Opportunities in K-12 Education
First steps towards classroom teaching:
Primary Education (transitional kindergarten-5th grade):
To teach in any elementary classroom in California, both a bachelor's degree and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential are required. To learn more about earning your Multiple Subject Teaching Credential refer to the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s step-by-step guide. |
Secondary Education (middle school grades 6th-8th or high school grades 9th-12th):
Any educators who wish to teach at the secondary level (6th-12th) must earn a bachelor's degree in the subjects they wish to teach. A Single Subject Teaching Credential is also necessary. To learn more about earning your Single Subject Credential refer to the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s step-by-step guide. |
Next steps:
After obtaining the necessary degree and credentialing, additional certifications may need to be completed in order to teach ESL students of any grade (TK-12). California State Law, as outlined in the California Education Code, requires that “ELs [English Learners] identified in K-12 (does not include preschool or adult) public schools in California are required to receive services designed to meet their linguistic and academic needs based on assessments made by the local employing agency. An appropriately authorized teacher for English Language Development (ELD) and academic content instruction is required” (State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2018b). The specific certifications necessary are dependent upon each school district's own requirements. Any of the following may be necessary:
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate:
TESOL certification demonstrates that an educator has devoted a substantial amount of energy towards attaining competency in teaching English to non-native speakers both internationally and within the United States.
TESOL Certificates are most commonly earned through university courses in bachelor's and master's programs. To learn more about the TESOL certification process and TESOL careers
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Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD):
CLAD certification allows an educator to teach English Language Development (ELD) or Specially Designed Academic Instruction Delivered in English (SDAIE). According to the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2018a), ELD is defined as “instruction appropriate for the level of language proficiency as identified for each EL student. The instruction is designed to promote the effective and efficient acquisition of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills of the EL student” (1). SDAIE is defined as “an instructional approach designed to increase the level of comprehensibility of the English language in the content area of the class. The specially designed content instruction in subject matter, such as math or social science, is presented in English to English learners in classes” (State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2018a, 1). CLAD certification also allows educators who were prepared to teach ELs out of state, to teach ELs in California.
Educators earn CLAD certification by completing three portions of the California Teacher of English Learners (CTEL) Examination. Some universities have CLAD certification embedded in their graduate programs. To learn more about the CLAD certification process
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Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD):
BCLAD certification serves the same functions as CLAD certification but also allows educators to instruct ELs for primary language development. It also authorizes educators to deliver class content directly in an EL’s primary language.
BCLAD certification is earned by completing all six portions of the California Teacher of English Learners (CTEL) Examination. Some universities have BCLAD certification embedded in their graduate programs. To learn more about the BCLAD certification process
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Additional kindergarten-12th grade teaching options
Dual Immersion Education:
Another career option for TESOL certified educators is a dual immersion school. Dual immersion schools are becoming increasingly popular as they help English language learners develop high proficiency in both their first language and a second language. The Center for Applied Linguistics (2016) explains that “In dual language education programs, students are taught literacy and academic content in English and a partner language. The goals of dual language are for students to develop high levels of language proficiency and literacy in both program languages,” rather than encouraging the use of one over the other. In order to teach at a dual immersion school, educators are required to have a bachelor’s degree, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and BCLAD certification in the school’s non-English focus language.
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How and why do dual language programs work?
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Teach for America:
Teach for America (TFA) is an organization that promotes educational and linguistic equity as two of its core tenets. TFA “recruit[s] outstanding and diverse leaders early in their careers and ask[s] them to make a commitment that begins with two years of teaching in a public school, partnering with children and families most impacted by educational inequity” (Teach For America, 2019a). Many of the classrooms where corps members are placed are multilingual; a TESOL Certificate is a valuable asset to potential TFA educators. During their two-year commitment to TFA, corps members are required to work towards their teaching certification. TFA has agreements with many institutions across the U.S. that offer reduced tuition to corps members while they work towards earning their teaching credentials and/or master’s degree.
To teach through TFA, educational prerequisites include a bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. In addition to this, corps members must earn a temporary teaching license—by taking state specific exams—before the start of their first year as a TFA teacher. It is not necessary to earn a teaching credential prior to applying to TFA.
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Learn how TFA creates change in education over time.
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TFA's Mission.
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Teaching opportunities in California similar to TFA
City Year
City Year corps members commit to 11 months of service providing mentorship, tutoring, and classroom support to high-need schools. A bachelor's degree is preferred.
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Citizen Schools
Citizen Schools employees mentor students after the school day is over using their "[Expanded Learning Time] model...to provide academic support, high school and college pathway programming, and apprenticeships" (Citizen Schools, n.d.).
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TNTP Teaching Fellows
TNTP Teaching Fellows connects future educators with teacher training programs, both in California and nationwide, who then place those interested in becoming teachers in schools in underserved communities. Many of the programs are open to those who have not yet completed, but are working towards, a bachelor's in an education or TESOL-related field.
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