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Commission on Teacher Credentialing" /> Commission on Teacher Credentialing" />
After reviewing the FAQ below, if you did not find the answer to your question, you can contact DPP by e-mail: DPPInfo@ctc.ca.gov. Walk-in services are not available.
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing ensures excellence in education by establishing high standards for the preparation and licensing of public school educators. The Committee of Credentials is a disciplinary review committee created by statute and appointed by the Commission. The Committee evaluates the moral character and fitness of all persons who wish to teach or perform certified services in the public schools. The Committee reviews allegations of misconduct against credential holders and applicants. If the Committee finds that probable cause exists for adverse action against a credential holder or applicant, it recommends an appropriate adverse action to the Commission.
The Committee is comprised of seven members appointed by the Commission for two-year terms. Membership includes an elementary teacher, a secondary teacher, one school board member, a school administrator, and three public representatives. The Committee meets 4 days each month at the Commission's offices in Sacramento.
The Division of Professional Practices supports the disciplinary work of the Commission and the Committee of Credentials.
The Commission may also begin an investigation if a credential holder fails to disclose a conviction, adverse action or denial of any license or pending investigation of any criminal allegation or pending investigation of any noncriminal allegation of misconduct by a governmental licensing agency.
All adverse actions except private admonitions are published in a document titled the "All Points Bulletin," which is sent to all California school districts, county offices of education, private schools, deans of education and other interested parties as authorized by law.
When reviewing allegations of misconduct, the Commission and the Committee consider the nature and severity of the offense, its relationship to teaching, the recency of the acts or crimes, compliance with court sanctions, and any evidence of rehabilitation.
Generally, the Education Code beginning with Section 44000 governs the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and teacher discipline, and misconduct is governed by the Education Code, beginning with Section 44240.
Someone who has his or her credential revoked may apply for reinstatement, one year after the effective date of the revocation. The matter is then considered by the Commission.
Letters of recommendation may be provided for the Committee and the Commission to consider. The letters should be from responsible persons, including but not limited to, supervisors, colleagues and employers who are familiar with the alleged misconduct being reviewed. Letters of reference or recommendation should be written on identifying letterhead.
You will have an opportunity to explain your side of the story and, if the Committee conducts a formal review of your case, you may appear before the Committee. If you are dissatisfied with the Committee's recommendation, you can request an administrative hearing.
Contact the police department where you were arrested or detained and request a certified copy of the arrest report. If the records are not available or police department will not provide them to you, ask for a letter from the police department to that effect. Also, contact the court that heard your case and request a certified copy of the court documents, including all charging, plea, and sentencing documents.
Please include a copy of the Pre-sentencing Probation Report, if available.
Commission staff will send you a letter stating when the Committee on Credential will review your case. The Committee on Credentials meets monthly in Sacramento. You are not required to appear. A majority of cases are reviewed by the Committee on the basis of written materials that have been submitted.
On every application you submit to the Commission, you are required to make known the following:
Licensing agency inquiries and investigations, including all:
School employment separations due to allegations of misconduct, including all dismissals, non-reelections, retirements, resignations, and suspensions for more than ten days without pay.
You must disclose all relevant information on every application you submit to the Commission, even if you disclosed the same information on an earlier application.
You are required to disclose all criminal convictions (misdemeanors and felonies). A court order pursuant to Penal Code Section 1203.4(a) states that the order does not relieve the person of the obligation to disclose the conviction in response to any direct question contained in any questionnaire or application for public office or for licensure by any state or local agency.
You must disclose a conviction no matter how much time has passed, even if the case has been dismissed pursuant to Penal Code Section 1203.4. A plea of nolo contendere (no contest) to a criminal charge results in a conviction which must be disclosed.
Warning: Failure to report a conviction or disciplinary action by a state licensing agency is considered falsification of your application and could lead to criminal prosecution, denial of your application, and/or adverse action on other credentials you currently hold.
California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 80443, sets a maximum processing time of 50 working days for completed applications. However, applications delayed by a Commission appeal, Division of Professional Practices review, or fingerprint card processing are not subject to the 50-day restriction.
To request a status check on the review of an application for allegations of misconduct in the Division of Professional Practices, you can contact DPP by e-mail: DPPInfo@ctc.ca.gov.
The quality of a credential holder's service is most often an employment issue. Contact the credential holder's employer if you have concerns about a credential holder.
If you have first-hand personal knowledge of the misconduct, you can file a complaint by completing and signing a Confidential Complaint Information form and an affidavit. The Confidential Complaint Information forms and affidavits must be signed by the complainant and can not be anonymous.
The forms can be found on the Public Complaints page.
No. Information regarding our investigations is confidential. Only the final decision of the Commission is public.
Investigations may be lengthy and involved because the Commission may have to gather information from school districts and law enforcement agencies, allow the credential holder or applicant an opportunity to respond, and review the matter at one or more meetings. Generally, the process takes several months.
