ASSEMBLY BILL 130: NEW OPTIONS TO MEET BASIC SKILLS AND SUBJECT MATTER​

Assembly Bill (AB) 130 was signed by the Governor and became effective July 9, 2021. Provisions of the bill create new options for credential candidates to meet the Subject Matter and the Basic Skills Requirements (BSR). The bill does not waive the requirement.

New Basic Skills Requirement Options

This new option allows the Commission and Commission-approved preparation programs to verify that a candidate or applicant has demonstrated basic skills proficiency by verifying qualifying college-level coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher education if certain conditions are met. 
  • Emergency 30-Day Substitute Permits - Passage of SB 153 allows a candidate’s bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education to serve as demonstration of the Basic Skills Requirement (BSR) - reading, writing, and mathematics - for most credentials and the 30-day Sub Permit. Basic skills proficiency is still required for the issuance of the Prospective Teachers Permit.​
​Click Here for more information on SB 153.
Individuals may meet the requirement by passage of courses in reading, writing, and mathematics as outlined below. Courses must have been taken at a regionally-accredited college or university for credit, passed with a grade of B or better, be degree applicable, and be at least 3 semester units (or equivalent quarter units).
  • For reading proficiency: a course in critical thinking, literature, philosophy, reading, rhetoric, or textual analysis.
  • For writing proficiency: a course in composition, English, rhetoric, written communication, or writing.
  • For mathematics proficiency: a course in algebra, geometry, mathematics, quantitative reasoning, or statistics.
In addition, Commission approved programs may use a mix and match from available options for candidates as well.  For example, a candidate who has passed the CBEST subtests in reading and writing but not mathematics may use the two passed CBEST subtests and coursework that meets the mathematics criteria as listed above so long as the candidate earned a B or higher in that course and it was taken at a regionally accredited institution of higher education. 
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Detailed information for meeting the BSR can be found on the following link Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667) (ca.gov)

New Subject Matter Competence Options

LACOE BTP only offers subject matter verification for direct degree to credential matches for those not enrolled in a LACOE BTP program. We currently do not evaluate coursework for subject matter equivalency.
AB 130 expands the available options to allow candidates to meet the Subject Matter Requirement through any one of the following methods:

1. Successful completion of coursework, as verified by a Commission-approved program of professional preparation that addresses each of the Commission-adopted domains of the applicable subject matter requirements. 

2. Successful completion of an academic major in the subject they will teach.
  • For Single Subject credentials, the major must be in one of the subjects named in Education Code section 44257(a).
  • For Multiple Subject credentials, the major must be in liberal studies or an interdisciplinary major that includes coursework in the content areas identified in subdivision (b) of California Education Code section 44282           
  • For Education Specialist credentials, the major must align with one of the acceptable majors for the Multiple Subject credential or Single Subject credential.
  • The current statutory language does not provide leeway for the acceptance of closely related subjects; the degree major match must be an exact match to an existing credential.
3. A combination of coursework and examination options that meet or exceed the domains of the subject matter requirements. Such mixing of options may only be done by candidates enrolled in a Commission-approved preparation program that allows for this option.

Click HERE & HERE for more information.

LACOE Beginning Teacher Programs offers evaluation of transcripts for 
​Basic Skills Requirement and Subject Matter Requirement.
There is a $75 Evaluation fee.
​
Click HERE to complete the AB130 Evaluation Request Form 
The Commission reserves the right to accept or reject an approved evaluating agency's determination.  ​

For more information, Contact:
Karen Valle
[email protected]