Clear Administrative Services Credential

In This Section

Annaben Chennault

Educational Administrator

Educational Services

The MCOE CASC Program: Where Transformational Leaders Are Made

Are you ready to lead with purpose and inspire lasting change in education?

The Monterey County Office of Education’s Clear Administrative Services Credential (CASC) Program is more than a credentialing path—it’s a leadership journey designed to empower and elevate today’s emerging school administrators into tomorrow’s transformational leaders. Grounded in trust, personalization, and a deep commitment to equity, our program equips new administrators with the skills, confidence, and vision to make a meaningful impact on their schools, districts, and communities.

Lead with Confidence. Transform with Purpose.

Our two-year, job-embedded program offers:

80 hours of individualized, one-on-one coaching tailored to your goals, guided by the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSELs).
40 hours of targeted professional development designed to build the leadership capacity necessary to lead schools in complex, ever-changing environments.
A cohort-based model that fosters collaboration, lifelong professional relationships, and a powerful regional network of like-minded leaders.

Benefits for Candidates:

Career Growth: Develop essential leadership skills and enhance your professional qualifications.
Personalized Support: Receive tailored coaching and mentorship that supports your individual career goals.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with peers and mentors, expanding your professional network and fostering collaborative relationships.

Benefits for Your District:

Leadership Development: Equip administrators with the essential skills and insights necessary for effective leadership aligned with your district’s strategic objectives.
Networking and Collaboration: Facilitate connections among administrators, fostering innovation, collaboration, and shared problem-solving.
Customized Learning Experiences: Provide targeted, research-based training specifically designed to meet the unique leadership needs and goals of your district.

Whether you're striving to elevate achievement, champion equity, or lead systemic change, the MCOE CASC Program provides the mentorship, structure, and inspiration to help you thrive.

Why Join Us?

Start within your first year of an administrative role and gain support that directly aligns with your daily work.
Engage in a leadership experience built around your needs, your strengths, and your aspirations.
Become part of a dynamic community of educators leading the way in Monterey County and beyond.

If you're passionate about shaping the future of education, we want to hear from you. Join the MCOE CASC Program and become the transformational leader your community needs.

CASC handbook

CASC Journey Overview

Mission and Vision

The Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) Clear Administrative Services Credential (CASC) Program supports MCOE’s overall mission: To provide leadership, support, and service excellence needed to prepare the diverse students of Monterey County for success.

This program represents the culmination of the university/college administrator preparation program and is the pathway to a clear administrative services credential. The MCOE CASC Program provides meaningful opportunities for the participating administrator to apply the basic principles, theories, methods, and techniques learned in pre-service coursework and/or preparation. Participating administrators demonstrate knowledge and skills through the research-based California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSELs) and reflections on research-based leadership capacities. Program staff, Coaches, and educational partners work collaboratively to design and implement exemplary learning and mentorship experiences to prepare all Candidates for success.

CASC Mission

The mission of the MCOE CASC Program is to support the preparation and development of highly-qualified educational leaders through strong, trusting, and personalized leadership coaching with relevant professional learning experiences to impact the success of learning communities throughout Monterey County and across the region.

CASC Vision

Participating administrators will exit the program empowered with a learner’s mindset and equity-centered leadership practices, to grow and develop thriving ecosystems where all students are prepared to succeed in college, career, community, and life.

Program Summary

MCOE CASC Program offers a comprehensive two-year induction program to support each Candidate’s journey in becoming eligible for a Clear Administrative Services Credential. This individualized program is structured around professional learning sessions, including choices of innovative learning options, formative and summative assessments to promote Candidate leadership, and personalized coaching by experienced and trained CASC Coaches (Petty, Good, et. al, 2016). To be eligible for the CASC Program, Candidates must have a preliminary administrative services credential and be employed as an administrator. They must also enroll in the program within one year of starting their initial administrative position.

The cornerstone of the CASC Program is the Coach assigned to each Candidate providing one-on-one support throughout the entirety of the two-year program. This close partnership allows Candidates to receive personalized guidance, tailor their learning experiences, and develop and document the progress of performance goals in the Individualized Induction Plan (IIP). Candidates are matched with a Coach within 30 days of enrollment based on criteria from their application and interview. All Coaches are seasoned educational administrators with a broad range of experience.

