Ep. 126 - Inside CSUSB’s Teaching Credential Programs

Julian Trujillo sits down with Arturo Gutierrez and Olga Valdivia from CSUSB’s Watson College of Education to break down the teaching credential journey for the multiple subject, single subject, and special education credential programs. Arturo and Olga share information about admissions requirements, deadlines, hybrid class formats, fieldwork, student teaching, internships, and residency opportunities. They also unpack funding options like the Golden State Teacher Grant, student teacher stipends, pipeline programs, bilingual authorization, and more.

Whether you have dreamed of teaching since kindergarten or just had a “wait, could this be my path?” moment, this conversation offers practical steps, insider tips, and plenty of encouragement for future educators ready to make an impact in the classroom. 

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Transcript

Julian Trujillo  
Welcome back to the CSUSB Advising Podcast. I'm academic advisor Julian. Today we have two wonderful guests from the program admissions advisors. Can you go ahead and introduce yourself?

Arturo Gutierrez  
Arturo Gutierrez from the Watson College of Education.

Olga Valdivia  
Hi, I'm Olga Valdivia, a program admission advisor with the Watson College of Education.

Julian Trujillo  
So once again, thank you for sharing space with me. And can we go ahead and explore a bit of you guys's adventure here in higher education.

Arturo Gutierrez  
Of course, I've been part of Cal State San Bernardino about seven years now, and so working at Cal State San Bernardino, we've been part of undergrad advising. So it's definitely happy to be back and connect with undergrad world. And then now we've been part of Watson College of Education a little bit about a year now, within this role. So happy to be here.

Olga Valdivia  
So I've been here a little longer than Arturo. I just recently hit my 20 years at Cal State San Bernardino, and yeah, like you mentioned, we're previous academic advisors from a sua and recently transitioned. I've currently been in the position just a little over six months, but I'm happy to be here and share information regarding our programs.

Julian Trujillo  
Yeah, so it's, you know, it sounds like you guys have been, you know, in this community at CSUSB for some time, and you guys have a wealth of knowledge for those students that are kind of exploring the credential programs. Could you share some insight of what the differences may look like and how the credential program will look like for students here at CSUSB?

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, thank you. I'm happy to take that answer. So our credential programs are designed to prepare educators for different teaching settings based on the grade level and the student needs. And so we offer programs at both the San Bernardino and Palm Desert campus. We serve the San Bernardino and Riverside counties, and with our current teacher shortage, there's a high demand for educators across all areas. Some of the options that we offer are multiple subjects. So that's for those looking into going into be an elementary teacher. So in a self contained classroom, usually you're looking at TK through grade five or six, depending on the district, but these teachers are teaching all subjects. In the self contained classroom, we also have single subject, which is really for the middle and high school level students. And so this is intended for individuals who want to teach a specific subject, such as math, science or English in a departmentalized setting. So usually we're looking at grades six through 12. And of course, we have education specialist. So for those wanting to go into special education, we have focuses on working with students in diverse learning needs. So from early childhood through age 22 depending on the specialty we have, early childhood, we have mild, moderate and extensive support needs.

Julian Trujillo  
All right, yeah, sounds like you have a lot to offer here, and a lot of options for students who to look into for someone that's interested in these programs, what are the admission requirements for the program?

Arturo Gutierrez  
So the admissions requirements for these programs, they vary just depending on on the program. So multiple and single subject are our largest credential programs, and with multiple and single subject, and similar with special education, I mean, you're going to be working with children, right? You're going to be working with youth. And so part of that part of that involves a Certificate of Clearance, sort of background check process that needs to be completed, a negative TB test within the last four years, where some of our programs will require a personal statement, early field work hours that show some experience in the classroom. But this, this ultimately depends, depending on the program, right? So again, if multiple subjects, single subjects, specification, very common kind of requirements, and so definitely connect with us. And we could kind of narrow that down a little bit more based off the program of folks interest. And then with also other areas that we also look for, or pieces, for example, with like subject matter. Subject Matter is an area where, although it's required, it's not required at the point of admissions. So we give students a little bit more flexibility as to when they can complete that. But again, I know my colleague will speak a little bit more about that, that pathway, and how students can complete it in their undergraduate degrees themselves, and so that's the basics of the requirements. It's a very simple process. We're looking at about a year long program for multiple and single subject. We're looking at about two years for special education. So it's a it's a good avenue for folks to pursue, students to just continue from their bachelor. Interested in moving on to their credential. Think there's, there's a good, it's a good career direction for folks to consider, and something very, something very simple, that that folks can pursue and and even, I know we've had students even like last week, oh, I just heard about the program, or I just changed, you know, going into this direction for this my career. And it's the week of the deadline. We can still help folks, even, you know, week of deadlines to apply. So we're very happy to support folks, depending on again, regardless of where they're at in the process.

