Historical Timeline of the CA Theatre Credential
The road to securing a dedicated California Theatre Credential was a decades-long masterclass in grassroots advocacy. CETA's historical timeline page honors the grit, passion, and political battles fought by educators to establish distinct Single-Subject Theatre and Dance Credentials in our state. From early legislative roadblocks to the triumphant passage of Senate Bill 916 and the rollout of the modern CSET exams, explore the milestones that professionalized our craft and protected theatre education for generations to come.
Celebrating history. Embracing the work ahead…
Executive Summary: The Restoration of Dance and Theatre Teacher Credentials in California
For over half a century, California’s credentialing structure for arts educators was defined by a critical policy oversight. While Visual Art and Music maintained dedicated single-subject credentials, Dance and Theatre educators navigated a fragmented system that forced them into alternative disciplines. The history of California’s Dance and Theatre credentials spans four distinct policy phases:
Oscar Award winning Actress Annette Bening speaks on behalf of SB 916 at the California State Capitol
Phase 1: The Accidental Loss (1961–1970)
Under the Fisher Act of 1961, secondary educators routinely held credentials to teach dance and drama. However, when the landmark Ryan Act of 1970 codified modern teacher licensing, the legislative drafting inadvertently omitted the letter "s" from "music and arts credentials." This clerical oversight stripped Dance and Theatre of independent single-subject recognition. For the next 52 years, public school teachers were forced to hold credentials in Physical Education to teach Dance, or English to teach Theatre.
Phase 2: The 45-Year Legislative Drought & Interim Workarounds (1972–2014)
Over four decades, advocate coalitions, led by the California Dance Educators Association (CDEA) and the California Educational Theatre Association (CETA), mounted repeated legislative campaigns (1973, 1979, 1992, 1998, 2000) that faced opposition, gubernatorial vetoes, and administrative resistance from credentialing commissions. To maintain arts instruction, educators relied on interim policy workarounds, such as the 2005 Subject Matter Authorizations (SMAs). While SMAs allowed certified teachers to add 32 units of coursework in dance or theatre, candidates with B.A. or M.F.A. degrees in those disciplines still could not obtain direct single-subject credentials without completing PE or English requirements.
Phase 3: Legislative Victory & System Buildout (2015–2022)
Advocacy culminated in 2015 when Senator Ben Allen championed SB 916 (The Theatre and Dance Act / TADA!). Supported by statewide arts coalitions and labor partners, SB 916 passed with unanimous bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in September 2016. Between 2017 and 2021, state agencies built the credential framework: aligning standards with the 2019 VAPA Framework, developing the Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET), and establishing grandfathering pathways for veteran teachers. CSU East Bay launched the inaugural credential program in 2021, graduating the state’s first cohort of fully credentialed Dance and Theatre teachers in 2022.
Phase 4: Expansion & The Prop 28 Hiring Surge (2022–Present)
The historic passage of Proposition 28 (The Arts and Music in Schools Act) in November 2022 transformed the educational landscape by guaranteeing ~$1 billion annually in dedicated K–12 arts funding. With a mandate requiring school districts to spend 80% of these funds on certificated arts personnel, statewide demand for credentialed Dance and Theatre teachers surged. Today, higher education institutions across California continue to expand single-subject preparation programs to meet this unprecedented hiring push.
Below you will find a specific timeline by year
1960’s
1966
1967
1969
1970
1970
1972
1973
1979
1982
1989
1992
1993
1995
1996
CTC reports the results of a survey that did not support a single-subject credential in dance and theatre based on perceived employment needs. They also communicate that dance and theatre educators should not expect a credential to be developed because of the high cost of creating a Praxis or CSET
With the hiring of legislative analyst Kathy Lynch, Assembly Bill 1024, Credentialing and Curriculum: Dance and Theatre, was introduced into the California legislature in 1998 by Assemblywoman Susan Davis and Senator Patrick Johnston, By the time it got to Governor Wilson's desk, the single-subject credentials had been amended out of it - he vetoed the bill.
Both UC and CSU systems changed admission requirements to include one year of visual or performing arts, beginning in 2003.
