ARTICLE 11. Alternative Certification [44380. - 44387.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 11.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44380. Section 44380.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the teaching profession must be able to recruit talented individuals, in addition to college students, from a variety of sources to address geographic and subject area shortages. Many persons changing careers and early retirees from industry and the military are interested in the challenge of teaching. (b) The Legislature further finds that, in California, there is a serious shortage of qualified teachers in the subjects of mathematics and science, teachers who work with limited-English-proficient pupils, minority teachers, and special education teachers. (c) Therefore, in enacting this article, the Legislature intends to encourage public school districts, county offices of education, and colleges and universities to design concentrated programs leading to a permanent credential for people with work experience and others who already have a bachelor’s degree.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44381. Section 44381.

As used in this article, “alternative certification program” is a program operated by a school district, county office of education, college or university, or other public education entity, individually or in collaboration with other public education entities in the region to be served, and designed to provide a concentrated program leading to a permanent teaching credential.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44382. Section 44382.

Alternative certification programs shall address geographic and subject matter shortage areas, and shall be targeted toward people with work experience and others who already have a bachelor’s degree in the field in which they plan to teach.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44383. Section 44383.

School districts or county offices of education operating, or that propose to operate, an alternative certification program pursuant to this article, may apply to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for incentive grant funding that has been appropriated for the purposes of this article.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44384. Section 44384.

An alternative certification program that receives grant funding pursuant to this article shall be operated pursuant to either Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325) of this chapter or Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3, or both. The commission shall encourage, and may provide funding to, programs that include innovative training, assessment, or support models and strategies that have the potential of improving the quality of the teaching force. The commission shall encourage collaboration among school districts in funding alternative certification programs.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44385. Section 44385.

The commission, with the assistance of representatives of classroom teachers, school administrators, parents, university and college educators, and others, as appropriate, shall establish criteria for selecting grant applicants to be funded. The criteria shall include the following: (a) The demonstrated need for more fully prepared credentialed teachers, as defined in Section 44225.7, within each school district included in the application. (b) The number of participants to be served and the number of credentialed teachers, with at least a preliminary or level 1 credential, at each schoolsite where interns will be assigned, including teachers serving as certificated staff mentors pursuant to Section 44560. (c) The capacity of the school districts included in the application to provide mentoring support and assistance to intern teachers. (d) The quality of the instruction, support, and assessment that will be available to interns, as evidenced by the response of the applicant to the commission’s standards of quality and effectiveness for preparation programs. (e) The cost-effectiveness of the program.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44386. Section 44386.

(a) From funds appropriated for the purposes of this article, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing shall award incentive grants to qualifying school districts or county offices of education. Each school district or county office of education that receives a grant shall provide matching funds from available sources in an amount equal to 50 percent of the cost of the alternative certification program. Grants shall be awarded by the commission for the remaining 50 percent of the cost of the alternative certification program, but in no event shall the grant amount awarded to a school district or county office of education exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per intern per year, except that the commission may require a lesser local contribution, or provide a larger grant per intern per year, in hardship cases. (b) Participants in a district intern program conducted pursuant to Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325) or in an intern program conducted pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3, who have received a preliminary credential and who are receiving funding for participating in an induction program pursuant to Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44279.1) are not eligible for funding under this section.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44387. Section 44387.

(a) From funds appropriated for purposes of this section, the commission may award increased funding, in addition to incentive grants awarded pursuant to Section 44386, to a school district or county office of education that agrees to enhance internship programs as provided in subdivision (b) and to address the distribution of teacher interns as required in subdivision (c). (b) To qualify for increased intern program funding pursuant to this section, a school district or county office of education shall do all of the following: (1) Provide teacher interns with the greater of (A) 120 hours of intensive preservice training focused on the teaching of English language learners, or (B) 40 hours of the preservice training in addition to all other required training, including, but not limited to, training required pursuant to Sections 44253.3, 44253.4, and 44253.10. The preservice training shall be completed before an intern teacher may provide instructional services. (2) Provide all teacher interns with 40 hours of classroom observation, supervision, assistance, and assessment by one or more experienced teachers who possess valid certification to teach at the same grade level and the same subject matter and who are employed by the school district or county office of education, are assigned to assist the intern at the schoolsite, and, to the extent possible, are assigned to teach at the same schoolsite as the intern who is being assisted. (3) Maintain a ratio of one experienced teacher to no more than five teacher interns at the same schoolsite. (c) To continue to receive increased intern program funding pursuant to this section, commencing with the receipt of funding for a second year, a school district or county office of education shall show annually to the commission that no high-priority school, as described in Section 52055.605, will have a higher percentage of teacher interns than the districtwide average of teacher interns at a school in that year. (d) Increased funding up to a total of three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500) per intern, per year, may be awarded by the commission to a school district or county office of education that meets the requirements of this section. (e) Participants in an alternative certification program pursuant to this article, a district intern program conducted pursuant to Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 44325), or an intern program conducted pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 44450) of Chapter 3, who have received a preliminary credential and who are generating funding for participating in an induction program pursuant to Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44279.1) are eligible to generate enhanced funding under this section. (f) When reporting to the Legislature and the Governor pursuant to Section 44225.6, the commission shall include the number of school districts and county offices of education receiving increased funding, and the number of interns for whom increased funding is claimed, pursuant to this section.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026