Julian Trujillo  
Yeah, thank you for sharing that. I'm glad to hear you know that you guys are being very supportive with these students. And as you mentioned, your students that start off already kind of knowing that this is something they want to look into their students may find out at a later time, but now that we kind of covered a bit of the requirements to get into the program, what should a student be expecting an undergrad student doing now so they can hope to apply in the future?

Olga Valdivia  
Well, I'll take this and so just kind of going off of Arturo's response, AB 130 changed how the subject matter is met for students. So for the majority of our students being in a degree program that matches the subject matter, similarly for multiple subject students being in liberal studies or liberal arts, for multiple and single subject. We no longer have any pre reqs for the special education. We do have some pre rec courses that can be taken Junior undergrad. And we're really excited to mention that now we have a new minor starting fall of 27 and this is for special education. And by doing this minor, you're meeting the prerequisites. And so another way is having students get experience in a classroom, just to see if teaching is a good match for you. And you know, we do have a program called seniors to teach. This is for single subject students only. So if you're interested in maybe taking a few classes in your undergrad, if you have maybe just a few classes in your final term, you're able to take from one to up to three classes towards the credential and carry them over. 

Julian Trujillo  
Great, yeah, that last piece of information that you shared sounds somewhat like a double dipping into trying to cover multiple areas. I know, Arturo, you kind of mentioned a little bit about, you know, last week, for example, a student came in inquired about being able to still apply and look into the program. But as we know, there are timelines and deadlines that are important. Can you share a little bit about how it looks like for the program?

Arturo Gutierrez  
So, yeah, our our multiple and single subject credential programs, their deadlines tend to be at the end of April for students looking to start over a fall semester, and then, similarly, with students looking to apply for a following spring term, their deadlines run roughly the end of October. So I like to tell folks again that date may change a little bit, but we're looking at a roughly April, end of April and end of October for multiple and single subjects. So ultimately, we accept students every fall and spring, right? So ideal situation is that they are applying during their last last semester there, and they really, don't really have a break in enrollment, not counting Summer of course. And so this way we can just help them transition smoothly in that last semester, and try to make these dates very much accessible, where, yes, applications open for multiple months, of course. But, but very much as folks are, are thinking of their career directions and seeing graduation, we know again, some some students are, I've been wanting to be a teacher since I've been growing up. And they know they're they might be applying early and all that great. But then a day, if it's something that just comes up, as you near graduation, which we know a lot of students will will go through their I just need to focus on class. I need to get good grades. And then you start thinking a little bit into the career pieces, that teaching is very much a field that's that's available to them. I think that's important that I mean educators, to any undergrads special education, their deadlines tend to be around early June and early December, again, all depending on the incoming term for Fall or Spring. And so June and December, it runs a very similar timeline. The applications open at the same time for each of these programs. So again, one semester prior to is our focus to support them for the timelines, the deadlines we Olga talked about, the pre reqs, some courses no longer been required for multiple subject special education. We have these classes. But even then, we'll, we'll be flexible to even allow for a conditional admissions for special education, for example, if they haven't completed some of these pre read courses. So again, just some flexibility, and going back to trying to support this teacher shortage. And we're, we're very much here to support our students.

Julian Trujillo  
Great. Thanks for that information. Another kind of question. You know, this tends to be something popular even in, you know, in our offices or in our appointments, as students are asking, How is, how is this program aligned? As far as the modality of the classes being taught? Are they hybrid? Are they person on Zoom, a combination? Can you share a little bit of how that modality perspective looks like for the program and what students should expect?