Yes, the Commission can take an adverse action against a credential holder who refuses, without good cause, to fulfill a valid contract of employment with the school district or leaves the service of the district without the permission of the superintendent of the school district or the governing board of the school district, except in the manner provided by law.
The law specifies that the Commission may not suspend the credential for more than one year or revoke the credential. The Commission can issue a private admonition, a public reproval or suspend the credential for less than one year.
Yes, every applicant for a credential must be fingerprinted. The applicant's fingerprints are compared to the records maintained by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice.
Contact the police department where you were arrested or detained and request a certified copy of the arrest report. If the records are not available or police department will not provide them to you, ask for a letter from the police department to that effect. Also, contact the court that heard your case and request a certified copy of the court documents, including all charging, plea, and sentencing documents.
Please include a copy of the Pre-sentencing Probation Report, if available.
If the conviction is not on the list of convictions that require the Commission to deny the application, the Commission will consider how long ago the misconduct occurred, any prior record of misconduct, references, rehabilitation, and other factors.
The CJIS Division of the FBI is not the source of the data appearing on identification records. All data is obtained from fingerprint submissions or related identification forms submitted to the FBI by local, state, and federal agencies. As a result, the responsibility for authentication and correction of such data rests upon the contributing agency (i.e., police department, county court, etc.). Please contact this agency or the central repository in the state where the arrest occurred to request a change, correction, or update. The FBI is not authorized to modify the record without written notification from the appropriate criminal justice agency.
If you feel the information contained within your criminal history record is incorrect, you may submit a formal challenge to the Department of Justice only after you have received a copy of your record from the Department pursuant to California Penal Code sections 11120 - 11127. Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII) form 8706, "Claim of Inaccuracy or Incompleteness" will be mailed to you along with your record. Submit form 8706 and any supporting documentation to the Department of Justice to the address provided on the form. The challenge will be reviewed and a written response will be provided along with an amended copy of your criminal history record if appropriate.
For more information on character and identification clearance click here.
To search for a public school teacher's credential, click the lookup button on our home page. It will indicate whether the credential has ever been revoked or is currently suspended.
Whenever the holder of any credential issued by the State Board of Education or the Commission on Teacher Credentialing requests in writing that the credential held by him or her be revoked, the Commission shall revoke such credential.
Pursuant to Education Code Section 44423, a credential holder may request that one or more of his or her credentials be revoked. Keep in mind that a dependent credential must have a valid prerequisite credential. For example, the holder of a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and a Learning Handicapped Specialist Instruction Credential may not request the revocation of the Multiple Subject Credential without also losing the Learning Handicapped Specialist Instruction Credential because the Learning Handicapped Specialist Instruction Credential can not stand alone.
It is also possible to request that one or more subjects or authorized fields be removed from a credential if the credential can stand alone without the subject or authorized field. For example, the holder of a Single Subject Teaching Credential with an authorized field of Social Science and supplementary authorizations in Introductory English, Drama, and Auto Mechanics may request revocation of any or all of the supplementary authorizations, but may not request revocation of the authorized field without losing the entire document. Standard Secondary Teaching Credentials with majors in Agricultural Science, Business Education, Dance, Health Science, Home Economics, Industrial Arts, Military Science, and Physical Education require one academic minor unless the word "Academic" was typed after the major; therefore, the academic minor can not be revoked without the entire document being revoked.
To request the revocation of one or more credentials or authorizations, the holder must submit a 41-4 application along with a completed form 41-RR. The 41-4 application should have “RR” listed on the top right of the first page on the “Route To” line. Self-revocation requests must come from the credential holder, not the employer, as we must have the holder’s signature that he or she is making the request. If the credential from which a subject or authorized field was removed was valid for life, the new document will be issued for a full term under current regulations as appropriate. The Commission is unable to initially issue credentials for a life term.
Educators requesting a self-revocation must have no misconduct pending before the Commission. If a claim of misconduct is pending the revocation request will be forwarded to the Division of Professional Practices.
After voluntary revocation of credential or a subject from a credential, an individual must submit an application, completed form 41-RR, and current fee for each document to be reinstated. The 41-4 application should have “RR” listed on the top right of the first page on the “Route To” line. If the individual has had all of his or her credentials revoked and more than 18 months have passed since they were ended, new fingerprints are required. The Livescan receipt must accompany the application requesting reinstatement. The Commission may reinstate a subject or authorized field to a life credential, but cannot reinstate a life credential if the entire credential was revoked. Such a credential will be reissued as a clear document. The Commission cannot include grades 13 and 14 on a reinstated credential because the Commission no longer has the authority to issue credentials with these grades, except on renewals.
For status of an application showing "Pending Additional Evaluation" on the website, you can contact us by e-mail DPPInfo@ctc.ca.gov. Please allow 2 to 5 days for a response. This time frame will be based on the number of e-mails received.