The Individual Induction Plan (IIP) is a required document for the Clear Administrative Services Credential (CASC) Induction Program in California. It's a blueprint for the program's two-year, job-embedded coaching experience that helps Candidates develop their knowledge, practice, and skills. The IIP serves as a comprehensive record of their CASC Induction journey, containing content related to CPSELs and job-embedded situations, reflective writings, artifacts showcasing their achievements, and logs that document their progress.

Throughout the two-year program, each Candidate engages in a minimum of 40 (or more) hours of carefully designed professional learning sessions, covering essential areas crucial for effective education leadership and exploring each of the six CPSEL areas of focus. Additionally, Candidates have the flexibility to choose professional learning options that align with their specific interests, needs and areas for growth, and career aspirations. This multi-layered approach ensures that Candidates receive well-rounded education while also focusing on customized professional growth areas. Coaching and professional learning are available in person and online. Coaching may take place at the Candidate's site or off site.

Upon successful completion of the CASC Program, Candidates will be eligible for the Clear Administrative Services Credential.

Program Design, Rationale and Research

Program Design, Rationale, and Research

The MCOE CASC Program is structured around the following core components: Effective leadership coaching, professional learning, reflection, and assessment to measure growth and competence toward earning the Clear Administrative Services Credential.

Over the course of two years, each Candidate will benefit from a minimum of 80 hours of job-embedded, personalized leadership coaching provided by trained educational leaders who are experienced school and district administrators. They are carefully selected by MCOE program leaders and are dedicated to supporting the Candidates' professional growth.

To support the growth of Candidates, the MCOE CASC Program provides powerful, relevant, job-embedded professional learning (Davis 7 Darling- Hammond, 2012). Following the National Research Council (2000) and Knowles et al. (2005) recommendations, our design for professional learning is iterative and highly customized to each Candidate's unique work needs. Candidates use formative assessment and data analysis as a core part of their growth, working with their team, including their Coach and advisor, to reflect and plan, following best practices as outlined by Kouzes and Posner (2012). During interactive professional learning experiences, Candidates collaborate with their cohort, fostering community, belonging, and shared learning experiences (Opachich, 2019). These networking opportunities with peers also provide unique opportunities to learn with and from each other.

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching is comprehensive and adapted to Candidates' unique settings. Coaches engage in activities like observations to provide job-embedded support. Candidates and Coaches meet regularly, documented in the coaching log, with flexibility in meeting formats such as blended coaching (Bloom, Castagna, & Warren, 2003; Bloom, Castagna, Moir, & Warren, 2005; Gavin & Bernardi, 2023). The program provides Candidates and Coaches opportunities to collaboratively develop professional performance goals as part of an annual Individual Induction Plan (IIP) that is grounded in the outcomes of Standard 5 and considers both employer priorities and individual job responsibilities.

Candidates utilize multiple assessments, including diagnostic, formative, benchmark, and summative evaluations, to monitor and demonstrate their competencies across CPSELs, which also includes continuous feedback (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 2006; Fatlume, et al.; 2023). Competency levels are assessed formatively during coaching sessions and through an annual assessment using the IIP. Candidates maintain an overall average of 3 or above across four levels to demonstrate proficiency on the CPSELs (CTC, 2018).

Professional Learning

In MCOE CASC, the induction experience is a composite of the key intersecting elements of individualized coaching, professional development opportunities, and assessment of skills, chronicled in the IIP. Professional learning is a continuous cycle of planning, learning, practice, and reflection, both as an individual and as part of a network of learners.

Joellen Killion, Senior Advisor for Learning Forward, describes professional development as an "event or activity to develop educators" that focuses primarily on what is being done to promote learning, whereas professional learning (PL) is "the kind of learning expectations we have" and focuses on outcomes of "What is the learning that's taking place - how are we engaging people in a process that promotes their learning to move it toward practice?" Killion elaborates that "An individual event is not sufficient to change practice, we need a process of learning - a continuous, ongoing process of looking at how we change, adapt and grow as educators." (2013)

Learning Outcomes

To ensure Coaches are keeping up with current research the assessment of proficiency on the CPSELs becomes the basis of the IIP, which is collaboratively developed with the leadership Coach. Progress on the plan, highlighting successes, challenges, etc. is formally evaluated for each Candidate at the end of Years 1 and 2. This information is sent to the Program Director to assist in the evaluation of the program. Common areas of improvement are embedded in portions of the Candidate’s Foundation Training. As Candidates develop their IIPs and professional learning plans, they are supported to seek professional learning activities in line with the CPSELs they are focusing on for the year, and professional learning that will strengthen their job skills.

