Understanding Access to Fully Prepared Teachers Through the Teaching Assignment Monitoring Outcomes (TAMO) Dashboard

This tool draws on the Teaching Assignment Monitoring Outcomes dataset released by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). First published in 2022, the dataset includes information on teacher preparedness and assignments from 2020 through 2024.

The annual release of these data follows years of sustained advocacy and now serves as a valuable resource to ensure that fully prepared, appropriately assigned teachers serve all California students. This increased transparency empowers educational leaders and community stakeholders to engage in meaningful conversations about equitable access to qualified educators.

Using the most recent data from state agencies, paired with student and teacher demographic information, we created an interactive, visual tool to help you understand students’ access to fully prepared and diverse teachers.

What is a Fully Prepared Teacher?

A fully prepared teacher has:

• Comprehensive subject matter training and demonstrated proficiency in the subject(s) they will teach
• Completed an accredited teacher preparation program and demonstrated their effectiveness in teaching through a performance assessment
• Completed at least 600 hours of student teaching
• Earned a credential in either multiple subjects, single subjects, or special education 

What Do We Mean by How Teachers Are “Assigned”?

Being fully prepared doesn’t always mean a teacher is appropriately assigned. In these data, a “Clear”* status indicates a teacher who is both fully prepared—having completed all necessary subject-matter training—and appropriately assigned, ensuring they teach students and the content area for which they’re credentialed. 

Why Do “Clear” Teaching Assignments Matter?

Students benefit when they have a teacher with a “Clear” status. Yet access to these teachers is not distributed equitably across California.

School districts serving the highest proportions of students from low-income households have lower rates of “Clear” teaching assignments than districts with fewer such students. The data also show that within districts, schools enrolling the largest shares of students of color and students from low-income households have less access to fully prepared and properly placed teachers.

*Note: A “Clear” status indicates a teacher who is fully prepared and appropriately assigned, not to be confused with the separate process of “clearing” a preliminary credential through a Commission-approved General Education Induction Program.

This tool provides a comprehensive view of teacher preparedness and assignments, giving stakeholders the insights they need to advocate for policy and practice changes that ensure all students have access to fully prepared, effective teachers.

• Education administrators: School and district leaders can use these data to optimize teacher placement and ensure students have equitable access to fully prepared and diverse educators.
• Leaders at institutions of higher education: Faculty and administrators in local teacher preparation programs can identify workforce gaps and respond to local teacher preparation needs.
• Policymakers: Decision-makers can use these data to set improvement goals and target investments and support for recruiting, hiring, and retaining fully prepared and diverse teachers.
• Parents, families, and community members: This tool helps families and community members understand the qualifications and diversity of teachers in their children’s schools, supporting informed decision-making and empowering them to advocate for change.

• ‘Clear’ Teaching Assignments: Clear teaching assignments are those where the teacher is fully prepared—holds a clear or preliminary teaching credential—and is properly assigned—placed in a class in which their preparation aligns with the content, student groups, and grades.
• ‘Out-of-field’ Teaching Assignments: “Out-of-field” teaching assignments are those where the teacher has a teaching credential but not for the subject of the class, and is teaching with a limited permit or waiver.
• ‘Intern’ Teaching assignments: “Intern” teaching assignments are those where the teacher has an intern credential but has not yet completed a teaching program.
• ‘Ineffective’ Teaching Assignments: “Ineffective” teaching assignments are those in which the teacher has a substandard (less than full) credential or permit, or lacks a legal, substandard authorization to teach the class.
• ‘Incomplete’ Teaching Assignments: “Incomplete” teaching assignments are those where there is missing or incorrect information.

Please visit the California Department of Education’s website for more information.