“No Child Left Behind” includes the arts as “core academic subjects”. The State Board of Education adopts content standards for the arts.
California Arts Council budget cut by over 90%
CTC altered requirements for multi-subject accreditation to include some training in the teaching of visual and performing arts.
Visual and Performing Arts Framework adopted by the State Board of Education for grades K-12; this version includes the K-12 content standards for Dance, music, theatre, and visual arts
Additions to Tile 5 Sections 80089.3 and 80089.4, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing put into place the Subject Matter Authorization in a variety of subjects, including theatre and dance, Teachers may attach a Single Subject Authorization in Theatre or Dance to another credential they already hold, and teach Theatre. This authorization, offered by CCTC, requires 32 coursework hours and provides the teacher with NCLB compliance in theatre
1997
1998
1999
2001
State Senator Patrick Johnston authored SB 762 to establish dance and theater credentials; this plan was presented to the CTC which rejected the idea; Johnston withdrew his bill due to a perceived lack of support from the legislature
Education Code Number 5121 Course of Study: Grades 1 to 6 (e) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression
CDEA and CAPHRED board members work with Senator Patrick Johnston and Assembly Member Susan Davis who authored legislation to establish Dance and Theatre Credentials - the bill did not pass.
Discussions regarding the credential took place with the California Commission on Credentials (CCC) as well as with the Legislative Action Committee for Arts Education (LACAE). Although LACAE was supportive of the credentials, CCC made it very clear they would not support the recommendation.
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2014
2015
2016
2019
2021
2022
2022
2023
2023-2024
Many teachers were certified to teach dance and theatre in California under the Fisher Act of 1961, and some teachers nearing retirement still hold Standard Secondary Credentials in dance and theatre;
SCD President, Charlotte Motter went before the California Board of Education to request that theatre and drama be included among undergraduate majors required of all persons seeking credentials to teach grades k-12.
The California Curriculum Commission obtained funds from the Elementary and Secondary Education At to support a committee to write the Drama/Theatre Framework which was adopted by the California Board of Education, and published in 1974
When the Fisher Act on Teacher Licensing was passed requiring an academic major of people seeking a certificate to tech in California’s public schools, CETA convinced the Curriculum Commission that drama or theatre should be listed among approved academic majors. At the same time CETA was able to have drama listed as one of the fine arts required for high school graduation which previously had listed only music and art.
The Ryan Act is passed into law. It helps to establish teaching as a recognized profession in CA. In its drafting, the letter “s” was omitted from the statement “music and arts credentials.” That “s” represented dance and theatre. For the subsequent 52 years, CA dance teachers had to hold a credential in PE to teach Dance and theatre teachers had to hold a credential in English to teach Theatre,.
California Dance Educators Association is created to fix the “s” mistake
First legislative attempt at the Dance and Theatre Credential failed by one vote
Next legislative attempt: State Assembly passed it, Senate rejected it
1 year of VAPA included in the new A-G Requirements
California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (CAPHRED) forms a task force to support advocacy for a Dance Credential
AB 1802 (Laird)/ SB 1131 The Governor and the Legislature establish $500,000,000 for Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts and Physical Education one-time monies for grades K-12 within the school day for professional development and for the acquisition of supplies and equipment support standards-aligned instruction.
CETA and CDEA join forces with other Arts Organizations in the development, approval and implementation of a California Single Subject Credential in Theatre and Dance.
Continued advocacy for dance and theatre credentials. “The 4 Arts Ed Orgs” is formed - a coalition of the board presidents of all four of the arts education associations in the state representing Dance, Theatre, Visual Art, and Music: CDEA, CETA, CAEA, and CMEA. This coalition is still working to help align policy and agenda for Arts Education in CA.
Sharon A. Herpin, Adrienne Quinn Washington, and Treseen McCormick submit a report to the California Alliance for Arts Education entitled Summary of Findings from the Preliminary Study to Determine the Need for Single Subject Credential Programs in Dance and Theatre. This report “indicate(d) the possible need for a single subject credential in dance” however, “the creation of a single subject credential in theatre was supported, but interviewees were uncertain about the practical application of the credential.
