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Diverging Paths to the Principalship: The Growth of Waiver and Test-Only Credentials in California

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Diverging Paths to the Principalship: The Growth of Waiver and Test-Only Credentials in California
Language: English
Authors: Heather Mattson, Reino Makkonen, Rebecca Cheung, Michelle Young, WestEd
Source: WestEd. 2025.
Availability: WestEd. 730 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107-1242. Tel: 877-493-7833; Tel: 415-565-3000; Fax: 415-565-3012; Web site: http://www.wested.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Principals, Credentials, Alternative Teacher Certification, Administrator Qualifications, Certification, Management Development, Administrator Education, Administrators, Educational Policy, State Policy, Educational Change, Career Pathways, Educational Attainment, Enrollment Trends, Educational Trends
Geographic Terms: California
Abstract: This paper examines California's increasingly divided system for preparing principals and other administrative leaders, highlighting the tension between strengthened, practice-based performance standards and the rapid rise of alternative entry routes such as emergency waivers and the test-only CPACE pathway. It further shows how these less-comprehensive routes now account for 62% of new administrative credentials, reshaping a credential landscape that has remained stable in volume but shifted sharply in structure. The analysis underscores how this bifurcation challenges the consistency and quality of administrator preparation, raises fairness concerns for students, and expands the burden on induction and district supports to ensure that leaders are adequately prepared.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED677574
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This paper examines California's increasingly divided system for preparing principals and other administrative leaders, highlighting the tension between strengthened, practice-based performance standards and the rapid rise of alternative entry routes such as emergency waivers and the test-only CPACE pathway. It further shows how these less-comprehensive routes now account for 62% of new administrative credentials, reshaping a credential landscape that has remained stable in volume but shifted sharply in structure. The analysis underscores how this bifurcation challenges the consistency and quality of administrator preparation, raises fairness concerns for students, and expands the burden on induction and district supports to ensure that leaders are adequately prepared.