Statement of Results

In all, the MCOE CASC Program delivers a cohesive and comprehensive program that integrates professional learning seminars, field experiences, personalized coaching, and hybrid flexibility. The professional learning seminars are based on the CPSEL’s and are designed for Candidates to demonstrate the ability to:

Facilitate a community-driven, shared vision of student-centered learning
Build and sustain a positive school culture through positive relationships and dynamic teaching and learning practices
Ensure a safe, equitable, and inclusive learning environment
Create culturally proficient and responsive schools
Develop professional transformative leadership capacity
Demonstrate the connection of school success to a larger context

Candidates layer these learning experiences, challenging assumptions, and linking one experience to the next. Reflective practice includes “learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and practice” (Finlay, 2008).

Collaborative Networking and Sharing

Along with the regular meetings with their Coach, Candidates will have the opportunity to network and collaborate with other Candidates and Coaches, both online and in person as a feature of the hybrid program. “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger-Trayner, 2015, p. 2).

Learning in community, Candidates experience what learners should experience in building relationships with instructors and peers. They engage in adult Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and engage in relevant topics focused on improving their knowledge of diverse student needs, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, technological knowledge, skills, and competencies. Coordinated efforts to promote and infuse high-quality, equity-focused SEL across the California education system bring us closer to the California Department of Education’s (CDE) vision of advancing a “whole child” approach and whole person approach to education.

Specifically, SEL is aligned with the state education priorities described in the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), particularly priorities (4) Student Achievement, (5) Student Engagement, and (6) School Climate. As a result, many districts have articulated SEL goals and strategies within their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) and programs aligned to California’s Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) Framework, which centers SEL as a key element of a fully integrated system of support for the benefit of all students.

California’s Social Emotional Learning Guiding Principles (California Department of Education, 2017) affirm SEL as “an essential part of a well-rounded, quality education in all youth-serving settings” and provide practice guidelines that speak explicitly to California’s diverse regional, cultural, racial, linguistic, and socioeconomic contexts. The 2020 CDE SEL work group developed three core products:

Kindergarten–Adult Transformative SEL Competencies
Transformative SEL Conditions for Thriving
Resources to support implementation:

Document version of the T-SEL Competencies and Conditions for Thriving
T-SEL Readiness and Reflection Prompts
Competencies Implementation Resources
Conditions Implementation Resources
School-Based Themed Resources
Social and Emotional Learning Group Space (Requires Login) (Requires no-cost user registration for the California Educators Together [CET] website.) (California Department of Education, 2021)

These guidance tools aim to build on and respond to the call from California’s diverse key stakeholders to embed equity-focused T-SEL in every learning and teaching context across the education system and build on “the CASEL 5.” This addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The CASEL 5 can be taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to adulthood and across diverse cultural contexts from classrooms with SEL instruction and classroom climate; to schools with school wide culture, practices, and policies; with families and caregivers and authentic partnerships; and in communities with aligned learning opportunities.

Beyond the “CASEL 5” (CASEL, 2020), the T-SEL Competencies build toward “a community-generated, student-centered approach to SEL, racial justice, and healing...implementing SEL and diversity, equity, and belonging (DEB) practices” (Simmons, ASCD, 2021).

Identity: a core part of self-awareness, which refers to how students (and adults) view themselves as individuals and as part of the world around them. Having a healthy sense of identity buffers against negative or traumatic experiences and contributes to positive academic, social, and emotional outcomes.
Agency: part of self-management, or feeling empowered to make choices and take actions that produce a positive difference. Agency helps young people make choices about learning and career goals, overcome personal challenges, and shape the course of their lives.
Belonging: part of social awareness, the experience of acceptance, respect, and inclusion within a group or community. Having a sense of belonging is critical to well-being, motivation, and achievement.
Collaborative Problem-Solving: part of relationship skills, the ability to build shared understanding and work together to come to solutions by pooling knowledge, skills, and efforts.
Curiosity: part of responsible decision-making, which leads to the pursuit of knowledge and different perspectives and contributes to attention, engagement, and learning.

