College of Education

What is the LS ESM CSET Waiver?

The CSUMB LS ESM program has been approved by the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to waive the CSET requirement to demonstrate competency in the subject matter of Multiple Subjects.

What is the CSUMB LS ESM Program?

The program consists of the following content:

Who is eligible for the LS ESM CSET Waiver?

Current LS students, and students who graduated with a Liberal Studies degree at CSUMB, are welcome to submit the LS ESM CSET Waiver Evaluation Form for review.

What are the criteria for the LS ESM CSET Waiver?

1. Have completed and received a passing grade for ALL of the CTC approved ESM courses in the LS major. Please note that while a passing grade for most courses in the LS major is a D- or above, that all prerequisite courses in the major require a C- or above for a passing grade. Prerequisite courses include MATH 100, MATH 308, LING 392, and LS 300.

2. Have a GPA of 2.67 or above for all of the CTC approved ESM courses in the LS major.

What are the current LS ESM courses?

• GS 214 - Global History 1: Ancient Times to 1500 (World History)
• HCOM 251 - Introduction to US History
• SBS 386 - Social and Political Histories of California
• LS 300 - Major Proseminar (GWAR course)
• LING 392 - Nature of Language and Language Acquisition
• LING 393 - Language, Power, and Literacy in Education
• LS 390* - Culturally Sustaining Literature for Elementary and Middle Grades
• PHYS 121/121L - Integrated Physical Science and Lab
• BIO 204 - Introduction to Life Science
• GEOL 210 - Introduction to Earth Science
• MATH 100 - Quantitative Literacy
• MATH 308 - Elementary Mathematics Advanced Perspective A
• MATH 309 - Elementary Mathematics Advanced Viewpoint B
• HDFS 200 - Introduction to Child Development
• LS 233 - Arts in the School and Community
• KIN 373/KIN373L** - Health and Physical Education and Lab

*LS 394 (Spring 2017 and earlier) and LS 395 (Fall 2017 / Spring 2018) are approved substitutes for LS 390.

**KIN 374/KIN 374L (Spring 2016 and earlier) and KIN 395/L (Fall 2016 / Spring 2017) are approved substitutes for KIN 373/KIN 373L..

Is the CSUMB LS ESM Program for the CSET Waiver good for any credential program?

The CSUMB LS ESM program has been approved by the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to waive the CSET requirement to demonstrate competency in the subject matter of Multiple Subjects. Therefore, all California Multiple-Subject and Special Education credential programs can accept the Multiple Subject CSET waiver letter from CSUMB.

Does this LS CSUMB ESM program waive any other CSET such as the Physical Education CSET?

No. The LS ESM CSET Waiver only demonstrates competency in the subject matter of Multiple Subjects. Therefore this waiver can only be used for Elementary Education and/or Special Education credential programs.

When should I apply for the LS ESM CSET Waiver?

There are three application phases for the ESM CSET Waiver: Preliminary Phase, Application Phase, and Admissions Phase.

• Preliminary Phase - First time review
  • Students who enter CSUMB as Freshman must submit their Preliminary Phase application in the second semester of their Sophomore year.
  • Students who enter CSUMB as a junior Transfer must submit their Preliminary Phase application in the first semester of their Junior year.
• Application Phase - ESM Review for Credential Application
  • Apply at the beginning of semester that credential application is submitted.
    
  • If all ESM coursework has been completed, student will receive Final ESM CSET Waiver Letter.
    
  • If some ESM coursework is pending and not yet completed, student will receive Preliminary Letter.
    
• Admission Phase - ESM Review for Admission to Credential Program
  
  • Apply when all ESM coursework has been completed for Final ESM CSET Waiver Letter.
    

What if I haven't taken all the ESM courses yet? Should I submit my ESM Waiver application form?

Yes. All students must submit a Preliminary Phase application to determine their progress towards ESM completion, and identify any courses that yet need to be completed for the Final ESM CSET waiver approval letter. Students who enter as Freshman are required to submit their Preliminary Phase application in the second semester of their sophomore year. Students who enter as Transfers are require to submit their Preliminary Phase application their first semester at CSUMB to determine which courses completed at the community college will be approved for the ESM CSET waiver, and what courses still need to be taken. Students must also submit an Application Phase form in the semester they are applying to a credential program to determine their eligibility for either a Preliminary ESM CSET Letter that indicates pending courses, or the Final ESM CSET Letter indicating all ESM courses have been completed. Once students have completed ALL of their ESM coursework, they will submit an Admissions Phase application form to receive the Final ESM CSET Letter to be admitted (matriculated) into a credential program.

