California Assessment Fee Waivers Frequently Asked Questions

The California State Budget included the approval of the California Educator Exam and Performance Assessment fee waivers. Registration fees for the California Educator Exams and Performance Assessments will be automatically waived during the online registration process for any eligible candidate. Free registration may close early if funds allocated are no longer available. The fee waivers do not apply to the NES and WEST–E exams.

For additional information, please see the California Examinations and Assessments Fee Waivers Program Sponsor Alert (PSA) 22-12 issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

No. If you are eligible, you do not need to apply for your exam/assessment fees to be waived. The fee waivers will be available while funds for the program remain.

No. If you are eligible, you will not be issued a voucher to apply toward your registration fees. Instead, eligible candidates registering for the California Educator Exams and Performance Assessments will automatically have their fees waived during the online registration process. The fee waivers will be available while funds for the program remain.

No. You must complete the registration process while funds remain or no later than June 30, 2024, but your test appointment date can be up to one year from your original registration date.

No. You must complete the registration process while funds remain or no later than June 30, 2024, but your submission date for edTPA can be up to 18 months and for CalTPA, CalAPA, and EdSp CalTPA for one year.

To be eligible for the exam/assessment fee waivers, you must have a valid California mailing address in your testing account on the California Educator Credentialing Assessments website. You may register or create an account on the Account Information webpage.

Yes. If eligible, your exam/assessment fees will be waived if you have a California P.O. Box as your mailing address.

No. To be eligible for the California assessment fee waivers, you must have a California mailing address or California P.O. Box.

Anyone who meets the above eligibility and wishes to become a certified teacher or add certifications in California should take advantage of waived fees. For example,

1. if you wish to become a substitute teacher in California, you can fulfill your certification requirement by passing the CBEST. The assessment fee waivers can be used to cover the CBEST fees. This exam is available in computer-based testing centers and through OnVUE, the online-proctored option.
2. if you are a certified teacher and wish to acquire certification in other subject areas, the assessment fee waivers can be used to cover these exam fees. Expanding certifications may enable new or additional teaching assignments in your school or district.
3. if you are seeking certification and are considering the flexible options of course credit, you may wish to achieve certification through the assessment fee waivers, as the exam route may be faster than coursework for you, and you can take exams for free.
4. if you have been issued a preliminary credential and still need to take the RICA and/or CalTPA or edTPA for California , if eligible and while funds remain, your fees will be waived to take these assessments so you can be issued a clear credential.

If eligible, you may take the following exams/assessments for free:

Examinations

• California Basic Educational Skills Test™ (CBEST®)
• California Preliminary Administrative Credential Examination (CPACE)
• California Subject Examinations for Teachers® (CSET®)
• California Teacher of English Learners® (CTEL®)
• Reading Instruction Competence Assessment® (RICA®)

Performance Assessments

• California Administrator Performance Assessment (CalAPA)
• California Teaching Performance Assessment (CalTPA)
• Education Specialist California Teaching Performance Assessment (EdSp CalTPA)
• edTPA for California (including edTPA Special Education for California)

No. The NES does not qualify for the assessment fee waivers.

No. The WEST–E does not qualify for the assessment fee waivers.

No. If eligible, your fees will be waived for those assessments listed in edTPA for California .

Yes. If eligible, and while funds remain, assessment fees will be waived for edTPA Special Education for California.

If you are eligible for an examination/assessment fee waiver and you are registering for a California Educator Exam or Performance Assessment, your fees will be automatically waived during the online registration process.

No. Only one registration is allowed at a time per assessment/subtest. An active registration is an examination registration that has not yet passed the test appointment date or an ePortfolio registration that has not yet been submitted.

Yes. If eligible, and while funds remain, for CBEST, CPACE, CSET, CTEL, and RICA, you must wait 45 calendar days from the date you took the exam to retake a test on computer. For the CalAPA, CalTPA, EdSp CalTPA, and edTPA for California , please check with your program to determine how many times your program will support you in taking the assessment.

You are not eligible for a refund if you registered and scheduled a test appointment that occurred prior to July 1, 2022.

No. The fee waivers do not apply to the score verification process.

Yes. If you decide not to take an exam/assessment you can withdraw the registration, which returns the funds back to the pool so they will be available for a different registration using the California Assessment Fee Waiver.

Yes. If you have already scheduled your test appointment and wish to change the date, time, or location of your test appointment, you may reschedule your test appointment through your account. The deadline for rescheduling your test appointment is 24 hours before your scheduled testing time.

No. You will need to withdraw from your current registration and cancel any test appointments and register for the new exam/assessment while funds remain.

If you are an active member of the military, or recently retired or separated as of July 1, 2021, and pursuing a California credential and enrolled in a California accredited educator preparation program, please use your California address during the registration process, and if eligible, your exam/assessment fees will be waived.

NOTE: Due to technical requirements, certain exams may not be delivered outside of the United States.

NOTE: Online proctoring may not be available in all locations of the world.

If you are an active member of the military, or recently retired or separated as of July 1, 2021, and pursuing a California credential and enrolled in a California accredited educator preparation program, during the registration process, you will have the opportunity to confirm your military identity, and if eligible, your fees will be waived.

NOTE: Due to technical requirements, certain exams may not be delivered outside of the United States.

NOTE: Online proctoring may not be available in all locations of the world.

If you are a spouse/dependent of an active military member, or the spouse/dependent of a recently retired or separated military member as of July 1, 2021, pursuing a California credential and enrolled in a California accredited educator preparation program, during the registration process, you will have the opportunity to confirm your military identity, and if eligible, your fees will be waived, until funds remain.

NOTE: Due to technical requirements, certain exams may not be delivered outside of the United States.

NOTE: Online proctoring may not be available in all locations of the world.

No. Language in the current California Budget Act does not allow for programs or institutions to be reimbursed for vouchers. Programs/institutions that have purchased vouchers may request a courtesy extension for vouchers purchased since July 1, 2022, or for unused expired vouchers. Programs can use purchased or extended vouchers for 1) candidates who do not have a California mailing address; 2) candidates who do not meet other eligibility requirements for the California Assessment Fee Waivers; or 3) if/when the allocated fee waiver funds are exhausted and no longer available.

No. Institutions should work with candidates to determine how best to refund embedded or standalone/independent tuition fees.