By integrating T-SEL and civic learning, learners have opportunities to develop skills and relationships needed to participate as caring and engaged community members. Through civic learning, learners analyze how issues in the world around them affect their lives, develop an understanding of how they can make a difference, and learn how to work with others to create solutions. SEL helps cultivate critical social and emotional knowledge, beliefs, and skills needed to achieve civic learning goals. For example, development of:

Self-awareness and social awareness to analyze and reflect on issues they care about in their schools and communities.
Self-management to demonstrate agency and identify how to make a positive difference.
Relationship skills and responsible decision-making to work with others to take actions to address important issues. (CASEL, 2021)

Universal Design for Learning

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines (CAST, 2018) are part of the California Curriculum Frameworks and inform professional learning design for educators. They serve as design principles for engagement, representation, action and expression, aligned to the why - affective networks, the what - recognition networks, and the how - strategic networks of the brain. This guides the learning process to meet the needs of learner variability and promote access, student voice, choice, and agency. The UDL Guidelines 3.0 are updated to design options for welcoming interests and identity; nurture joy, play, and empathy; explicitly address the ways in which bias causes harm in teaching and learning; foster collaboration, interdependence, and collective learning; emphasize the roles of belonging and building community in teaching and learning (draft graphic organizer).

Updates for Multiple Means of Engagement

Center, affirm, and sustain learners’ strengths and identities
Emphasize the role of belonging in teaching and learning
Emphasize the role of joy and play in teaching and learning

Updates for Multiple Means of Representation

Consider the notion of “multiple means of representation” through the lens of identity
Consider perceptions of people and cultures
Value multiple ways of knowing including and extending beyond Western approaches to knowledge

Updates for Multiple Means of Action and Expression

Center and value forms of expression that have been historically silenced or ignored
Emphasize the role that bias plays in offering/selecting modes of expression

UDL also emphasizes accessibility and inclusion with the assistance of technology and digital tools. Inclusive technology refers to tools or strategies that remove barriers to learning experiences that support a broad range of learners, for example, dictation or speak to type, text to speech, and predictive text features. Accessible educational materials are print and digital materials designed to make them usable by all (e.g. large print, Braille, digital, or audio versions, alt text and screen readers). Accessible technologies are features that provide learners with access to the content in digital materials that can be enabled such as built-in text to speech features in digital textbooks, options within mobile devices to adjust fonts, or color contrast, and text-highlighting tools. Assistive technologies (AT) are designed to address specific barriers from no to low mid to high-tech, for example: sticky notes, speech overlay or alternative keyboard options, screen reading software, Braille keyboard, and speech generating devices; and may be identified as a need in an IEP (individualized education program) (CITES, 2023).

Andratesha Fritzgerald (2020) has innovated for antiracist UDL and encourages educators to self-assess, confront biases, connect, and break down barriers. Fritzgerald (2020) expanded the principles of UDL for engagement to include a license to learn, engagement in our Black and Brown communities; representation with honoring by invitation with standards, background knowledge, visuals, options, language and symbols for comprehension; and action and expression with honoring by releasing in a safe environment.

Culturally Responsive School Leadership Framework

Professional learning in the MCOE CASC Program extends to current research-based practices. Khalifa, Gooden, and Davis (2016) developed the Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) framework to “make the entire school environment responsive to the schooling needs of minoritized students…centering inclusion, equity, advocacy, and social justice in school.” The CRSL framework was developed in response to a growing recognition of the importance of culturally responsive school practices, at both the classroom and school building level, and the critical role of school leaders in supporting these practices. It grew out of a literature review of studies of certain behaviors of leaders who sought to improve schools by making them more culturally responsive. Research associated with the CRSL framework argues that equity-centered leadership involves closely interrogating the role educational systems play or have played in creating and maintaining systemic inequity. The framework has identified four different strands of behavior that define equity-centered leadership with several specific practices and expectations (Gooden, Khalifa, Arnold, Brown, Meyers, & Welsh, 2023).

