Transferring a Texas teaching licence to California

There are three routes that out-of-state-prepared teachers may use to qualify for the California Single Subject Teaching Credential.

California is not an ITMC member state. Which route you fall into is not a preference — it follows from the evidence you hold.

Individuals prepared outside of California who have less than two years of out-of-state full-time teaching experience (see Terms and Definitions) may qualify for a California teaching credential by documenting all of the following in their application packet:

The out-of-state credential does NOT have to be valid at the time of application, and a photocopy front and back is acceptable verification. Both are unusually forgiving.

Complete a Commission-approved Teacher Induction Program (see Terms and Definitions).

This is the single largest difference between the two routes and it turns on the two-year line. A teacher with 23 months of experience faces an induction programme a teacher with 24 months does not.

Letter from the out-of-state employer verifying at least two years of out-of-state full-time teaching experience accompanied by two satisfactory performance evaluations (see Terms and Definitions).

The performance evaluations are the part people cannot retrieve later. Request them before leaving the district.

If all requirements for both the preliminary and the clear credential are met with the initial direct application submission, the individual will be issued the clear credential and not the preliminary.

This is the best outcome available in the California system and it is stated in a single sentence buried inside an accordion panel.

If the subject(s) listed on the out-of-state credential is for middle school instruction only, a preliminary credential may be issued but the applicant will be required to meet California’s subject-matter requirement before the clear credential may be issued.

This catches Texas Mathematics 4-8, Florida Mathematics (5-9), New York Mathematics 5-9, New Jersey middle school 5-8 and Colorado Mathematics - Middle School (6-8) alike. Every middle-grades credential in this project lands on this sentence.

An individual issued a professional level teaching credential by another state or U.S. territory with a middle school or departmentalized classroom teaching authorization that is not comparable and that does not list a comparable authorization may verify subject matter competence for the Single Subject Credential with a degree major or 32 semester units (or the equivalent in quarter units).

Thirty-two semester units is roughly a full academic year of study. It is the price of a grade-band or subject mismatch.

Earn an authorization to teach English learners by one of the following methods:

A teacher whose home-state credential already carries a full English learner authorisation can submit a copy of it. Whether a particular state’s ESL or bilingual endorsement counts as "full" is not defined in this leaflet.

Standard Timeframe*3-7 days (DOJ)10-12 weeks (DOJ)

The page adds: "The ‘Standard Timeframe’ noted above refers to DOJ’s processing of fingerprint forms once DOJ receives a form 41-LS or FD-258, but may be significantly longer. Please do not email the Commission within 30 days from the end of the above timeframe." So the practical worst case is roughly four months before anyone will even discuss a delay.

Individuals who have received fingerprint clearance through other agencies, employers, other states, or government agencies are not exempt from this process and must fingerprint for the Commission.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is not able to process any out-of-state or out-of-country fingerprint submissions unless completed on the FD-258 cardstock provided by CTC. If the agency completing your fingerprints alters or changes the cardstock or type of paper used, DOJ will reject the submission and return your paperwork without processing.

A local police department or private fingerprinting service using its own stock costs the applicant the entire 10–12 week wait, twice.

When completing fingerprint cards, please submit your direct online application first. After paying for your online application, you will receive a confirmation email that states your unique 10-digit "Stamp Number" at the top of the email. Write your Stamp Number on a cover letter and mail it with your completed fingerprint cards and $49 fingerprint processing fee (check or money order, payable to ‘CTC’) to the address listed below to ensure your fingerprints are paired with your online application.

Getting fingerprinted first — the intuitive order — produces cards with no Stamp Number that cannot be paired with an application.

The preliminary credential is issued for a maximum of five years. … If requirements for the clear credential are not completed before the expiration of the preliminary, the holder will be unable to teach in California's public schools with that credential until those requirements are met and the document is renewed.

The certificate or other credential issued by the authorized licensing agency in another state or territory of the United States may not be an expired certificate, a temporary permit, a credential issued by a city or school district, or a certificate for which academic or other program deficiencies are indicated.

19 TAC §230.111(c). A 'standard certificate' is defined at 19 TAC §230.1(22) as one issued to a person who has met all requirements for a class of certification.

A teacher who holds a valid provisional, professional, standard, or enhanced standard classroom teaching certificate ... may qualify for an additional teaching field or certification to teach at another level by passing the appropriate certification examination(s) for that subject.

19 TAC §230.105. This matters most when the receiving state’s rule asks for a "professional standard" certificate, as Florida’s does: a Texas Standard Certificate is its holder’s highest current classroom credential, which is a materially stronger position than a sending state whose full tier sits below a separately-named professional one.