State Required Exams and Assessments
Please see the BSR and SMC page for options for fulfilling the Basic Skills Requirement and the Subject Matter Competency Requirement. This may include passing all or part of the CBEST and CSET, but there are several other options now available.
Multiple Subject and EDSP Candidates currently must pass the RICA. This exam is scheduled to be discontinued on June 30, 2025. After that time, literacy instruction will be assessed through the CalTPAs.
RICA: Reading Instruction Competence Assessment
All candidates desiring a Multiple Subject Credential must pass RICA before they submit their application for a teaching credential. This assessment is required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and measures a candidate’s knowledge, skill, and ability to deliver effective reading instruction. Educ 460/560 Reading/Language Development in Diverse Elementary Classrooms addresses the needs of future teachers who must now pass RICA. All other courses in Concordia’s teacher credential program have also been reviewed to support the development of the competencies expected on the exam. Students take the RICA after they have completed Educ 460/560 Reading/Language Development in Diverse Elementary Classrooms. The RICA test is given six times each year.
All Credential Candidates must pass both cycles of the CalTPA during student teaching in order to be eligible to file for their preliminary credential
CalTPA: Teacher Performance Assessment
During Student Teaching you will be completing the CalTPA. The CalTPA is comprised of two performance tasks. Each task measures a range of teaching strategies that you are learning during your credential coursework.
You begin preparation for this assessment in EDUC/EDSP 204 and continue throughout your coursework. In other words, Concordia prepares you to complete these tasks. You are well aware of, and prepared for, all the elements of each task before you attempt the tasks. Most of your course assignments will have elements of the CalTPA tasks incorporated into them.