Contact: Sarah Lillis, 916-761-1385, slillis@teachplus.org
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing adopts revised California Standards for the Teaching Profession to shape teaching practice throughout California.
Sacramento, CA, February 9, 2024 — Teach Plus California today issued the following statement:
Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders are thrilled by the important step taken by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing yesterday in adopting revised California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP). The CSTP are a guide that helps teachers reflect, develop, and refine their practice. These standards were last revised in 2009, and the education landscape has changed greatly since then. The commission sent a clear message with this adoption that California must support its teachers to better meet the needs of today’s students.
“The revised CSTP feature several key shifts from the 2009 version, chief among them a more holistic approach to teaching and learning. For example, the move from goal setting to designing learning experiences shifts the focus from results to students’ learning. Another notable shift is recognizing that all teachers, regardless of subject-specific credential areas, are teachers of literacy skills,” said Sarah Lillis, Teach Plus California Executive Director. “The shifts, combined with explicit references to support the needs of all learners, including multilingual learners and learners with exceptional needs, throughout the standards will greatly increase educational equity. Finally, we are thrilled that the standards include explicit recognition of the importance of teachers’ well-being.”
Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders have advocated for the adoption of new standards since the commission first began their review process in 2019. In their brief, Transform California Teaching and Learning: Teach Plus California Policy Fellows on Supporting and Funding New Teacher Standards, Teach Plus teacher leaders put forth a series of recommendations to ensure a thoughtful rollout, such as creation of a resource guidebook for current educators, professional development for Educator Preparation Programs’ (EPPs) leaders and induction professionals, and increased funding for standards’ implementation across the state. In their most recent letter to the commission, Teach Plus teacher leaders again called for the standards’ adoption and implementation.
“I am excited that the commission is moving forward with standards that better reflect what our students need. But new standards alone will not get the job done. The commission must also have a robust and thoughtful implementation plan,” said Juan Resendez, a civics, world history and religions teacher at Portola High School in Irvine and Teach Plus Policy Fellowship alum.
“The updated standards are one of the best tools I have to support and potentially transform my practice. They underscore that we value culturally responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, and asset-based pedagogy among other instructional approaches,” said Wendy Threatt, a National Board Certified fourth grade teacher at Felicita Elementary in Escondido and a Senior Policy Fellow with Teach Plus. “To ensure that the standards are implemented with the fidelity our students deserve, California is going to need to support their implementation with funding necessary for schools and districts to meet the unique needs of their respective educational communities.”
The standards are an important and necessary step forward for teaching and learning in California. Teach Plus teacher leaders are eager to support the commission in developing and launching a thoughtful rollout plan, reflective of their strategies and recommendations.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: All students should have the opportunity to achieve their potential in an education system defined by its commitment to equity, its responsiveness to individual needs, and its ability to prepare students for postsecondary success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/ca