Olga Valdivia  
I'm happy to answer that. So for the multiple and single subject classes, those are ran hybrid with in person and zoom alternating every week. Generally, our classes start 4pm, 5:30 and 7pm and our special education classes are ran hybrid, fully online and zoom sessions and classes for that program start at 7pm.

Julian Trujillo  
Okay, great, yeah, so there is a variety of options and timelines there. What my students misunderstand about the credential program or becoming a teacher?

Olga Valdivia  
I'm going to go ahead and continue with that one. Well, pay rate is there is a great step system for teachers. They have benefits summers off, so it's a very rewarding being in education. We also have master's programs that students can pursue. And generally, our credential is separate from the Masters, and so we will encourage students to apply, typically, during their last term of their credential, students that are pursuing the Masters, we do carry over between 12 and 18 units from the credential towards the masters. And so it does save on cost, and in terms of, you know, it's just a very rewarding career. And we often find students saying that, you know, they there's just such a they have a big heart for wanting to work and support students.

Julian Trujillo  
Yeah, I think that's an important thing, to be able to continue supporting students, you know, and and their adventures, you know, just like we experienced those ourselves. How does student teaching and classroom placements work?

Arturo Gutierrez  
So when students are are interested in complete our program, part of the requirements that we're asking for as well, or part of going to say just completing the credential involves early field work hours and then eventually their student teaching, or their interning, or we'll mention a little bit more about this later of our residency, how they're completing experience in the program. So the credential involves, of course, classes, right, your coursework, preparation for being a teacher. But at the end of the day, it's about that, that training, hands on, training, that they will be getting at the schools. And so we, we will do our best to support students, to to tell us, like, what districts do you want to work at? And this isn't thinking, what's the closest you know, district or school to you. This is about like thinking relationships, thinking, networking, thinking, if I'm going to have some experience, and building relationships with principals, with teachers, you're thinking for this realistically, you know, long term with trying to get a job, you know, at these at these districts, experience in that field, recommendation letters, all of that's going to be important down the line. And so we do really do our best to say, what, what two districts do you want to see yourself being a part of while in the program? So that might be similar. Do you know it might be Rialto? It might be Moran, go desert stands, we're like a Hesperia. And so our program covers it's, it's a very large credential program because of the areas we have to cover here with the Inland Empire. We're talking high desert, low desert, everything between Riverside areas. These are the areas that we we place students, although the coursework even for special education, that might be more of a zoom setting. The experience has to be in person. That is something that we will have to have agreements with with districts, and we really do have partnerships with all the public school districts, which is what this credential is for, to serve at a public serving institution like K-12 system. And so with that, I think pick your top two. We'll do our best to place you for early field work, similarly for student teaching, but I want to go into some differences about what early field work is and then our student teaching. So with early field work for multiple and single subject, we require 120 early field work hours. This can be done in that first semester. That could be a combination of first and second semester, if we stretch out the program. So we have our track a for the program or track B, again, depends on just the pace that you want to complete this it. And so again, we're very flexible. The program will accommodate to students needs. And so with this, again, understanding the hours that need to be completed. And some districts will be self placed, some will be where we place. So this will depend on the district. So those are first 120 hours. Districts will have a preference on how they go about the placements. They may say, we want to work only with the university. And so again, we work on securing those placements. Some school districts will say, No, we want the student to connect, to go to a school, to walk in, send an email to a principal. I would like to volunteer observe, and in cases, we will allow for employment to also overlap for field work hours. Some students, as soon as they graduate, will pursue subbing as a field right? So if they go into subbing, then they have some overlap of hours, possibly in the program as well. They'll have to work with the program coordinator to confirm or verify that their placement, their employment can work as sufficient for equivalent placement. And so at the end of the day, just it varies case by case, in some cases now with student teaching, that is something that we do place students for. So we will get a list of our I don't know. I'm going to make this up. Let's say we have 150 multiple subject teachers, for example, as a throwing just a random number. Then we'll say, Okay, how many of you wanted to work, for example, somewhere, to Dino, our nearest kind of school district here, if we had 50 people signed up, that said, I want to do student teacher seminar. Do you know that we'll connect with our our district office, placement office, and say we have 50 students that want to do students teaching here help us find spaces for them across your district, for teachers who are willing to support mentor them and and that training piece is extremely important. So a student teaching your your co teaching. You're kind of day, day in, day out, Monday through Friday, involved there with with a teacher in and the classroom. And that experience is valuable. This is something that we're going to is really, really important. So when you are leading your own class, you feel very comfortable, competent, and have, again, both for yourself, a good experience, but also for the children that you're supporting, again, that that's extremely important. We have also our intern path, and in that one, we do have students. Students are required to find their own placements, and so that has when you intern, we normally recommend that for students who may already have a little bit more experience, maybe they've already been subbing. They've been a pair of professional in the classroom some time, and they are like, I'm ready to lead my own class. So part of that, because it's a full employment at this point, you we have, like, it's on the student to find a job opening. Go on Ed Join, find an actual, you know, job, full time job position. And this is another way to make full time money while in the program. So having that intern opportunity is valuable for some students are like, I need financially to be able to make, you know, money while in the program. I already have a full, you know, a family. I have a mortgage again. It's tough for some students, especially returning students, to just take a pause and just feel like I'm just doing school. I'm just preparing for, you know, doing my credential program, because there's a lot of responsibilities that that they may have to, you know, juggle while in the program. And so that is a full time position. We require two terms of interning versus a one semester student teaching. And at this point, I mean, it's, it's a full, you know, paid benefits position, all of it, and so that that's a good experience, I guess, that we have with some folks. But we also want to make sure that they feel prepared going into that setting, not just see an opportunity that you can make full time money. What we don't want is students to feel unprepared and then maybe stop pursuing this field. That's not what we want. So again, it's really that conversation understanding, you know, are you ready? Do you have some of this experience, you know, and finding that job opening?

