HOW DO I EARN MY ADMIN SERVICES CREDENTIAL?
So you want to become a school leader and need your California Administrative Services Credential. What are your options?
If you’re like us, you’ve googled “California Admin Credential” and were taken to CTC’s website where you had to navigate various pages, PDFs, and links before wanting to punch your computer screen and wishing someone would just tell you the information–a sort of “Admin Credential for Dummies.”
Well, we’ve compiled and synthesized the most crucial information for you below so that you can avoid the headache that some of us have endured.
Here is a handy-dandy chart that shows the steps required to earning your Preliminary Administrative Services Credential:
HOLD ON…WHAT’S UP WITH STEP 2?
Let us clarify this step. You can either go to grad school or pass the California Preliminary Administrative Credential Examination (CPACE). Let us break down this step even further for you:
ISN’T THE CPACE EXAM A NO BRAINER?
So you have 2 pathways to earning your credential. Guess which one we chose…
It’s interesting that only 1 in 5 administrators choose the expedited route. Although, the number of people signing up for the test option is increasing each year.
Our hunch is that people just don’t know about this option. The CTC doesn’t seem to be doing any outreach to advertise either, and just like how you need to attend grad school to earn your prerequisite credential, people just assume you need grad school to earn your admin credential as well.
But, when you’re strapped for cash and time (who isn’t–especially if you’re a hardworking educator), the CPACE becomes the most sensible pathway.
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: You don’t need to have your 5-years of full-time experience completed before you begin Step 2. You can take the CPACE while you’re still working your way up to 5 years.
DOWN WITH GRAD SCHOOL! OR…IS IT?
Once a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential is earned, just like a preliminary teaching credential, it needs to be cleared within 5 years. To clear this credential, individuals must verify a minimum of 2 years of full-time experience in an administrative position and attend a commission-approved program. Sorry, there is no expedited examination route to clear a preliminary credential, so grad school is unavoidable at this point.
So, as you weigh your options to earn your Preliminary Admin Credential, which will you choose? Grad school or the expedited CPACE exam?