To earn the English Learner Authorization in California, you need a qualifying California teaching credential, you need to satisfy a knowledge requirement by either passing the California Teacher of English Learners (CTEL) exam or finishing a Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) approved program, you need six semester units of second-language college coursework, and you need to submit an application with a $100 fee to the CTC.1Commission on Teacher Credentialing. English Learner Authorization – CLAD Certificate (CL-628C) The authorization lets you provide English Language Development instruction and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) in preschool, K–12, and adult education settings. SDAIE is capped by whatever subjects and grade levels your base credential already covers.
The older CLAD Certificate authorizes the same services. If you already hold one, you don’t need the EL Authorization separately.2New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 5 CCR 80015 – Requirements for the Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Certificate or English Learner Authorization
Do You Have a Qualifying Credential
You can’t apply for the EL Authorization on its own. It attaches to a valid California credential or permit that authorizes instruction. The qualifying list is wider than most teachers assume. It includes the Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and Education Specialist credentials, a services credential with a special class authorization, a School Nurse Services Credential with a Special Teaching Authorization in Health, a Visiting Faculty Permit, and certain Children’s Center or Child Development Permits.1Commission on Teacher Credentialing. English Learner Authorization – CLAD Certificate (CL-628C)
Several documents do not qualify: emergency credentials, exchange credentials, district intern credentials, and sojourn certificated employee credentials.3California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 44253.3
One warning worth flagging. Many teachers assume their induction program will add an EL Authorization automatically when they clear their preliminary credential. It usually won’t. The CTC has stated that the English learner components built into Level II and induction programs “are not sufficient in breadth and depth to qualify an individual for an English learner authorization.”4Commission on Teacher Credentialing. English Learner Authorization for Holders of Preliminary Teaching Credentials If your preliminary credential was issued without the authorization, you have to pursue it as a separate document.
Pick a Path: CTEL Exam or Approved Program
The knowledge requirement can be met in one of two main ways, or through a combination of coursework and exams approved by a program sponsor.5Commission on Teacher Credentialing. English Learner Authorization
The CTEL Examination
The CTEL has three separately scored subtests:
- CTEL 1: Language and Language Development
- CTEL 2: Assessment and Instruction
- CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion
Each subtest is scored on a 100 to 300 scale, and you need at least 220 on each to pass.6California Educator Credentialing Examinations. CTEL Test Results Explanation7California Educator Credentialing Examinations. CTEL – Test Structure You can register for all three in a single sitting, and the combined registration fee is approximately $260.
Approved Coursework
CTC-approved programs run through accredited universities and some local education agencies. They cover language acquisition theory, methods for adapting content instruction for English learners, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Unit totals vary by the certificate or combination you’re pursuing. A combined ELD and SDAIE certificate through this path may call for nine semester units of upper-division or graduate coursework; separate certificates for each service can require different totals.2New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 5 CCR 80015 – Requirements for the Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Certificate or English Learner Authorization On completion, the program sponsor recommends you to the CTC.
The Second Language Coursework Requirement
This one catches people off guard. No matter which path you choose for the knowledge requirement, you must also complete at least six semester units (or nine quarter units) of coursework in a second language at a regionally accredited college or university.3California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 44253.3 High school language classes do not satisfy it. If your undergraduate transcript already shows equivalent college-level work in another language, you’re covered and don’t need to enroll in anything new.
How to Apply
The submission route depends on how you met the knowledge requirement. If an approved program sponsor is recommending you, apply through the CTC’s online portal. If you passed the CTEL on your own, you have to mail a paper application.8Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Apply for a New Document Either route uses Form 41-4, the Application for Credential Authorizing Public School Service.9Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Application For Credential Authorizing Public School Service
The application asks for your Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number and six Professional Fitness Questions covering criminal history, pending investigations, and prior discipline against professional licenses.10Commission on Teacher Credentialing. How to Complete the CTC Online Professional Fitness Questions A “yes” to any question triggers a 500-character written explanation and supporting documentation such as court or investigation records. The disclosure duty is broad. You must report convictions even if they were dismissed under Penal Code section 1203.4, happened in another state, or resulted only in probation.9Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Application For Credential Authorizing Public School Service
Attach official transcripts showing your second-language coursework, and either your CTEL score reports or your program sponsor’s recommendation. If you’re mailing paper, keep copies of everything.
Fees and Processing Time
The application fee is $100 and is nonrefundable.11Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Fee Schedule Information (CL-659) Online applicants pay by credit card and are charged an additional $2.65 service fee. Paper applicants pay by check or money order made out to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. State law caps processing at 50 business days from the date the CTC receives a complete application, though simple files are often turned around faster.12Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Instructions for Application For Credential Authorizing Public School Service Applications routed to a fitness review or fingerprint processing fall outside that cap and can take longer.
How Long the Authorization Stays Valid
The EL Authorization has no expiration date of its own. It stays valid as long as the credential it’s attached to stays active.1Commission on Teacher Credentialing. English Learner Authorization – CLAD Certificate (CL-628C) If your base credential lapses, the authorization goes inactive with it, and renewing the base credential restores it. There is no separate renewal and no continuing-education requirement tied to the authorization itself.
If You Hold an Out-of-State Authorization
If you already hold a full EL authorization from another state and you’re applying for a California Multiple Subject, Single Subject, or Education Specialist Teaching Credential, you can submit evidence of that authorization with your credential application. The CTC will add the EL Authorization to your new California credential without a separate application.1Commission on Teacher Credentialing. English Learner Authorization – CLAD Certificate (CL-628C) This streamlined path applies only to full authorizations, not to provisional or temporary endorsements. If your situation is anything other than a clean out-of-state full authorization, contact the CTC directly before relying on it.