What is Reddit's opinion of CliffsNotes CBEST: 7th Edition (CliffsTestPrep)?

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Hi here are a few books that I have been studying with as well as the practice test that they have online.

https://www.amazon.com/CliffsNotes-Cbest-Cliffs-Test-Prep/dp/0470454539/ref=nodl_

https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Cracking-the-CBEST-2nd-Edition-9780375762635?utm_source=CJ_feed&gclid=CjwKCAjw2dD7BRASEiwAWCtCb4V9q0gy9DT2nwXqWlOgXMwFNqwtj-NOQnnXxymp3SgjFkyq0Qz_nBoCzMcQAvD_BwE

I’m also going over YouTube videos

https://youtu.be/_6g1FsLYJYc

I Hope it’s helpful to you.

I was also overwhelmed trying to research it on my own. I was also in college when I realized I wanted to be a teacher. I majored in Psychology and double minored in Human Development and Education (my college did not offer an education major). What I'm about to post below was information I gave to a friend who is looking into becoming an English teacher, but you can adjust for whatever subject you'd like to teach. You don't need to have a degree in what you want to teach as long as you satisfy requirement number 3 below.

Thought it would be helpful if I put together some info for you on the steps you need to become a teacher in California. If you're looking to teach one subject, you'll need a single subject credential. You can read the requirements here, but I'll outline them below and attach resources.

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1. Earn bachelor's degree

2. Pass the Basic Skills Requirement: take the CBEST. You can take a practice test here.

• Read more about the CBEST and get info here.

• This is the test I did not study for. I took a practice test and felt pretty confident in my results. But there are practice books out here. This practice book should be more than enough help.

3. Demonstrate subject matter knowledge

• You have options... CSET or teacher preparation program (must be approved by the commission on teacher credentialing).

• There are different CSET tests depending on what subject you want to teach. As far as I know, each CSET has 4 parts. So if you want to teach English, you'd take the English CSET which you can read about here. You can take the different sections on separate test days, but I took them all at the same time and powered through it in just under 3 hours I think. But of course that's personal preference! You just need a minimum score of 220 in each section to pass.

• More info on pricing/scheduling the CSET here.

• Practice CSET materials online here.

• Purchase a study book here. I highly recommend studying for the CSET (give yourself a few months to pace it out and not feel crammed). I made flashcards but also took practice tests, one section at a time. I timed myself to see how long it took me to get through each section. The most helpful part for me was using the study book to figure out WHY my answers were wrong. It's also really tempting to only study multiple choice and not write out the written response practice questions. But at least practice writing bullet points to outline what your written response WOULD be (rather than just thinking about it in your head and seeing if it's right).

4. Satisfy U.S. constitution credit

• Either take a course (worth 2 semester units or 3 quarter units) OR pass an exam. I was able take a lower division class that satisfied this requirement during my last year of college. But I also know that my credential program offered 1 or 2 dates where you could take the test.

5. Satisfy the English development skills requirement

• This should be taken care of through classes in your program. You'll need to learn about phonics, decoding, literature, language & comprehension, and intervention techniques.

6. Satisfy computer/tech requirement

• This should also be built into your program. You'll probably have 1 or 2 tech courses - they're super easy.

7. Complete a teacher preparation program

• If you want something local/affordable, check out CSU East Bay's program.

  • When considering what program to go through, money is always a big factor. Learn about loan forgiveness here, here, and here.

• Depending on where you apply, you will need to have your CBEST, CSET and constitution credit finished before you start your program. Double check the prereqs for each program you apply for!! In my credential program, there were people who took the CSET during their first semester (after a certain date, they didn't let you continue the program if you did not fulfill the CSET requirement).

• This is when you'll do 2 student teaching placements. For my program, at least one placement had to be in a low income or Title 1 school. My program allowed us to choose our own placements from a long list of cooperating teachers. So far, my program is the only one I know of that let us choose our own placements. I set up appointments to observe and meet with a few teachers before I decided who would be a good fit for me to learn from and work with. Depending on who you're working with, they will either let you take over a lot or a little.

• I learned SO MUCH from the placements. In your first placement, you'll take over for a week of teaching. In your second placement, you'll teach 2 weeks straight by yourself.

• Throughout your student teaching placements, you'll also have scheduled observations where someone from your program will watch you teach a lesson and then you'll debrief afterwards. It's super intimidating at first, but eventually you get over it. (It's better to get used to it faster - as a "real" teacher, I have TONS of class visitors, from parents to teachers, and even principals from other schools that want to see some of our curriculum in action).

• Be sure to make time to get to know the staff, especially the principal and office staff!!! They are the ones that will know about future job openings, and if they like you, that's a huge advantage. I would even invite the principal to come in and observe you teaching. I did a student teaching placement at School A and got to know the principal. At the end of the year, School B needed a 3-week sub for a difficult class. The principal from School A had seen me teach and knew I had strong class management, so she called me up and asked if I was interested. I did the 3-week sub job at School B, and then I was offered a job at that school for the following year! That's literally how I got my first job.

• During your program, you'll need to complete the PACT (performance assessment for california teachers). Here is their website. This is like your "final test." Basically, you need to plan and execute a unit - complete with lesson plan write ups, reflections, and video taping yourself! You turn it in online and you're graded on various Teaching Performance Expectations. It sounds super intimidating and takes a while to complete, but your program should walk you through each step of the way. In my program, we even did a mini PACT assignment to prepare us for the real deal.

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• After you finish your program, you will have a Preliminary Credential which is good for 5 years. Within those 5 years, you need to complete requirements to apply for a Clear Credential. The easiest way to do this is through the new teacher induction program set up through your school district. You'll be assigned a coach that will meet with you once a week to create a portfolio of your year and document your progress. You'll do a LOT of reflection on the Teaching Performance Expectations that you learned about for PACT. They will observe you teaching lessons, and offer support/advice/resources that you need. After 2 years of that, you apply for a Clear Credential (just make a phone call and pay $$) and you're done! I just got my Clear Credential at the end of this school year and it feels amazing. This needs to be renewed every 5 years (aka you pay them every 5 years).

• If you ever find yourself with some time, I strongly suggest substitute teaching. I'll be honest - I didn't like subbing and it is a lot harder than having your own class BUT if you sub in a district that you want to teach in, then your name will be more familiar to the staff and you'll make some connections.

• When considering what program to go through, money is always a big factor. Learn about loan forgiveness here, here, and here.

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You can explore/learn more at the CTC website.

I really hope this is helpful!