Test Guide
Section 1: General Information About the CSET® Program
Program Overview
The California Subject Examinations for Teachers® (CSET®) program has been developed by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for prospective teachers who choose to or are required to meet requirements for certification by taking subject examinations. The CTC contracted Evaluation Systems to assist in the development, administration, and scoring of the CSET. The CSET program includes examinations designed to help candidates meet the basic skills requirement, the subject matter competence requirement for the Multiple Subject or Single Subject Teaching Credential or the Education Specialist Instruction Credential, the educational technology requirement, and the competence requirement for effective teaching of English learners (for a bilingual authorization).
For more information about certification requirements and the examinations of the CSET, see "Tests Used Towards Certification" at www.ctcexams.nesinc.com.
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: World Languages Subtests IV and V (used toward the Bilingual Authorization), examination content is based on a set of subject matter requirements that specify the 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 Common Core State Standards, 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. The examinations of the CSET are aligned with the most current California K–12 Student Academic Content Standards.
Description of the Tests
The CSET program includes the following categories of examinations. See Assessments at www.ctcexams.nesinc.com for a complete listing of tests. See the Prepare section of the website for links to examination-specific information.
| 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 the CSET: World Languages (used toward the Single Subject Teaching Credential), each consist of up to four separate 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. |
|
CSET: World Languages (used toward the Bilingual Authorization) |
The CSET: World Languages (used toward the 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 subtests assessing language and communication skills for the Bilingual Authorization are the same subtests that assess language and communication skills that can be used toward the 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.