1. Developing Critical Consciousness

Developing a deep understanding of systems of historical oppression to better conceptualize how to create equity based on the current conditions and resources of a school.

Demonstrates a strong understanding of how race and racism, along with other social and political factors, create inequitable opportunities for students to learn.
Seeks to understand how privilege, power, and oppression operate to create and maintain historical inequities in school and society.
Engages in examining racial and cultural identities, values, biases, assumptions, and privileges.
Acts as a change agent who reads and negotiates social and political contexts while addressing concerns outside of school that impact students, their families, and their communities

2. Ensuring Inclusive School Environments

Cultivating spaces to be welcoming to all by committing to collaborating with individuals facing historical and existing barriers to inclusion to together reimagine and create a more culturally affirming context.

Creates school cultures that respect differences across race, gender, social class, sexuality, ability, immigration status, language, religion, and other sociocultural markers for students, staff, and families.
Enacts inclusive practices that resist inequities by creating a vision acknowledging the humanity of students, their families, their communities, and the school team members who educate them.

3. Providing Culturally Responsive Instructional Leadership

Supporting teachers as they reimagine existing pedagogy and curricula so that both honor knowledge associated with people of color, including their contributions and ways of engaging, thus challenging systems that exacerbate inequities by ignoring, misrepresenting, or rendering different approaches as marginal.

Embodies strong knowledge of teaching and curriculum and applies it to learning.
Seeks to cultivate students’ academic, cultural, and sociopolitical knowledge.
Fosters an environment where teachers enact culturally relevant and anti-racist instructional and curricular practices that affirm students’ complex identities.

4. Enacting Culturally Responsive Leadership Engagement in Community Contexts

Establishing partnerships with school communities that lead to a collaborative effort to define educational justice for the schools’ children. Principals tend to define community outreach as working with parents. Modifying how parental involvement is defined and fostered can increase participation of marginalized parents. However, CRSL calls on principals to engage across the entire community to learn how racial marginalization, unequal power dynamics, and oppression have affected its members. This often involves the principal’s sharing power with parents and community members who have been historically excluded from the school environment or made to feel less welcome. These equitable collaborations are a central way for leaders to shift practices to achieve implementation of equitable schooling and equitable outcomes for students.

Establishes relational trust and builds authentic, working, and collaborative relationships with students, staff, families, and communities.
Involves communities and embraces their unique heritages and the knowledge that students bring to school.
Leverages community resources to amplify support for learning.

Furthermore, the California Department of Education (2023a) provides instructional guidance, law, and policies for local educational agencies to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ+) students and provide safe learning environments that protect the health and safety of LGBTQ+ students.

Educational Technology and Digital Leadership

As MCOE CASC Program Candidates practice in a blended learning format, they experience engagement with live, in-person, hybrid, virtual, synchronous and asynchronous learning and digital resources. They also incorporate educational technologies and 21st century deeper learning pedagogies in their practice. Informing this work is “The California Digital Learning Integration and Standards Guidance, a collaboratively developed framework for helping our teachers move standards-aligned instruction seamlessly between the in-person and virtual spaces, a resource that we believe will prove critically important in our volatile and everchanging world. The intent of this guidance is to help teachers deepen their technological skills and sharpen their instructional focus so they may better engage learners and make the best use of valuable class time” (California Department of Education, 2021). In the publication “Learning With AI, Learning About AI,” the CDE states: “Emerging technologies often lead to new and exciting learning opportunities for students, particularly in increasing personalization and accessibility options. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a valuable learning tool for educators and students, it must be evaluated according to usage terms, and clear guidelines for data collection should prioritize student safety” (California Department of Education, 2023b). Information and resources related to AI literacy in education are available on the California Educators Together Statewide AI group and in the United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (2024) National Educational Technology Plan.

Literacy

For instructional leaders it is important to note: California's approach to literacy instruction is grounded in the science of reading, learning, and development, including decades of research applicable to our diverse and multilingual learners. As a dynamic state with extraordinary global influence and unsurpassed cultural and linguistic resources, California is committed to ensuring that students are reading by third grade and are fully literate when they graduate from high school. Reading by Third Grade and Beyond is a key part of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Transforming School Initiatives.

