Presentation made at the 2015 National Association for Alternative Certification conference March 18-21 Pia Conte, Reading Coach and Adjunct Professor in Alt Cert Program Pam Guimond, Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education, TQP Grant co-Director Session Outcomes   Establish rationale for the literacy and STEM programs and describe the value of each to teacher and students.  Provide descriptions of each of the programs and their relation to the Alt Cert program and Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant goals.  Establish rationale for each of the key components of “The Complexity of Teacher Quality: A Collaborative Teacher Preparation Framework”.  Provide networking opportunity on the challenging topic of accountability in teacher preparation. In the Beginning…   GSU in South Suburban region of Chicago  Fifteen cohorts will have completed the program by August 2015 –17 month program  Partnership with approximately 15 districts  2006 One of six national finalists for the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education (AASCU)  2002 TTT grantee  2008 (ongoing) state induction/mentoring grant (not funded in 2014)  2010 TQP grantee - $7.1 million – one of eleven proposals funded across country Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Grant  Objectives  Enhance student achievement  Enhance teacher preparation Designed a MAT in Urban Teacher Education  Three strands  Elementary  Secondary Science (Biology and Chemistry)  Secondary Math  Includes a Residency Research   “Policy makers and educators are coming to see that what students learn is directly related to what and how teachers teach; and what and how teachers teach depends on the knowledge, skills and commitments they bring to their teaching…” (FeimerNemser, 2001) Research   “What teachers know and can do makes the crucial differences in what teachers can accomplish. New courses, tests, curriculum reforms can be important starting points, but they are meaningless if teachers cannot use them productively. (National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, 1996). The Complexity of Teacher Quality: A Collaborative Teacher Preparation Framework Karen Peterson, EdD, Governors State University (2012) Rigorous Selection and PerformanceBased Assessment  High Quality FieldBased Instruction Linking Theory to Practice Focused Work with District and Building Administrators Comprehensive Induction with Intensive Mentoring Ongoing Collaborative Professional Development Parent Involvement and Community Partnership General Strategies for Developing and Maintaining Collaborative Relationships   Program coordinators participate in annual sessions at each district’s administrative team meeting. Focus on:  Alternative certification research and research on new teacher development.  The role of the administrator in supporting new teachers and leading staff and supporting them,  Co-teaching strategies and our work with our mentor learning community.  Providing information on our candidates’ preparation and upcoming professional development.  Principals provide feedback for continuous program improvement and PD needs.  Development of the Principal Performance-based assessment and work with a national leader in the field with PLC’s. Some PD Initiatives   Closing the Achievement Gap with Dr. Joseph Murphy, Vanderbilt University  Building GAPS PLC’s for ongoing work with Dr. Murphy  GAPS project development aligned with school improvement plans  Trainer of Trainers in Co-Teaching  STEM Conference with the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative (INTC)  Classroom Management with Harry Wong  Summer Literacy Program  After-school STEM program  A myriad of PD opportunities, updated monthly, for partner school districts and GSU faculty “Express Yourself” Summer Literacy Exchange   Teacher Quality Partnership  Summer School in Partnership with  District 148 – Dolton Riverdale 87% low income  14 day session  District 132 – Calumet Park 92% low income  16 day session  Partnership with The National Center for Literacy Education   Improve Student Achievement  Improve Teacher Quality  Through mentoring of recent program graduates  Formative assessment on Danielson Framework with action plan goal setting  Multi-Purposing Summer School Student Growth   Academic Press + Community of Care  Academic Vocabulary + Larry Bell’s Power Words  Literacy  Social Emotional Learning and Integration of the Arts and Technology  2.5 hours of instructional time with 2 teachers coteaching  Community wall and individual posters  Grounded in the work of Dr. Joe Murphy Teacher Growth       1.5 hours of planning time with master teacher mentor Videotaping and lesson analysis Focus on development of “teacher think” Through metacognitive analysis Parent/student work with Parent Engagement Coordinators  http://media.ncte.org/library/video/weboptimized/68e1adae-d018-472d-bf04-3c1289ac5982-1.webm  IC STEM After-School STEM Clubs   Increase student interest and achievement in STEM fields and  Support teachers as they develop skills needed to develop and implement inquiry activities. Program Goals   Teachers will be able to practice developing and     implementing inquiry activities. Teachers will be able to conduct science enrichment inquiry activities with 20-40 students from their district. Teachers will build a collection of inquiry science activities for grades K-8. Teachers will become school/district inquiry leaders that teach colleagues how to develop their own inquiry lessons and share inquiry lesson already developed. Teachers will build a science inquiry support network with teachers in the South Suburbs. Golden Apple Inquiry Summer Institute   Held at the Museum of Science and Industry  Sponsored by Golden Apple and taught by Golden Apple fellows  Teachers attended all-day training sessions for one week (they will follow up with another one-week training this summer) on how to implement science inquiry teaching, while preparing for NGSS  Teachers were in the center of their learning, building the know-how to teach hands-on inquiry-based-science and the confidence to bring this same excitement into their own classrooms Club Organization   Teacher-teams made up of one Golden Apple trained teacher and one Alt Cert program completer.  Teacher-teams planned inquiry activities together one week.  Teacher-teams worked with students the following week.  Club duration 16 weeks. Golden Apple Inquiry Summer Institute   Use simple, inexpensive, readily available materials  Teachers learn how to engage students, trigger their curiosity and sense of wonder and foster collaborative problem solving. Lessons We’ve Learned   Importance of developing partnerships based on mutual concerns of schools and university  Transformation from a traditional university/school partnership to a more collaborative model  New model required participants:     provide support collaboratively, nuture flexibility, demonstrate results, seek multiple sources of support. Share Thoughts and Insights  What lessons have you learned on your way to… Developing and Maintaining Partnerships? for this opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences…  Questions and Comments??? References  Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record. Volume 103, Number 6, pp.1013-1055. Jacullo-Noto, Joann. (1993). An urban schools/liberal arts college partnership for teacher development. Journal of Teacher Education. Volume 43, Number 4, pp. 278-282. National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (1996). New York, New York. Saphier, Jon. (2011). Beyond Mentoring: Comprehensive Induction Programs: How to Attract, Support and Retain New Teachers. Teachers, Newton, MA. Visit Our Website  www.govst.edu/altcert/ Pia Conte [email protected] Pam Guimond [email protected]