New standards address teaching the whole child and advancing equity in education.

On February 13, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) approved revised California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) by an overwhelming majority. The new standards, which were developed with support from the Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC) led by WestEd, better reflect the current educational environment in California and emphasize culturally responsive teaching, social–emotional learning, and family engagement.

The R15CC helped identify members of the CSTP workgroup; developed and facilitated the process for revising the standards, including soliciting input from the field; and provided support to the California Department of Education (CDE) and the CTC representatives who composed the planning team. The R15CC also conducted research syntheses to help inform the revised standards.

“The revised standards reflect the most current research, center equity more strongly, and are designed specifically for effective implementation,” said Heather Mattson, Deputy Director of the R15CC. “They reflect the importance of addressing the whole child in education, and focus on teaching practices that attend to equity, inclusion, and access, and that integrate social–emotional learning.”

The CSTP describes the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of experienced teachers and more clearly articulate the expectations at various points in a professional teacher’s career. Last updated in 2009, CSTP guides the professional development and evaluation of more than 300,000 California teachers who collectively educate nearly 6.2 million students.

The Region 15 Comprehensive Center led by WestEd is part of the national Comprehensive Center Network and provides capacity-building technical assistance, content expertise, and other services in support of state education agencies (SEAs) and their regional and local constituents in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.