Resources

Select resources from Lead Agencies, state agency partners, and the California Department of Education are designed to assist local educational agencies and schools in improving student achievement.

Eligibility, Admission and Enrollment

In order to meet CTC requirements, new administrators are expected to enroll in an Induction Program within the first year of receiving an administrative position. Enrollment needs to be completed prior to Program Orientation. The traditional enrollment period for each new cohort runs from March to the end of August, though Candidates may apply at any time as MCOE has Open Enrollment.

Candidates are eligible for the CASC Program if they have:

Verification of a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential
Verification of full-time employment or verified offer of employment in an administrative position

Once a Candidate determines they are eligible for the Program, they fill out the interest form. Then the Candidate will be contacted and invited to a interest session and sent an (online) application/referral which requests:

A completed Candidate Information Form
A completed Supervisor Information Form
A professional resume
A Personal Reflection (used in matching the Candidate to a Coach)
Proof of Preliminary Administrative Services Credential
Proof of Administrative Employment

After Enrollment in the program the Candidate can expect:

to attend an Initial Interview with the Program Director
to be matched with their CASC Coach within 30 days of enrollment
to attend the mandatory Orientation Session
to start receiving weekly Newsletters with Program Information

1:1 Coaching

CASC utilizes the the following criteria in selecting Coaches:

Possession of a Clear Administrative Services Credential
A minimum of five years of effective administrative experience
Ability and flexibility to meet the administrator's needs for support
Willingness to participate in Coach training, collaboration, and calibration
Act as an ambassador of the program, representing the Monterey County Office of Education with professionalism and dedication
Participate in program feedback and the program’s continuous improvement processes

Training of Coaches

Coaches receive initial training prior to being assigned to a Candidate. Initial training includes the development of knowledge and skills of coaching, goal setting, use of appropriate coaching instruments, and processes designed to support Candidate growth in the leadership competencies outlined in The California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (CPSEL).

Cognitive Coaching

Our training leans into Cognitive Coaching, a model that emphasizes inquiry-based mentoring to enhance a Candidate's instructional practices by focusing on their underlying thought processes and beliefs. This approach is particularly important as it develops a Candidate’s cognitive skills of reflection through discourse and the application of knowledge. As described by Elena Aguilar (2024) of Bright Morning Consulting, transformational coaching must address Candidates’ emotional intelligence, non-verbal communication, and underlying beliefs.

Assessment of Coaches’ Effectiveness

The process for giving Coaches feedback involves several key components designed to foster reflection, growth, and improvement. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

Self-Reflection on Goals: Coaches begin the feedback process by engaging in self-reflection regarding their established coaching goals.
Review of Coaching Logs: Coaches maintain logs detailing their interactions with Candidates, including meetings, observations, and support provided. Program leaders review these logs to assess the consistency and quality of the coaching. Feedback is provided based on specific entries, highlighting effective strategies and suggesting improvements where necessary.
Mid-year Meeting: The mid-year meeting with the Coach, Candidate, and Induction Program Leader is an important check-in to review progress toward the CPSELs. This collaborative conversation gives everyone a chance to discuss achievements, identify challenges, and adjust goals to stay on track with effective educational leadership practices. By encouraging open communication and providing specific support, this meeting helps support the Coach in their work.
1:1 Conversations for Additional Support: When Coaches identify areas where they need further support, or when program staff see a need for additional guidance, 1:1 conversations are scheduled. During these discussions, specific challenges and successes are addressed, and strategies for improvement or adjustment to coaching practices are collaboratively developed.
Shared Program Data and Candidate Feedback from Surveys: During the coaching Sessions, program data and feedback gathered from Candidate surveys is shared. This information includes insights on the effectiveness of coaching, areas of concern, and suggestions for enhancing the process.

Coach Recognition

CASC Coaches are recognized throughout the program for their invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment to Candidate success. Through a nomination form and "Coach of the Month" recognition featured in the weekly newsletter, their efforts are celebrated with appreciation. An end-of-year letter and a colloquium further highlight their dedication and expertise, reinforcing their essential role as the heart of the program. Each Coach provides over 40 hours of individualized coaching annually, showcasing their passion for nurturing the professional growth of Candidates and creating a supportive learning environment.

