Obtaining the Preliminary Credential

All Teacher Education students who do not already hold a valid CTC issued document (such as an emergency substitute permit or Short Term Staff Permit) are mandated by the CTC to apply for a Certificate of Clearance before being placed in a school setting. Clearances obtained through districts, private schools, group homes, or childcare centers are not accepted by the CTC. A clearance application requires students to: 1) have their fingerprints scanned at a Livescan service center and, 2) submit an application fee of $50 (plus $2.50 service fee) for the Certificate of Clearance. Livescan service centers also charge a fee at the time of service. Certificate of Clearance instruction sheet and Livescan service form is available in the School of Education. You may also contact the Credential Analyst with questions regarding the clearance process. You must complete both processes, the fingerprint process and online application through the CTC in order to receive a Certificate of Clearance.

Please contact the TED PA for additional information at teachered@usfca.edu.

Students must obtain a TB test from a medical doctor. Negative results must be uploaded to their Chalk and Wire account.Please note, placement sites may have different TB Test requirements.

Please contact the TED PA for additional information at teachered@usfca.edu.

Please see, Testing Requirements for additional information. 

To qualify for a preliminary credential, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) requires that candidates provide evidence of completing CPR training that includes infant, child and adult skills. Verification of current CPR training must be submitted to the Credential Analyst. 

The Teachers Education Department may offer an in-person CPR Certification Course using an outside company or organization. Candidates have the option of becoming certified on their own, but should identify a company/organization that is approved by the American Heart Association. 

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) requires students to have, "A course or examination covering the provisions and principles of the United States (US) Constitution is required for many teaching and services credentials. The California Education Code states this requirement may be met by satisfactory completion of coursework or a college-level examination completed at a regionally accredited community college or four-year college or university" (See "Coded Correspondence", Commission on Teacher Credentialing Memo for further details). Candidates must have completed a minimum of two semester units, with a grade of C or better. Courses that satisfy the requirement are normally those in American Government or Constitutional Law, or in some cases, specialty history courses. 

If candidates have not satisfied the U.S. Constitution Requirement through prior coursework, they have the option of completing the U.S. Constitution Exam through the USF-SOE Canvas Page. The United States Constitution Exam contains 100 multiple-choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank questions. The total score for this exam is 100 points, and a passing score is 75 points. Students will be contacted by the Credential Analyst if they have not met this requirement. 

This requirement must be met before being recommended for the preliminary credential. 

Students must complete the following in Student Teaching in order to be recommended for the Preliminary Credential:

• Completion of 600 clinical hours (broken down over STI, STII/III, and selected classes with fieldwork components)*
• Submission of Self-Assessment Plan**
• Submission of Induction Plan**
• Assessment by Supervisor and Cooperating teacher (done on behalf of the student)

* All hours for Studen Teaching I and Student Teaching II/III must be documented in Anthology Portfolio/Chalk & Wire. The exception to this requirement is students who worked as full-time teachers or interns.

** More information on the Self-Assessment Plan and Induction Plan will be discussed in Student Teaching I and Student Teaching II/III.

• Bilingual Authorization Language Exam (with FSI 3 and above score)
• Passage of the two Bilingual Authorization courses (TEC 635 and TEC 636)

• Credential candidates must also complete all credential-level courses with a B- or higher. There are no exceptions. Please note that Masters's courses are not considered credential courses.
• Credential candidates must also clear all Holds with USF. If you notice a Hold on your account and have questions, please reach out to the Program Assistant.