Issues for Practitioners Morton M. Sternheim UMass Amherst [email protected] STEM Alternative Certification.

Issues for PractitionersMorton M. Sternheim

UMass [email protected]/act

STEM Alternative Certification

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Report Authors

Barbara Austin, Northern Arizona University

Wendy Frazier, George Mason University

Anita Greenwood, UMass Lowell

Judith Hayes, Wichita State University

Charmaine Hickey, UMass Lowell

Kathy Shea, UMass Lowell

Morton Sternheim, UMass Amherst

Yijie Zhao, UMass Amherst

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What is alternative certification?

Programs to put “career changers” in classrooms quickly?

Anything other than 4 year undergrad program? Antoinette Mitchell (NCATE): These programs

range from 5th year programs for students without education backgrounds, to programs especially designed for career-switchers, to programs designed for specific sectors of the community such as military personnel and para-professionals.

Need a continuum of teacher preparation and support programs to support varied needs.

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Program Standards

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) holds alternative certification programs to the same standards required of all programs in NCATE-accredited institutions as a way of making institutions accountable for the quality of their programs and for the quality of the educators they prepare.

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Alternative Certification Candidates

• There’s been a dramatic shift in the profile of people studying to be teachers through alternative routes.

• A greater percentage of older, life-experienced people wanting to enter the teacher profession when compared with traditional preparation models.

Judith Hayes, Wichita:

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Alternative Certification Candidates

• More of these mid-career switchers are male and/or are minorities interested in teaching in high-demand areas, in positions generally not sought by young, white females coming out of traditional schools of education.

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Partnerships

Research indicates that teacher candidates working in alternative licensure programs with strong district – university partnerships perform better and stay in the profession longer.

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Partners

Primary partners• Hiring school districts, state licensing

authority, higher ed institution

Other partners – funding/recruiting • Corporations, e.g., Raytheon Teaching Fellows

Program• Federal agencies: NSF (Noyce Scholars), DOE,

…• Troops to Teachers, Teach for America, …

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Recruiting and Selecting Candidates

Depend on nature of the program Selecting and recruiting the right candidates for

admission to a particular program is important for the program’s success, because “investing resources in candidates unlikely to succeed is a lose-lose situation.”

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Selection

Usually require at least bachelor’s degree Screening process – tests, interviews, evidence of

content mastery, short demonstration lesson Often highly selective Some programs are committed to serving all

provisionally certified teachers in an area. Humphrey et al: most alternative certification

programs bet on education background, work experience, previous classroom experience, or some combination of the three

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Recruiting

Many approaches, reflecting the programs Texas A&M: scholarships, job fares, recruiting in

grad programs UT: All students in the College of Natural

Sciences are recruited. They receive a letter about it upon admission, hear about it during orientation, receive mailings each year. Student group presentations, media reports …

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Recruiting

Teach for America: Representatives visit many campuses, focus on selective colleges, accept only a small fraction of applicants

NYC Teaching Fellows program targets mid-career professionals as well as recent college graduates

Troops to Teachers program provides information and support to retiring military personnel, with offices in 32 states

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Candidates

Four groups of candidates1. Undergrads where there in no traditional certification

option2. Recent grads who opt to teach3. Career switchers or retired military4. Teachers who need courses to become “highly

qualified” in another subject

These groups have different needs Must match candidates and structure of the

program

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Need: Practical Teaching Knowledge

All need practical knowledge about navigating the current school environment: information about legal and ethical responsibilities, teaching to diverse populations, inclusion issues, and classroom management

Less important for group 4, those already teaching

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Need: Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Teachers not only need to understand science but teach in a manner that is consistent with what is known about how people learn science, and reflects significant insights from recent educational research

Discipline specific pedagogy issues – how to teach difficult concepts in a particular subject

Laboratory safety knowledge – chemicals, biomaterials, etc. – is critical if teachers will be willing to do hands-on science

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Need: Content Knowledge

Federal law mandates that teachers must have sufficient content knowledge as the major provision of being “highly qualified”

Mainly a need for group 4, teachers who need courses to become highly qualified

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Needs: Income, Non-traditional Delivery

Career changers and recent grads often need income during their training

Stipends, scholarships Non-traditional course delivery

• Summer immersion before placement• Subsequent summer courses• Evenings• Distance learning

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Mentoring

Mentoring support provided to AC teacher candidates while they are in training

Key part of new teacher induction• Research: good induction programs cut attrition

Should reflect lack of education courses Mentors involved in AC programs need different

training from those in traditional certification programs so that they can address the subject specific needs of these individuals

When there is consistency between mentor and mentee in the conception of the mentor’s role, the mentoring relationship is productive

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The Challenge

Teaching and teacher education are inherently complex and are not reducible to simple prescriptions for practice.

Much of what is believed to be associated with program excellence with regard to particular goals cannot currently be supported with empirical evidence

Ken Zeichner, WisconsinKen Zeichner, Wisconsin::

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Oversimplified Views of Excellence (Zeichner)

Attempting to connect the surface features of teacher education programs (e.g., their length) to various teacher and student outcomes without accounting for the characteristics that candidates bring to their preparation.

Attempting to define the characteristics of good teacher education programs by the mere presence or absence of certain program elements without addressing how these elements are defined and used and for what purposes

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Characteristics of Effective STEM ACT Programs

Needs-based design of the program • Tailored to needs of district or region• Tailored to needs of participants, backgrounds, etc.

High entrance standards• Screening, appropriate STEM backgrounds

Intensive training focusing on professional expertise• Subject content, pedagogical knowledge and skill

training• Pedagogical content knowledge • Multicultural and special education issues

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Characteristics of Effective STEM ACT Programs

On-site support during training• Comprehensive system of support from experienced,

trained mentors once the candidate begins working in a school.

• Candidates go through their training in cohorts at school so they have peer support

• Candidates have the opportunity of guided practice in lesson planning and teaching prior to taking full responsibility as a teacher

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Characteristics of Effective STEM ACT Programs

Frequent program evaluation • Continuous monitoring, evaluation, and feedback of

individual and group performance to allow for program adjustment

• Candidates receive frequent evaluation of their teaching from well-trained mentors and faculty with strong STEM education backgrounds

• Faculty receives continual formal and informal evaluation of their instruction from the teacher candidates

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Characteristics of Effective STEM ACT Programs

High exit standards• Standards tied to state standards for teaching• Candidates demonstrate that they have mastered the

knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in state standards and can have a positive impact on student learning

Ongoing support of graduates after the program.• Structured, well-supervised induction period when the

novice receives observation and assistance in the classroom by an experienced teacher

• Ongoing professional development and reflection is supported by the school and/or the university through seminars, workshops, courses

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School – College Collaboration

Colleges, schools and the candidates have constant communication to ensure that teaching theory and practice are effectively integrated to address classroom and pedagogical issues.

School districts provide the teacher candidates in alternative certification programs with a supportive school environment to help them with effective transition to teaching.

The program prepares individuals for specific positions in specific schools, and should place participants in those positions early in the training.

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Effective STEM ACT Programs: Summary

• A program encompassing all these components may be an ideal, but these benchmarks provide a frame of reference for an effective AC program.

• These components are not an oversimplified checklist to measure the program quality. Rather, they serve as research directions for an in depth inquiry into the implementation and efficacy of these elements in achieving excellence in AC teacher preparation.

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More Information

www.stemtec.org/act Proceedings This PowerPoint White papers (coming soon…)