Julian Trujillo  
Yeah, so, you know, some of the stuff that you kind of mentioned, and I'm just pointing out some of the terms that popped up, you know, flexibility, and then working individually with with, you know, I know you mentioned case by case, but I mean case by case. To some extent, you do have to tailor it to whatever the student you know, needs are. So I'm glad to hear that you guys can hone in on students and working them individually, with them, and then providing them the options that you that you mentioned, that you discussed. You did mention a little bit about, you know, employment, potentially, and then the finance component of, you know, for someone entering these fields as they're still, you know, going through the education component. But can you stretch a bit more on the scholarships, grants, financial aid options, or any teacher pipeline supports that are available for students?

Olga Valdivia  
That's one of the biggest questions. How am I going to pay for my tuition? Right? How am I going to support myself during the program? And so we always encourage our students to apply to FAFSA, just as they normally would. So some of the grants that may be available can be State University grant. We have the Pell Grant Middle Class Scholarship and. Um, one of the big ones that we encourage students to apply to is Golden State Teacher grant. This is a wonderful grant that can provide up to $10,000 for students going into teaching, and that amount can potentially pay for almost the full tuition. We also have another federal teach grant, and that's for single subject students that are in high need areas. That grant can give them $4,000 towards their expenses. We also have a student teacher stipend, which is new, and we're very excited about this, because with this, when we ask teachers to take a pause on their regular work, to go into their student teaching. You know, it's very difficult, because students need to have a means to support themselves, and so now, moving forward, working with the districts, students will be able to apply to student teacher stipend up to $10,000 so that they can have the income that they need to pay for their bills and still continue with their student teaching. So we're really excited about that. We also have a classified employee grant through the County of San Bernardino, and so that's another way for employees to get some additional funding towards their tuition. Now, we do have some other programs. I'll let Arturo touch on these.

