Before preparing your CalTPA submission, review the Submission Requirements to ensure that your responses meet the technical specifications for required evidence and you have provided all the evidence necessary for your submission to be scored.
All submissions that are successfully uploaded to the California Educator Credentialing Assessments website will be scored. A scorable submission is one that includes all required evidence that can be reviewed by an assessor and have scores assigned according to every rubric.
- Multiple Subject. Candidates of the Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential must demonstrate both literacy and mathematics instruction across the two instructional cycles submitted (e.g., literacy for Cycle 1 and mathematics for Cycle 2 OR vice versa). If this requirement is not met, the submissions will be reported as "Incomplete" to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and your educator preparation program. Submissions may feature lessons that are integrated with other subject matter, however, each cycle must clearly reflect primarily instruction of literacy or mathematics as described by the current California content standards and/or curriculum frameworks.
- Bilingual Authorization. Candidates of the Preliminary Multiple Subject and Single Subject Teaching Credential who are concurrently earning a Bilingual Authorization must adhere to the additional requirements outlined in the CTC's Bilingual Candidates and the CalTPA guidelines.
- Lesson Plans. You must use current grade-level California content standards and/or frameworks and, if appropriate, California English Language Development (ELD) Standards for both cycles. ELD standards should be written out, not just referred to by number. Candidates placed in transitional kindergarten classrooms should use the California State Content Kindergarten Standards for ELA/Literacy or Mathematics and/or the Transitional Kindergarten Implementation Guide. Do not use the California Preschool Learning Foundations. TK is considered K–12. With the exception of candidates of the Single Subject World Language Teaching Credential, your Cycle 1 lesson must include at least one ELD goal(s) for the English learners, including reclassified English learners, in your class and Focus Student 1 (FS1), and your Cycle 2 lesson must include at least one ELD goal(s) if you have any English learners in your class. Your Cycle 1 lesson must not be repeated/used in Cycle 2. Your Cycle 2 Step 4 re-teaching or extension activity must not be repeated from or included in the learning segment in Steps 1 and 2.
- Video. Any required video must conform to the technical specifications (e.g., format, file type) stipulated in the CalTPA assessment materials, and be viewable by assessors. After uploading a video file, review the file to confirm successful playback prior to submission. You are responsible for ensuring that each submitted video file meets the technical specifications and can be viewed by assessors. In addition, any submitted video clip(s) must be continuous and unedited, with no interruption in events (e.g., you may not edit a video clip to remove natural classroom activities such as "quiet time" when students are working independently, physical transitions, or disruptive student behavior, or to add titles, music, or explanations). Candidates and students must be visible in the video recordings according to the requirements in the assessment guides.
- Audio. The conversations in the video files must be clearly audible to assessors. Review each video prior to submission for potential background noise or poor audio quality that would interfere with an assessor's ability to hear you and your students. Please note that some environments (e.g., auditorium, gymnasium, pool, outdoor space) are less conducive to audio recording, and make any appropriate adjustments when recording video to ensure audio quality. In addition, the audio for any submitted video clip(s) must be continuous and unedited, with no interruptions (e.g., you may not add music).
- Online or Hybrid Settings. Candidates who complete the CalTPA in an online or hybrid setting must additionally adhere to the Guidelines for Completing the CalTPA in an Online or Hybrid Setting.
- Sufficient Evidence. Your materials must provide sufficient evidence so that assessors can evaluate your performance according to the CalTPA rubrics. An assessor may be unable to assign a score according to one or more rubrics due to the following reasons.
- A response is unrelated to the instructional cycle.
- Insufficient information is submitted to be able to evaluate performance.
- The incorrect file was uploaded to the designated location.
- The file was blank, containing no text or graphics, or the video clip or audio file contained no content.
- The file could not be opened for technical reasons (e.g., file extension does not match file type).
- The file was saved in the incorrect orientation (i.e., portrait or landscape), so that some content is not visible.
- Documents are illegible and a transcript is not provided (e.g., handwriting is too light; images are blurry, reduced in size, or otherwise cannot be read).
- Referenced material is not submitted (e.g., Learning Segment Template is referenced or described in the response, but not submitted).
- Hyperlinks are provided in lieu of the actual documents/materials.
- Required evidence is beyond the allowable page/video length.
- 3 examples of student work not provided (product, process or performance video/audio)
- Annotations. Annotations must correspond to the timestamped video evidence.
- English Translation.
- Translations or transcripts are NOT required for the following:
- concurrent bilingual candidates who are in a placement where a language other than English is exclusively used for instruction, or who are in a placement where both English and another language are used for instruction
NOTE: Analysis and reflection narratives must be primarily in English
- candidates registered for the World Languages assessment
- candidates using American Sign Language (ASL) in a classroom setting with students who are deaf or hard of hearing
- candidates using Braille instructional materials in a classroom setting with students who are visually impaired
- For all other candidates, any evidence in a language other than English must be accompanied by a translation.
If your submission does not meet the Submission Requirements, it may result in the inability to assign a score according to one or more rubrics. If a score cannot be assigned according to each rubric, the submission will be reported as "not passed" to the CTC and your educator preparation program.
In addition to these specific Submission Requirements, you must also review and comply with all policies and guidelines and all other requirements contained in the CalTPA assessment.
If you are unable to resolve a technical issue observed when you review your uploaded materials, contact CalTPA Customer Service for assistance prior to submission.