The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing states that a candidate admitted to a Teacher Prep Program in the state of California must meet the Basic Skills Requirement and the Subject Matter Competency requirement. Read below for information regarding how to meet both of these state requirements.
VERIFICATION OF THE BASIC SKILLS REQUIREMENT:
As of July 1, 2024 and the signing of Senate Bill 153, a candidate’s bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education can serve as demonstration of basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.
For more information, see Program Sponsor Alert 24-07.
VERIFICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER COMPETENCY:
On July 9th, 2021, Governor Newsom signed the TK-12 Education Trailer Bill (AB 130), which creates additional pathways for teacher candidates to satisfy subject matter competence (SMC). Please find details below outlining the options and requirements for admission to a teaching credential program at Cal Poly SLO.
Candidates are only required to utilize one of the following options to meet the Subject Matter Competency Requirement.
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
AB 130 expanded the available options to allow candidates to meet the Subject Matter Requirement through successful completion of an academic major in the subject they will teach. Utilize the table below to determine eligibility.
Multiple Subject Approved degrees |
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-Liberal Studies |
-Liberal Arts |
-Elementary Education |
- Interdisciplinary major that includes coursework in the content areas identified in subdivision (b) of California Education Code section 44282. Interdisciplinary majors will require an evaluation. |
Single Subject Approved Degrees |
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-Agriculture |
-Art |
-Business |
-Dance
|
-English |
-Health Science |
-Home Economics |
-Industrial & Tech Education |
-Mathematics (including Statistics) |
-Music |
-Phys. Education |
-Science (including Biology, Chemistry, Geoscience or Earth and Space Science, and Physics) |
-Social Science |
-Theater |
-World Languages |
|
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For the single subject area World Language: English Language Development, an academic degree major in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
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For the single subject area of Home Economics, an academic degree major in family and consumer science.
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For the single subject area of Mathematics, an academic degree major in statistics.
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For the single subject area of Science: Biological Science, an academic degree major in biology, biological engineering, or biochemistry. PROGRAM SPONSOR ALERT 23-04: Approval of Regulations Regarding Demonstration of Subject Matter Competence Page 3
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For the single subject area of Science: Chemistry, an academic degree major in chemical engineering or biochemistry.
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For the single subject area of Science: Geoscience, an academic degree major in geology or earth science.
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For the single subject area of Science: Physics, an academic degree major in mechanical or structural engineering.
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For the single subject area of Science: Foundational-Level Science, an academic degree major in any type of engineering or any degree major offered by a college or university science department.
Special Education Approved Degrees |
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- Any of the approved degrees for the Multiple or Single Subject Credential |
Please email soe@calpoly.edu if you would like additional clarification of approved degrees.
Coursework
AB 130 allows candidates to use qualifying coursework to meet the domains of the CSET subtests. Candidates can determine if they are eligible for this option by requesting a SMC Evaluation.
*We are unable to accept requests from Cal Poly undergrads who are not attending a Cal Poly credential program.
CSET Exams
Successful passing of all the CSET subtests specific to your credential objective.
COntent area |
cset subtests |
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Agriculture |
Agriculture Subtests I (172), II (173) & III (174) |
Biology |
Science: Life Science Subtests I (215) & II (217)
(prior to 8/6/17 I (118), II (119) & III (120))
|
Chemistry |
Science: Chemistry Subtests I (215) & II (218)
(prior to 8/6/17 I (118),
II (119) & III (121)
|
English |
English Subtests I (105), II (106), III (107) & IV (108) |
Geosciences |
Science: Earth & Space Sciences Subtests I (215) & II (219)
(prior to 8/6/17 I (118), II (119) & III (122)
|
Mathematics |
Mathematics Subtests I (211), II (212) & III (213) |
Multiple Subject |
Multiple Subject Subtests I (101), II (214) & III (103) |
Physics |
Science: Physics Subtests I (215) & II (220)
(prior to 8/6/17 I (118), II (119) & III (123))
|
Social Science |
Social Science Subtests I (114), II (115) & III (116) |
Spanish |
Spanish Subtests I (145), II (146) & III (147) |
Exams + Coursework
This option allows for some subtests to be met by coursework and some to be met by passing the CSET. For example, a candidate may meet Multiple Subjects CSET Subtest I with qualifying coursework, and meet Subtests II & III by passing the exams. Candidates should start by requesting a SMC Evaluation of their coursework to determine which subtests they meet with coursework. The Credential Office will then provide them with instructions on which subtests the candidate needs to take.
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Candidates are only eligible to request Cal Poly SMC Evaluations if they are affiliated with Cal Poly, including candidates who:
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Completed an undergraduate degree at Cal Poly and are applying to enroll in an Educator Preparation Program at Cal Poly* OR,
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Completed an undergraduate degree at another institution and are applying to enroll in an Educator Preparation Program at Cal Poly
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Cal Poly SMC Evaluations can be requested by emailing the SOE Credential Office at soe@calpoly.edu.
*We are unable to accept requests from Cal Poly undergrads who are not attending a Cal Poly credential program.
Subject Matter Preparation Program
Completion of a subject matter program approved by the commission.
Single subject content area |
Cal Poly Prep program offered? |
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Agriculture |
Yes - Agriculture |
English |
Yes - English |
Mathematics |
Yes - Mathematics |
Music (Credential Not Offered @ Cal Poly) |
Yes - Music |
Science |
No |
Social Science |
Yes - Social Science |
Spanish |
No |
We recommend reaching out to the Credential Advisors for support in determining how you will meet Subject Matter Competence.
Credential Office Advising
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Credential Office Advising Hours
Use Bookings* to schedule a virtual advising appointment.
*Alternate times are available by appointment; please email for additional times.
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EXAM PREPARATION SUGGESTIONS:
Pearson Exam Preparation Materials
Test Prep Review
Test Prep Review contains prep material for many different CSET/CBEST tests and information on each of those tests. Below are links to practice tests.
Teachers Test Prep
Teachers Test Prep - Create an online account through Teachers Test Prep to take the online CSET practice tests and get a complete diagnostic in the areas that you need to work on.
UCI Open
The University of California Irvine has CSET preparation materials set up in canvas study modules with practice questions.
If you have used additional resources and found them helpful, please email them to soe@calpoly.edu so that we can add them here for others to benefit!