Read the Executive Summary

The California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program (Classified Program), administered by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, aims to help meet the need for teachers by recruiting classified school employees into teaching careers. Since 2016, to meet the need for diverse teachers in hard-to-hire subjects, California has dedicated $45 million to develop 42 Classified Programs across the state. The Governor’s Budget May Revision proposes to increase funding for the program from $25 million to $125 million, which will be available for five years (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, May 14, 2021). These grant-funded programs were led by partnerships between local education agencies (LEAs) and colleges or universities (IHEs). While these programs aimed to assist all qualified classified staff employees moving into a credentialed teaching position, additional focus was placed on recruiting participants to meet the need in the highest-demand fields (STEM, bilingual, and special education teachers)

Shasta College, in partnership with Sinclair Research Group, conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of the Classified Program.  Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from program managers, IHE liaisons, and classified participants using focus groups, in-depth interviews, and questionnaires. Targets examined were the program's implementation, successes and challenges, stakeholders' satisfaction, and program outcomes. The overarching goal of the evaluation was to determine if this program met the legislative goals. This report summarizes learnings gleaned from the evaluation and provides recommendations for improvement.

This evaluation intends to answer several critical questions about the Classified Program: 1) Was the Classified Program a success? 2) What were the best practices contributing to and challenges inhibiting the program’s success, and 3) How can the program be improved?

Data were gathered on the range of experience and supports of classified participants and the perspectives of program management. The objectives of the evaluation were to examine:

• the extent the program was implemented as intended,

• the collaboration between LEA/IHE,

• participant recruitment (particularly in areas of teacher shortage),

• how participants were monitored

• provision of financial and non-financial support,

• sufficiency of participant annual progress,

• meeting teacher shortage needs, and

• employment as intern teachers or fully credentialed California teachers.