Reassignment of Coach

Clear procedures are in place for reassignment of Coaches, if the Candidate/Coach pairing is not effective. If the pairing of a Coach and a Candidate does not support the Candidate’s ability to complete program requirements, or either party is dissatisfied with the pairing, the following procedures are established for reassignments.

Throughout the program, coaching plays a pivotal role in bridging theory and practice. Candidates are matched with a Coach based on criteria such as their area of expertise and location. This occurs within 30 days of enrollment. All Coaches are selected from a rigorous application process. They undergo ongoing training in the nationally acclaimed Cognitive Coaching Model, aligned with the California Standards for the Professional Education of Leaders (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2016; Garmston, Linder, & Whitacker, 1993; Goke, 2020; Costa & Garmston, 2015; Igu, et. al, 2023). Coaches support Candidates to cultivate instructional leadership that advances teaching and learning for equitable student achievement and grows Candidates’ cultural proficiency and transformational leadership competencies (Aguilar, 2015; Aguilar, Goldwasser, & Tank-Crestetto, 2011; Coleman, 2015; Knight, 2009; Lindsey, Martinez, Lindsey, 2007; Moyer & Clymer, 2009; Reiss, 2007; University of Washington, College of Education, 2015; Villani, 2006). Coaches engage in professional learning and Cognitive Coaching.

Personalized Leadership Support

The Program Director will guide Candidates through the processes necessary to complete the program. The MCOE CASC Program staff (Director, Administrator, and Coaches) will help to monitor the progress of each Candidate. The Coach will review the Candidate's progress throughout the two-year program and provide support and assistance as needed. Formative and summative data is used to further support the Candidate, including feedback from professional learning sessions, observations from the program staff and Coach, as well as checkpoints at the Initial Interview, Mid-year Meeting, and yearly Site Visit. A network of collegial support is developed through the cohort model, which fosters collaboration and shared learning among Candidates. This structure encourages open communication, allowing Candidates to discuss challenges and share strategies for success with their peers. Additionally, regular meetings and workshops provide opportunities for Candidates to engage with experienced educators and receive targeted feedback, ensuring they are well-prepared to meet the competencies required for their credentials. Ultimately, this comprehensive support system enhances the Candidates' professional growth and effectiveness in their educational roles.

Successful Program Completion

Successful Completion Of Program
To successfully complete the program, Candidates will complete forty hours a year of individualized coaching, at least twenty hours per year of professional learning related to CPSEL leadership goals and IIP, demonstrate leadership performance that is proficient or advanced in of each of the six CPSELs, and complete a culminating Colloquium presentation. Candidates will demonstrate progress throughout the Program in their IIP.

MCOE will recommend to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing for a Clear Administrative Services Credential when the Candidate has:

Successfully exhibited and demonstrated the administrative and operational knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to effectively lead, manage, and improve educational organizations (CTC, 2018, p. 29)
Successfully completed and documented 40 hours of job-embedded leadership coaching for each year and a total of 80 hours for the program
Demonstrated competency on each of the six California Professional Standards for Education Leaders through assessments and rubric-based self-assessment using the Descriptions of Practice (DOPs)
Successfully completed and documented a minimum of 20 hours of professional learning for each year and a total of 40 hours for the program
Verified two years of successful, full-time administrative experience.
Shown evidence through multiple measures including the IIP, Reflections and Growth over Time that they have achieved leadership that is proficient or advanced in the CPSELs.

Requirements for the Clear Credential Administrative Services Credential

There are several ways to obtain your Clear Administrative Services Credential. The following information in this handbook is taken directly from the CTC Leaflet explaining eligibility and requirements for preliminary and clear administrative service credentials and is linked here: Link to CTC leaflet CL574.

Monterey County Office of Education Clear Administrative Services Credential Program meets requirement 3c. Upon successful completion of the CASC program, Candidates are eligible for a Clear Administrative Services Credential.

