This fall, it isn't only students who've gone back to school. Also back in the classroom are the students and first graduates of a joint program of California State University, Sacramento, and the University of California, Davis, to formally prepare elementary-level teachers. The innovative program is designed to enable those teaching with emergency permits to earn teaching credentials in 11 months and still be available to teach during the school year. Almost 60 individuals in the program's inaugural class -- some who have taught with an emergency permit and others aiming to enter the profession -- graduated with their credentials this summer. Another 60 in the second class attended intensive courses this summer. Those among them with emergency permits are back in their classrooms, and some members of the class are already fulfilling the program's requirement of teaching for one semester under the supervision of faculty. They will all return to UC Davis next summer to take another five courses before graduating. Students in the program have at least a bachelor's degree but no formal training in education. However, their experience ranges from coaching sports teams to serving as teacher's aides and teaching full time with an emergency permit. California's teacher shortage -- more than 20,000 individuals with no formal training in education taught on an emergency basis in 1996-97 -- is attributed to the state's initiative to reduce class size in lower grades and to the number of teachers who leave the profession after a few years.