PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The California Subject Examinations for Teachers® (CSET®) have been developed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for prospective teachers who choose to or are required to meet specific requirements for certification by taking examinations. The CTC contracted the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson to assist in the development, administration, and scoring of the CSET. The CSET program includes examinations designed to help candidates meet the following certification requirements:
- Basic skills requirement. Candidates may satisfy all components of the state basic skills requirement by passing all three subtests of CSET: Multiple Subjects and the CSET: Writing Skills test.
- Subject matter competence requirement. All candidates who need to meet the subject matter competence requirement for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential must earn passing scores on CSET: Multiple Subjects. Candidates applying for a Single Subject Teaching Credential or an Education Specialist Instruction Credential may pass the appropriate examination(s) of the CSET as one method of satisfying the subject matter competence requirement.
- No Child Left Behind (NCLB) subject matter requirement. For candidates who need to satisfy the NCLB subject matter requirement, candidates for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential must use CSET: Multiple Subjects and candidates for a Single Subject Teaching Credential may use CSET: Single Subjects.
- Educational technology requirement. CSET: Preliminary Educational Technology is the current approved examination that is taken primarily by out-of-state credential candidates to fulfill the basic educational technology requirements for a Multiple or Single Subject Teaching Credential or an Education Specialist Instruction Credential.
- Competence requirement for a Bilingual Authorization. CSET: Languages Other Than English (LOTE) may be used in conjunction with other valid examinations to demonstrate competence in the knowledge and skills areas necessary for the purpose of earning a Bilingual Authorization. Specific CSET: LOTE subtests have replaced the Bilingual, Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development™ (BCLAD™) Examinations as the required credential tests for this purpose.
For more information about certification requirements and the examinations of the CSET, see "Certification Requirements."
Development of the Testing Program
The CTC and Evaluation Systems worked closely with California educators to design the CSET. The examinations were developed to meet the following relevant goals:
- To develop tests specifically for credential candidates based on the unique needs and requirements of California educators
- To develop subject matter requirements to guide both the credential program and the examinations
- To align tests with California K–12 Student Academic Content Standards and curriculum frameworks
- To assess basic skills that are necessary for performing the job of an educator
- To provide for the repeated and significant participation of California teachers and teacher educators throughout the test development process
- To prevent bias and ensure diversity in testing materials for the program
- To provide support materials to examinees to help them prepare for the tests and interpret their results
- To provide support materials to teacher preparation programs to help them relate test results to their instructional programs
- To develop tests that are equitable to all examinees
- To offer all examinees uniform and positive testing experiences
- To provide California state policymakers with information to guide program and policy modifications
About the Tests
The examinations of the CSET are criterion referenced. A criterion-referenced test is designed to measure an examinee's knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other examinees.
Each test in the program is designed to measure a specific set of knowledge and/or skills. For CSET: Multiple Subjects and CSET: Single Subjects, examination content is based on a set of content specifications reflecting the subject areas taught. For CSET: Writing Skills, examination content is based on the basic writing skills determined to be important for the job of an educator. For CSET: Preliminary Educational Technology, examination content is based on a set of subject matter requirements that specify the abilities needed to use computers in an educational setting. For CSET: LOTE Subtests IV and V (used toward a Bilingual Authorization), examination content is based on a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities considered important for teaching English Learners in their primary language. The sets of knowledge and/or skills for all examinations of the CSET were defined in conjunction with committees of California educators and approved by the CTC.
Test materials matched to these sets of knowledge and/or skills were developed using, in part, textbooks, California curriculum frameworks, California K–12 Student Academic Content Standards, teacher education curricula, and CTC program standards. The materials were developed through consultation with and approved by committees of California educators, teacher educators, and other content and assessment specialists. When appropriate, the examinations of the CSET are aligned with the California K–12 Student Academic Content Standards.
Description of the Tests
The CSET program includes the following categories of examinations. See "Test Selection" for a complete listing of tests. For detailed information about a specific examination, refer to the individual CSET test guides available on the CSET website (see "Preparing for the Tests" for more information about CSET test guides and study materials).
| Examination Type | Examination Description |
| CSET: Multiple Subjects | CSET: Multiple Subjects consists of three separate subtests, each of which is composed of both multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. |
| CSET: Preliminary Educational Technology | CSET: Preliminary Educational Technology consists of two subtests, each of which is composed of both multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. |
| CSET: Writing Skills | CSET: Writing Skills is a single test that can only be used in combination with CSET: Multiple Subjects to satisfy the basic skills requirement. It consists of two constructed-response questions. |
| CSET: Single Subjects | The CSET: Single Subjects, including most of the CSET: Languages Other Than English (LOTE) (used toward the Single Subject Teaching Credential), each consist of two to four subtests. Most subtests contain both multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. In some cases, different numbers or combinations of subtests within an examination may be required for different teaching credentials or authorizations; see "Certification Requirements." |
| CSET: LOTE (used toward a Bilingual Authorization) | The CSET: LOTE (used toward a Bilingual Authorization) include a subtest that assesses the methodology of bilingual education, subtests that assess bilingual cultural knowledge, and subtests that assess language and communication skills. (The language and communication skills subtests that can be used toward a Bilingual Authorization are the same language and communication skills subtests that can be used toward a Single Subject Teaching Credential.) Some subtests contain both multiple-choice and constructed-response questions, while other subtests contain only multiple-choice questions or only constructed-response questions. |
All subtests may include some questions that will not count toward an examinee's score. These questions are placed on the test in order to collect information about how they will perform under actual testing conditions.
2012–2013 CSET Registration Bulletin
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