Holt Rinehart and Winston.; Capitan, J. H., & et al. (1980). Teacher absenteeism. A study of the Ohio Association of School Personnel Administrators. Seven Hills, OH: American Association of School Personnel Administrators; Herrmann, M. A., & Rockoff, J. E. (2012). Worker absence and productivity: Evidence from teaching. Journal of Labor Economics, 30(4), 749-782.
[4] Note that this study did not define what "licensed" meant in the context of substitutes; see: Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2009). Are teacher absences worth worrying about in the United States? (Working Paper 24). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.
[5] Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). Do teacher absences impact student achievement? Longitudinal evidence from one urban school district. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(2), 181-200.
[6] Abdal-Haqq, I. (1997). Not just a warm body: Changing images of the substitute teacher. ERIC Digest.; Ostapczuk, E. D. (1994). What makes effective secondary education substitute teachers?: Literature review. ERIC Digest.; Weems, L. (2003). Representations of substitute teachers and the paradoxes of professionalism. Journal of Teacher Education, 54(3), 254-265.; Seldner, J. K. (1983). Substitute teaching: Is there a better way? Teacher Education Quarterly, 61-70.