Individuals must satisfy all of the following requirements to receive their Clear Credential:

Possess a valid Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (see Terms and Definitions)
Verify a minimum of two years of successful experience in a full-time administrative position in a California public school, nonpublic school, or private school of equivalent status, while holding the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential
Complete one of the following:
- Obtain the recommendation of a Commission-approved program verifying completion of an individualized program of advanced preparation designed in cooperation with your employer and the program sponsor
- Meet Mastery of Fieldwork Performance Standards through a Commission-approved program. Colleges and universities with approved programs leading to a Clear Administrative Services Credential may offer a streamlined assessment option to allow Candidates to forego the coursework component of the program and allow them to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities through the assessment component of the program
  - The assessment must result in formal recommendation for the credential and the application for the credential based on this evaluation must be submitted by the college or university that conducted the evaluation
- A Commission-approved alternative program based on Commission-adopted guidelines resulting in a formal recommendation from the program sponsor* The application must be submitted by the program sponsor via the online application submission process
- A Commission-approved performance assessment, when available

Term of the Clear Credential

Administrative Services Credentials authorize the holder to provide the following school services in grades 12 and below, including preschool, and in classes organized primarily for adults. The term of the clear credential may not exceed five calendar years and may be limited to expire with the prerequisite credential (see Terms and Definitions). The clear credential is renewable online.

Ethical Code of Conduct, Grievance, Withdrawal and Non-Discrimination Policies

Ethical Code of Conduct

Candidates, Coaches, and all program staff in the MCOE CASC Program are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, treat colleagues with respect, observe discretion with confidential information, and demonstrate academic integrity. Misrepresentation, plagiarism, cheating, and other academic and professional misconduct are considered violations of MCOE program standards. CASC Candidates and representatives may be subject to appropriate action for ethical violations, which may include elimination from the program and/or the process of a formal report to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

Grievance and Appeal Process

The Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) offers all Candidates support through an official complaint process. Should a concern arise that needs to be addressed, the following process will be followed to ensure the success of all Candidates:

Step 1: The Candidate meets with the Coach to discuss concerns/challenges.

Step 2: If the issue is not resolved, the Candidate submits a written complaint to the Program Director. The Program Director reviews the complaint and contacts the Candidate within 10 days to discuss solutions.

Step 3: If the concern is ongoing, the Program Director will meet with the Candidate to develop an action plan and ensure a resolution.

Step 4: Identified actions will be implemented/refined until the complaint is resolved.

Leave of Absence or Withdrawal

The Monterey County Office of Education intends for all Candidates in the CASC Program to successfully complete the program. Candidate success will be supported by:

Providing all Candidates with a clear list all requirements
Providing all Candidates with a list of required events and dates
Monitoring that all Candidates are completing their IIP in a timely manner
Providing Candidates with an individual support plan to meet the required assignments and successfully complete the program in a timely manner, if needed.

Candidates who are not able to participate due to personal or family illness, maternity or paternity leave, death in the immediate family, changes in work role or assignment, or any other personal or professional circumstances that prevent them from successfully participating in the program may receive credit for the length of time in the program. Candidates may also file for a short-term extension (up to six months at no additional cost) and resume where they left off. It is the responsibility of the Candidate to communicate with the Program Director if an issue is preventing them from completing the program. The process to do so is to fill out this request form and then email the Program Director.

Non-discrimination Policy

The CASC Program adheres to MCOE’s policy that prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation, in its educational program(s) or employment. No Candidate shall be denied eligibility into the program and/or employment solely because of any impairment that is unrelated to the ability to engage in activities involved in the position(s) or program for which the application has been made. Individuals that have a complaint regarding sexual harassment or discrimination, please contact Human Resources at 901 Blanco Circle, Salinas, CA 93901, (831)784-4195

Mobile Toggle

Main Header Container

Mobile Toggle

Breadcrumb

In This Section

Clear Administrative Services Credential

In This Section

Maralina Milazzo

Annaben Chennault

The MCOE CASC Program: Where Transformational Leaders Are Made

Lead with Confidence. Transform with Purpose.

Benefits for Candidates:

Benefits for Your District:

Why Join Us?

CASC Journey Overview

Mission and Vision

Program Summary

Program Design, Rationale and Research

Eligibility, Admission and Enrollment

1:1 Coaching

Personalized Leadership Support

Successful Program Completion

Requirements for the Clear Credential Administrative Services Credential

Ethical Code of Conduct, Grievance, Withdrawal and Non-Discrimination Policies