Education Specialist Instruction Credential

The Education Specialist Instruction Credential (Special Education) prepares educators to teach and support students with disabilities in a range of classroom and service settings. These credentials emphasize inclusive, individualized, and evidence-based practices, empowering teachers to meet the needs of learners with mild to extensive support needs.

With this credential, educators are prepared to:

• Deliver individualized instruction and support services to students with disabilities

• Collaborate with families, general educators, and support staff to promote student success

• Develop and implement Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

• Use assistive technology, behavioral strategies, and differentiated instruction

• Advocate for equity, inclusion, and access in all learning environments

Key Features of the Education Specialist Credential Pathway:

• Authorizes teaching students with disabilities in preschool through adult education settings

• Offers specialization in the following areas:

  • Mild to Moderate Support Needs

  • Extensive Support Needs

  • Early Childhood Special Education

  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing

  • Visual Impairments

  • Physical and Health Impairments

• Includes clinical practice in special education settings under the guidance of a mentor teacher

For more information about the Education Specialist Instruction Credential This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. and the specialty areas, visit the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website.

The candidate must complete all of the following requirements.

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
• Completion of a subject matter program This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. of coursework or its equivalent.  This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
• Completion of a Commission-approved Education Specialist Credential preparation program.
• Passage of a Commission-approved Teaching Performance Assessment.
• Passage of the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) examination or a Commission-approved literacy assessment aligned with the requirements of Education Code section 44320.3.​​

For more information about the Education Specialist Instruction Credential This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. and the requirements, visit the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website.