CDEA develops “Strategies for Obtaining a Credential in Dance and Theatre”
CETA publishes and award-winning position paper on the state of the Arts in California
SB 77 (Ducheny) The governor and Legislature provided for the Arts and Music Block grant on-going funds at $109,757,000 per the same guidelines as the 2006/2007 funding but accompanied by need for a resolution by governing boards around use of funds and a summary report due to CDE February 2, 2008.
In the face of unprecedented budget shortages, school districts throughout the state are fighting to protect arts education programs that have been established in recent years, and to implement recently adopted district wide plans to ensure that every child receives the benefits of arts education.
Jack Mitchell, Joe Landon, and Cathy Lynch meet with Patricia Rucker at CTA to help alleviate some of the roadblocks of implementing a theatre and dance credential.
CFT adopted a resolution titled “Fully Implement the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards”
Jessy Kronenberg and Nancy Ng (Luna Dance Institute) testify at the CTC on the need for Dance and Theatre credentials
Nov 6, Joint Commission on the Arts, Ed. Code Compliance Hearing - Beverly Hills. Senator Ben Allen is inspired to author legislation, “There’s a bill in that.”
February – Senator Allen Announced SB 916 (7th legislative attempt) TADA! The Theatre and Dance Act
April – CTA votes to Support SB 916 which t established two distinct credential options for teachers: Full Single-Subject Credential: A complete, standalone credential in Dance or Theatre (requiring student teaching and the full CSET/program). Supplementary & Subject Matter Authorizations: Allowed existing credentialed teachers (e.g., an English or PE teacher) to add a formal Dance or Theatre authorization to their existing credential through targeted coursework rather than doing a whole new credential.
Summer – Unanimous bi-partisan support, the bill passes in the Senate and Assembly
September – Governor Jerry Brown signs the bill into law
Development of the CSET in Dance and Theatre begins.
The California State Board of Education adopted the revised Visual and Performing Arts Framework for California Public Schools in November 2019. This was the first time California's state curriculum framework incorporated the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) specifically detailing artistic processes (Creating, Performing/Presenting/Producing, Responding, Connecting) for Dance and Theatre as independent, distinct disciplines providing the academic framework used to build the 2019–2021 CSET exams.
As the single-subject credentials were being rolled out, the Legislature and CTC had to address existing teachers who had been teaching Dance (under PE) or Theatre (under English) for decades. Clean-up regulations and legislation allowed veteran teachers who met specific service/experience thresholds to obtain the new Single-Subject Credential or Authorization without having to take the newly minted CSET exams.
Summer, CSU East Bay program for the Single-Subject Teaching Credential in Dance and Theatre begins
Fall, CSET Exam in Dance and Theatre goes live
November - Passing of Proposition 28 (Arts and Music in Schools Act): California voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 28, establishing guaranteed, ongoing funding (~$800M–$1B annually) specifically for K–12 arts education. Prop 28 mandates that school districts with 500+ students spend at least 80% of those funds on hiring certificated or classified arts staff. This created an immediate, unprecedented statewide hiring demand for teachers holding the newly restored Dance and Theatre single-subject credentials.
Spring – application window open for the second cohort of teaching candidates through CSU East Bay
Summer – first cohort of teaching candidates will complete Single-Subject Teaching Credentials in Dance and Theatre
Expansion of Approved Credential Preparation Programs: Following CSU East Bay's inaugural 2021 program, additional California State University (CSU) campuses and universities began receiving Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) approval to offer Single-Subject Teaching Credential programs in Dance and Theatre.
First Full Implementation Year of Prop 28 Funds & Statewide Hiring Push: Prop 28 funds were disbursed to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) starting in the 2023–24 school year. School districts across California actively began creating dedicated Dance and Theatre teaching lines for the first time in over 50 years, transitioning off reliance on PE or English credentials.
2020
Prior to 2021 because there was no CSET exam or approved single-subject major for Dance or Theatre, prospective teachers had no way to earn a Subject Matter Waiver (which allows candidates to skip the CSET if their undergraduate degree aligns). Candidates with a B.A. or M.F.A. in Dance or Theatre still had to complete full PE or English coursework to get credentials. Explaining this highlights why the lack of a CSET was such a massive structural barrier for over four decades