The Commission on Teacher Credentialing has approved amendments to California Education Code that will reflect changes to Child Development Permit levels adopted by the CTC earlier this year.

The levels of the Child Development Permit (CDP) matrix were approved in February 2025 reflecting a career ladder and lattice for early childhood educators that pave the way for interested holders of the permit to continue their path to a teaching credential. The CDP Workgroup recommended that the permit matrix includes three educator levels (Early Childhood Educator 1, 2, and 3) and two administrator levels (Early Childhood Administrator 1 and 2).

Each level contains specific and separate scopes of practice and preparation requirements. Educators at every level are expected to master the standards and competencies for their roles, creating a clear pathway for effective practice, preparation program design, licensure requirements, professional development, and career advancement.

The updated CDP matrix introduces clearly defined and progressive permit levels aligned with field roles and responsibilities, from entry-level assistants to administrators, as well as performance expectations and competency-based approaches that prioritize demonstrated educator skills, readiness, and flexibility for experienced educators to advance through alternative routes. Revisions to the CDP matrix also resulted in revisions to the definitions which were added to clarify and make specific new terms. Additionally, outdated language to the application process was also revised for consistency with existing language referencing application requirements.

The adopted changes are outlined in Agenda Item 2A.

CDP Performance Expectations Field Survey update The revised Child Development Performance Expectations describe the set of knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of a CDP candidate at the point of beginning practice in an early learning and care program. Scope and sequencing were revised to reflect beginning staff in various job roles with entry level training in ECE core areas in addition to teachers within an associate degree ECE/CD program.

The commission approved CDP performance expectations that retain the intent of the current performance expectations while including role-appropriate expectations at the assisting, teaching, mentoring, and administrating levels. Approved Performance Expectations also embed contemporary priorities that include Universal Design for Learning, as well as inclusive practices across Individualized Education Programs. In short, the revisions consolidate duplicative content, emphasize observable action tied to evidence that can be seen in practice, and restore one-to-one alignment between the PEs and the updated matrix. Programs will be asked to align coursework and clinical practice to revised CDP Performance Expectations once the regulations package has been approval by the Office of Administrative Law.

Statewide Residency Technical Assistance Center update The commission also heard an update on the second year of implementation of the Statewide Residency Technical Assistance Center Grant Program. In August 2023, the CTC awarded a grant to Santa Clara County Office of Education to operate a Statewide Residency Technical Assistance Center. SCCOE partnered with Humboldt, Sacramento, San Diego, and Tulare county offices of education to establish regional hubs. Collectively, these five regional hubs collaborated to develop a localized system of support to serve candidates throughout the state. Under SCCOE leadership, the regional hub developed a strategic plan to implement the structure and develop systems to support programs in the field which include but are not limited to:

Annual Report Card on CA Teacher Preparation Programs Commission staff presented the 25th Annual Report Card on California Teacher Preparation Programs for the Academic Year 2023-24 and included a description of credentialing requirements to teach in California public schools. Data in the report was gleaned from a web-based data entry tool called the Institutional and Program Report Card within the U.S. Department of Education. For the 2024 reporting year, all California educator preparation programs that have approved preliminary Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and Education Specialist credential programs were required to submit their institutional and program report cards for 2023-24 to a federal contractor.

Read the report in Agenda item 2E.