Transcript Connecting Beyond College: Career and Professional

Elena Sandoval-Lucero
Adams County Education Consortium
March 17, 2010
 Grant
funded research and training center
 Concerned with the issues of employment,
training and career development of
paraeducators.
 TOP-SET*ALP grant focuses entirely on
paraeducators.
 Teacher PREP grant expands focus to include
other also recent college graduates, midcareer professionals.
 TOP-SET*ALP:
Transition of Paraeducators
to Special Education Teaching through
Alternative Licensure Program is a
collaborative and comprehensive state-wide
initiative
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The PAR2A Center as the lead agency
The Teacher Institute at La Academia (TILA)
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE),
Several high-need charter schools and LEAs
 Funded
by the U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Innovation and Improvement, 20072012.
 Teacher
PREP: Teacher Preparation,
Retention, and Empowerment Project is a
collaborative and comprehensive state-wide
initiative
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The PAR2A Center as the lead agency
The Teacher Institute at La Academia (TILA)
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE),
Several high-need charter schools and LEAs
 Funded
by the U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Innovation and Improvement, 20092014.
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High need school districts are defined as a district
that (a) serves not fewer than 10,000 children from
families with incomes below the poverty line (as
that term is defined in section 9101(33) of the
ESEA), or for which not less than 20 percent of the
children served by the LEA are from families with
incomes below the poverty line; and (b) For which
there is
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(1) a high percentage of teachers not teaching in the
academic subjects or grade levels that the teachers
were trained to teach, or
(2) a high percentage of teachers with emergency,
provisional, or temporary certification or licensing.
To find out qualifying high-need districts, contact
Veronica Marquez-Hepworth at 303-315-6360,
[email protected]
To transition paraprofessionals, recent college
graduates and mid-career professionals to
teaching positions in high need schools and high
need subjects i.e. Special Education,
Linguistically Diverse Education, Math and
Science through an alternative licensure
program.
 To empower the candidates to remain in
teaching positions and effectively address the
academic and social needs of K-12 students in
high-need schools.
 The projects prepares a total of 230 teachers,
recruited in cohorts of 24-30 each year, over the
seven project years (2007-2014).
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To recruit qualified paraprofessionals, recent graduates
and mid-career professionals as future teachers for hard to
fill teacher positions in high-need schools and LEAs.
To provide a smooth transition for candidates to become
licensed teachers fulfilling the requirements of the
Colorado Department of Education through an alternative
licensure program.
To provide a rigorous training in conjunction with academic
and social supports that contribute to the candidates’
growth and retention as professionals as well as prepare
them to meet the needs and challenges of high-need
schools.
To implement a full array of financial incentives for the
candidates
To coordinate project objectives and activities through a
consortium of LEAs, IHEs, alternative licensure programs
and the CDE that share the mission of creating systems
that will sustain beyond the grant period.
 Interested
paraeducators will be eligible to
apply to the project provided they meet the
following preliminary application
requirements:
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a) Have already completed or are close to
completing a baccalaureate degree with a
minimum GPA of 2.5.
b) Are currently employed as paraprofessionals in
high-need LEAs that meet the two specific
eligibility requirements of the Transition to
Teaching program —“one addressing poverty and
the other addressing the quality of the LEAs
current teacher workforce.”
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Interested mid-career professionals will be eligible
to apply to the project provided they meet the
following application requirements:
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Have already completed a baccalaureate degree in areas
other than education with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Have a minimum three years of successful work
experience in profession other than as a teacher. Nonteaching school and district staff are eligible to apply.
Have strong conceptual understanding of content areas
that prepare them to teach in hard to fill positions:
mathematics, science, and language acquisition as well
as an interest and temperament to work with students
identified with special needs.
Have ability to use and/or learn about technology
Have roots in or are indigenous to or are willing to move
to the geographical areas/ communities with high need
schools/districts
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Interested recent graduates will be eligible to apply to
the project provided they meet the following application
requirements:
Have already completed or are close to completing a
baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Degree
needs to be less than 3 years old at the time they apply to the
project
 Have at least 100 hours experience working / volunteering
with youth and families in a school district, community based
non-profit youth agency, or organized sports program. Have
strong conceptual understanding of content areas that prepare
them to teach in hard to fill positions: mathematics, science,
and language acquisition as well as an interest and
temperament to work with students identified with special
needs.