Arturo Gutierrez  
Yeah, and so it speaks a little bit to the financials, but, but it's, it's more of, I would also want to say what we refer to, more like pipeline programs, additional components that our programs has, that may, yes, involve some some finances, but like, what's what's special? You know, other pieces involved with the program, almost like a program within the program, kind of pieces. And so earlier I mentioned student teaching and interning. Those are our main field work pathways. That's how you show again, that you're competent. You know, you've satisfied. You know, all these hours in front of the classroom, leading a class. But there's also a third, and we are extremely happy to be able to provide this with two districts. So with Rialto and Morongo, these two districts we offer we refer to as a residency program. With the residency program, this is a one year program or pathway, where instead of student teaching or interning, you're completing a one year residency. And I know with folks, when you hear residency, maybe you think, like med school, for example, like you're doing your residency. And so think of it very similarly, where you're doing a one year residency with the district, and your Monday through Friday there maybe three days, four days, co leading, kind of in the classroom, getting that day to day mentorship there, but also there's one or two days a week that they will give you as professional development training. And so think of these districts, a one year kind of training, mentorship type program. And the intention with that is hopefully, again, having that, that secure job position, you know, open afterward. And so as long as in your Why wouldn't they want to continue you? I mean, that's my logic. They're spending a whole year of training with you. Why wouldn't they bring you on? So we can't necessarily promise those things, you know, officially, but at the end of the day, again, they've, they've invested the time, they've they've molded you in a certain way, the way that you've learned their internal systems for their district, their their again, computer systems that they manage there. So I think that's a huge, huge experience and and with that mentorship and experience, Rialto offers $30,000 $30,000 for the year, and moranco offers $37,000 for the year. This isn't everybody further that goes through our program. There's limited spots, of course, but these are, again, I guess, impactful and purposeful for these pathways where you get the training. But again, we're leading these pipelines or pathways here to try to have very professional and trained individuals by the time they get they get into the classroom. We also have project impact, which I feel, which is a male minority teacher pipeline program. And so with Project impact, we feel like this is extremely important to increase representation of our our males in the classroom. I think for students to be able to see that that representation in their teacher is extremely valuable. And will you know is has shown that has been strong support for our our students, graduation and success. And then, as it relates to our program, I mean, we have Dr. Huff, which is a program director for this program. Dr. Huff really treats us as a brotherhood, a mentorship, while in the credential program that the students really have a lot a large support group being part of these programs. So as much as these programs may also provide some additional financial support, again, it's providing that mentorship in house with this program. We also have two other areas here, so project elevate. Project Elevate is has a. Focus on increasing early childhood special education teachers. This is something that's dual enrolled with our master's program, which special education allows you to do. And so with Project Elevate, it's a brand new grant looking to cover tuition fees and even a living stipend, kind of supporting our students throughout the credential program, credential and Master's program. Therefore, the special education. And then lastly, biling, we have a bilingual authorization. I definitely want to give a shout out to we have a population that we serve here in the Inland Empire is very much a bilingual community, Spanish, English, you know, largely, you know, heavily, heavily speaking here. And so dual language immersion is something that's definitely growing a lot, you know, within elementary, middle, home school and even high school. So we have this extra authorization that can be added on to our multiple and single subject programs.

Julian Trujillo  
Yeah. So thank you for saying that information. You know, you mentioned, you know, various components from how the structure the program is, the financial component, the internships, things like that, you know, but there are probably still students somewhere out there might be watching this or come across this information, but for those that still seem like they're undecided on what to do, is there any experiences that you would recommend for them to kind of participate in or explore, regarding to teaching?

Olga Valdivia  
I would say, have have individuals volunteer at local schools, or even apply to work in the school as a paraprofessional. There's a lot of different opportunities, but I think just finding if this is the right path for me, do I like working with the younger population? Do I enjoy working with the high schoolers? Right? I think the student has to find within themselves if it's something that that they consider themselves actually doing, and before jumping into it, just giving yourself the opportunity to see if it's a path you want to follow, right? I'd say, start there.

Julian Trujillo  
All right now, assuming that I'm Joe Coyote, the student, what is my first step that I could take after I conclude listening to this episode?

Olga Valdivia  
I would say, definitely attend one of our information sessions. If you want to listen to a session for the different programs, join us. If you want to hear the information more than once, join us. But more than anything, we're available to help support students with their questions, from the point of just inquiring to applying and getting admitted into the program, but students can always email us at coeinfo@csusb.edu, and we're happy to respond to any questions that you may have.

Julian Trujillo  
All right, wonderful. Thank you guys for joining us for today on this CSUSB podcast, and we'll catch you on the next one.