Note: Be sure to check to make sure that the credential program(s) to which you are applying will accept a preliminary CSET waiver letter for conditional admission. The CSUMB Elementary Education and Special Education credential programs will accept a preliminary CSET Waiver letter for conditional admission.

What do I do if I won't complete all the ESM courses by the time I need to apply to a credential program?

You should submit your CSUMB LS ESM application at the beginning of the semester you are applying to credential programs, and include in the CSUMB LS ESM application the ESM courses yet to be taken and/or ESM courses for which final grades are pending. We will provide you with a preliminary letter that you can submit to the credential program(s) to which you are applying. Once all the ESM courses have been completed and passed, you can request a final CSET waiver letter confirming successful completion of the ESM courses.

What if I plan to do one of the CSUMB LS Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) pathways, when should I apply for the CSET Waiver?

Elementary Education, Special Education, or Bilingual Elementary Education ITEP students must submit a Preliminary Phase application at the appropriate semester based on their entry status (Freshmen or Transfer), and must submit an application in the semester before they start LEVEL 3 of the ITEP pathway in which they are taking only credential level coursework.

• ITEP students who enter CSUMB as a Freshman must submit their Preliminary Phase application the second semester of their sophomore year.
• ITEP students who enter CSUMB as a Junior Transfer must submit their Preliminary Phase application the first semester of their junior year.

Why do I need a GPA of 2.67 or above for ESM courses?

A passing score on the CSET examinations is the equivalent of a C grade, and admissions to most credential programs requires a minimum GPA of 2.67.

I submitted the Evaluation Form, and received the following: "Our records show that the above student has not completed four-fifths (80%) of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing..."

This means that based on the Evaluation Form you submitted, you still have pending LS ESM courses to complete for the LS ESM CSET Waiver. If you have completed 80% of the LS ESM courses, you will receive a preliminary/conditional letter outlining pending courses.

If I received a preliminary/conditional LS ESM CSET Waiver letter, can I use that to apply to credential programs?

The preliminary letter can be submitted along with your credential application to potentially receive a conditional acceptance from a credential program. Please be mindful that if you do not earn a passing grade in the pending course(s), you potentially jeopardize any conditional acceptance you may receive.

What about the other LS major courses not on the ESM list? Do I still need to take these courses?

• Liberal Studies Traditional Pathway students must complete and pass ALL of the required courses for the Liberal Studies traditional pathway program to complete your B.A., and to be admitted to a credential program.
• LS ITEP students must complete and pass ALL of the required courses for the LS ITEP pathway to complete the B.A. and continue on to the credential program in their senior year.
  

I didn't take KIN 373 and KIN 373L, but completed these classes with different course number and title. What do I do?

KIN 374/374L (taken Spring 2016 or earlier) and KIN 395/395L (taken Fall 2016/Spring 2017) are approved substitutions.

I haven't taken LS 390, but completed this class with a different course number and title. What do I do?

LS 394 (taken Spring 2017 or earlier) and LS 395 (taken Fall 2017 or Spring 2018) are approved substitutions.

How do I know if a lower-division course at a community college is an approved course equivalent and/or approved for an ESM course?

• The Preliminary Phase application will determine what courses completed at a community college are approved course equivalents for the CSUMB ESM CSET waiver.
• If the above is not the case, and you took a lower division course at a community college you think is an equivalent, it will be reviewed by the ESM Review committee to determine if it has met the content standards. You may be asked to submit a course description, and preferably, a course syllabus. The ESM review committee will examine the course information and evaluate whether or not it is an approved equivalent or substitution.
  

How do I know if an upper-division course I took at another 4-year university is an approved course and/or approved substitution for an ESM course?

• Any upper division course that could potentially be a course equivalent substitution for a LS requirement will be reviewed by the ESM Committee and/or the LS Department Chair.
• If you took an upper division course at another university that you think is an equivalent, you may be asked to provide a course description, and preferably, a course syllabus for the course. The ESM Review Committee would then examine the course content and evaluate whether or not it is an approved equivalent or substitution.
  

Please follow the Step-by step guide on how to complete the application google form.