 Have ability to use and/or learn about technology
 Have roots in or are indigenous to or are willing to move to the
geographical areas/ communities with high need
schools/districts
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 Advising
prior to applying to CDE for a
statement of eligibility
 CDE Application Review
 CDE Statement of Eligibility
 Fulltime appointment as teacher in a
qualified district or charter school as a
Teacher of Record
 Complete alternative licensure program
during first year of teaching
 Pass CDE required tests
 Receive initial Colorado teaching license
 We
built the operational aspects of the
project on the literature that revealed a
strong correlation between participant
retention in alternative licensure programs
with the quality of support services they
received
(Clewell & Villegas, 2007, Genzuk, Lavadenz, & Krashen,
1994: McGowan & Brandick, 1998; Rosenberg, Boyer,
Sindelar & Misra, 2007; US Department of Education,
Office of Innovation & Improvement, 2004).
Tuition, if needed, to meet CDE teaching field
requirements
 Tuition for all teacher licensure courses (9-15
hours of graduate coursework
 Funds for books for licensure coursework
 Comprehensive, rigorous coursework
 Counseling/advising
 Mentoring/coaching
 Regional cohort meetings
 Courage to Teach Retreat
 Funds to attend professional conferences
 Funds for professional licensing fees
(application, testing, licensing fees)
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 Three
year commitment to the district or
charter school (including licensure year)
 Submit all requested evaluation data
(demographic, course registration and
evaluation, project evaluation, mentor
evaluation, etc.)
 Attend all cohort meetings
 Attend at least one professional conference
 Maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher
 Complete all licensure program and state
requirements
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The TOP-SET*ALP program was excellent and the
instructors are a gifted set of personalities. The
coursework challenged me to be a more critical thinker
and problem solver. The program prepared me for the
research, instructional delivery, special education
knowledge, and leadership that my professional role
demands.
Nick Dean
Earning my license through the TOP-SET*ALP program was
one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of
my life. I would highly recommend this program to anyone
who is passionate about education!
Nicole Skeers
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The opportunity to participate in the TILA Program with the help
of the TOP-SET*ALP Grant was a true blessing and an open door
to the career of my dreams. In addition to equipping me with a
solid foundation in general educational theory, assessment,
special education, and participatory action research, the TILA
program helped me to begin to explore my own educational
philosophy. Furthermore, my learning did not end with the
completion of the TILA program and TOP-SET*ALP Grant, but due
to their partnership with the Literacy Language and Culturaly
Responsive Teaching graduate program at the University of
Colorado of Denver I am now well into a graduate program in
curriculum and instruction. TILA and the TOP-SET*ALP grant are
all about transforming students into educators who have the
ability to make a positive impact in the world of education.
Daniel Medved
 K-12
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Refer candidates:
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Interested paraeducators in your schools
Interested parent and community volunteers
Other interested school personnel
Notify us of openings in high needs areas
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Professionals
Help place TOP-SET*ALP and Teacher PREP candidates
in Teacher of Record positions
Mentor candidates
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Help hired candidates successfully complete the
program through mentorship and coaching
Compensation for mentors of between $600 and $1200
 Arin
Schwartz, Director of Student Services
 The Teacher Institute at La Academia
 311 W 11th Avenue, Denver, CO 80204
 303-455-1444
 [email protected]
Elena Sandoval-Lucero, PhD
Veronica Marquez-Hepworth, MSS
Director /Assistant Research Professor
Project Coordinator
University of Colorado Denver
University of Colorado Denver
The PAR2A Center
The PAR2A Center
Campus 106, P.O. Box 173364
Campus 106, P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364
Denver, CO 80217-3364
303-315-6362 office
303-315-6360 office
303-315-6367 fax
303-315-6367 fax
[email protected]
[email protected]