How do I transfer my teaching credential from AZ to CA as a first-year teacher?

Question

I'm currently in a teaching program in AZ and would like to start off my teaching career in California. What do I need to do? Is it going to take me that much longer to get credentialed in California? Is there anyone out there who has done this?

Answer 1

I teach in CA and your first step would be to contact the CA Dept. of Ed. and see if there is any reciprocity agreement between CA and AZ. They will be able to tell you what you would need to do to qualify for a CA credential.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/

Answer 2

The general answer is that you have to ask the state what you need to do. Many states extend reciprocity to certificates or require certain local add on's. For example, when I moved to Texas, my Iowa certificate was accepted after I took or tested out of the required course on Texas History and Government. Later, when Teacher testing was introduced, I had to take the test to keep my certificate valid.
I suspect California is pretty up tight about their restrictions.
I will also warn you that you really, really, really want to finish your certification and have it in hand. The state of Iowa certifies teachers through colleges, but the colleges are the total enforcement and when I wanted to complete a couple of hours on my certificate at the University of Iowa, I was told I would have to start all over or go back to Iowa State and finish it there - so much for state certification. (This was a few decades back so it may have changed, but it may not.)

Answer 3

As far as I know they won't transfer over. My friend switched from CA to AZ and her CA credential didn't transfer. Each state has their own requirements. You can get an emergency credential while you work on your new credential. Thats the bad thing about credentials, they really are only worth anything in the state they are issued.