Requirements for Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires all core academic subject teachers to establish NCLB compliance. This includes Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential holders teaching at an elementary school and Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential holders teaching at a middle school in a core assignment/program.

Elementary School

New(1) Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential teachers at the elementary level (Grades K-5) must establish NCLB teacher compliance by exam. Currently, that exam is the California State Examination for Teachers (CSET) Multiple Subjects [Subtest I, II, & III].

Middle School

New(1) Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential teachers at the middle-school level (Grades 6-8) teaching core(2) must establish NCLB teacher compliance by exam. Currently, that exam is the California State Examination for Teachers (CSET) Multiple Subjects [Subtest I, II, & III].

Teachers who were granted a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential (University/District Intern Credential, Preliminary Credential, or Clear Credential) on or before June 30, 2002 are strongly encouraged to contact the NCLB Teacher Qualifications Unit for advisement.

Note

Multiple Subjects candidates who enrolled in a California teacher preparation program on or before June 30, 2004 were allowed to meet state subject matter competency requirements by subject-matter waiver however, those candidates will still need to meet federal NCLB teacher requirements by exam.

Per CTC Coded Correspondence 04-0003, effective July 1, 2004 candidates who completed an approved elementary subject-matter preparation program were no longer eligible for the subject-matter examination waiver.

For a complete explanation of changes in the subject-matter examination requirement for Multiple Subjects Credential candidates, please see CTC Coded Correspondence 04-0003 and CTC Coded Correspondence 03-0025. Links are available on the NCLB Teacher Qualifications homepage.

1. New Multiple Subject teachers are teachers who were granted an approved University/District Intern Credential, Preliminary Credential, or Clear Credential effective on or after July 1, 2002. 

2. Middle School Core Program are found in grades 5 – 8, in which a teacher is assigned on the basis of a credential that authorizes service in a self-contained classroom (Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential) to teach two or more subjects, to the same group of students for two or more periods per day.