Passing the California Basic Skills Test (CBEST) fulfills the Basic Skills Requirement (BSR) required by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) in California. The CBEST measures a prospective K-12 educator's proficiency in the basic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics. However, there are alternative ways than you can fulfill the BSR as long as you are granted a CBEST waiver by the CTC. The alternate options to fulfill the BSR and earn a California CBEST waiver are as follows:
In response to the continuing teacher shortage in California, several more options were added for fulfilling the BSR in July of 2021. You can now substitute qualifying coursework or a combination of coursework and exams listed above to meet the basic skills requirement. The coursework must be from an accredited institution - including community college - and you must earn a b- or better in the pertinent courses. If you choose a combination route, it must be approved by the CTC or a CTC recognized sponsor.
The CBEST assesses content knowledge - not how to teach them. Meeting the basic skills requirement shows that you have the essential foundational knowledge in reading, writing, and math you need to be a successful teacher. CBEST requirements include a CBEST passing score of 123, and you must receive a minimum score of 41 for each section. A breakdown of each section can be seen in the table below.
| Sections | Content | Time Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | *critical thinking & analysis *comprehension *research skills |
1.5 hours |
| Writing (Essay) |
*personal narrative or *analysis of text |
1.5 hours |
| Math | *numerical & graphic relationships *estimation *measurement *statistics *problem solving |
2 hours |
The basic requirements to become credentialed in California are as follows:
Access thousands of practice questions so that there are no surprises on the exam
The correct answers are highlighted with green below. Create an account to keep studying for the .
Easy-to-follow study guides, practice tests and resources.
Create AccountIf you cannot obtain a CBEST waiver based on the criteria listed under the section above entitled What is a CBEST Waiver?, a school district can request an initial CBEST waiver for you, assuming they are unable to find a fully credentialed applicant to fill a position. There are certain conditions that must be met in order to be granted an initial waiver. They are as follows:
Waivers are normally issued by the CTC for one school year. If you are unable to successfully fulfill the basic skills requirement during this time, it is possible to get a subsequent waiver, but only if there are extenuating circumstances, such as health issues, excessive commute time, or the unavailability of coursework or assessments needed. Also, the employing district has to show that you, the candidate, have received satisfactory performance evaluations in the classroom throughout the year.
If you want to be a substitute teacher in California, you need a 30-day Substitute Teaching Permit. To get this permit, you must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, have passed the CBEST, and be digitally fingerprinted using LiveScan. If you have not passed the CBEST and you do not have any of the qualifying alternative options for meeting California's basic skills requirement, you may qualify for an initial emergency 30 day substitute waiver. In order to receive a CBEST waiver for substitute teaching the same criteria listed in the Who is Eligible for a California CBEST Waiver? section above applies. Your employer must apply for the substitute waiver using the form WV1SUB.
Easy-to-follow study guides, practice tests and resources.
Create AccountIf you need a CBEST waiver, the request (form WV1) must be submitted to the CTC by your employer. Before submitting a request to the CTC, your employer must inform their governing body of the request. The employer must provide your name and the position you will fill through the waiver. You must have been fingerprinted and have results on file before an application will be accepted by the CTC. The CTC has posted very clear guidelines for requesting a waiver and if the application is not filled out correctly the waiver request will be denied. It must be completely and clearly filled out, and all necessary supporting materials and documents must be included. Depending on the candidate's situation, documents might include transcripts, CBEST scores or other test results, which can be partial results only. Both sides of any documentation must be copied and included.
The fee for a CBEST waiver is $100, and is non-refundable. The recent pandemic has contributed to a teacher shortage in California. Many of the teachers eligible for retirement have retired and there are fewer new teacher candidates. In response to the shortage, most initial teacher credential fees are being waived between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Unfortunately, California has not waived fees for variable term waivers, which include CBEST waivers.
The timeline for a CBEST waiver request (or any waiver request) is very specific and failure to follow it carefully can result in denial of the request.
The timeline for obtaining a CBEST waiver runs for 90 days from the first day of a candidate's service. For example, if you begin working for a school district on September 1st, the CTC must receive your waiver request within 90 days or it will be automatically denied. Not only that, but under those circumstances, it is a final denial.
If your waiver request is received within the 90-day timeframe and all requirements are met you can be granted the CBEST waiver.
If your waiver request is received within the 90-day timeframe but all requirements are not met you will be denied a waiver. Perhaps you forgot to include a document, or part of the application is illegible; you have 30 days to resubmit with all requirements met.
 |
Bryan McMahon, M.A. is a high school biology and special education teacher in New Jersey with over 14 years of teaching experience. He has hundreds of hours of experience tutoring aspiring teachers to take the CSET/CBEST exam suite. He has successfully passed the science and special education Praxis exams. Bryan completed a B.S. in Education from Seton Hall University and an M.A. in Teaching from Mangrove College.
There are alternative options to the CBEST, including coursework, a qualifying score on SAT or ACT, a score of at least 3 on some AP courses, or a passing score on CSU examinations.
A CBEST waiver costs $100. It is a non-refundable fee and not eligible for the current initial credential fee waiver program.
The CBEST is an exam that tests reading, writing and math skills. It can be used to fulfill the BSR, but it is not the only way.
You cannot get a refund on a CBEST waiver request. It costs $100 and is unfortunately non-refundable. A CBEST waiver is also not eligible for the current fee waiver program.
