georgia teaching fellows and muscogee county school district

Georgia Teaching Fellows and Muscogee County School District

March 11, 2011

2© The New Teacher Project 2010

Objectives

• Introduce Georgia Teaching Fellows• Discuss Summer Institute/Summer

School• Part-time job opportunities• Next Steps


Georgia Teaching Fellows’ mission is to close the achievement gap by providing school districts with qualified, effective teachers.

Georgia Teaching Fellows is a selective alternative certification program that recruits, selects, and trains achievement-oriented individuals to become highly effective teachers.

We build a cohort of professionals from all fields who will bring their expertise into Georgia classrooms and increase student achievement in our state’s public schools.

Teaching Fellows work toward certification in key shortage areas such as mathematics, science, and special education.


Eligibility requirements to apply

• Bachelor’s degree by June 15, 2011 from an accredited college or university

*Official transcripts will be required to enroll

• Eligible to work in the United States U.S. Citizenship or permanent resident status

• Cumulative undergraduate university GPA of 2.7 (we will make some allowances for candidates with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.69)

• May not be currently or previously certified as a teacher


TNTP’s selection process aims to gain a well-rounded view of candidates and of the personality traits that predict success in the classroom.

Application Screening• Conducted by trained

screeners• Screeners review

candidate’s written application, including resume, cover letter, personal statement, academic transcripts, etc.

• Candidates who show evidence of selection criteria invited to interview

Day-Long Interview• Conducted by trained

selectors, including principals and former principals

• Includes a sample teaching session, writing exercise, personal interview, and discussion group

• Candidates must demonstrate evidence that they meet selection criteria to be recommended for acceptance

Final Review• Program staff review

each selector’s recommendations and make final decisions

• All recommendations must be backed by written evidence

• Outstanding candidates invited to join program

• District approves and signs all acceptance letters

The selection process itself helps inspire candidates to want to participate in the program by communicating the recruitment messages and cultivating a professional, dynamic aura.


TNTP will develop a comprehensive Georgia Teaching Fellows program which will provide a pipeline of effective teachers from nontraditional backgrounds.

CertificationT Thru Practitioner

Teacher Program

District Hiring/ Support

SummerTraining SelectionRecruitment

• Create an aggressive campaign

• Target outstanding mid- career professionals, recent grads

• Seek candidates who are inspired to teach in high-need areas

• Cultivate top candidates

• Utilize Ambassadors to support recruitment

• Use rigorous selection process to identify individuals with strong content knowledge, verbal ability, and a record of exceptional achievement

• Train principals and school/district staff in selection model

• Utilize Selectors to manage interview events

• 5-6 week program

• Participants internalize our strategies for effective teaching

• Participants teach in summer school, observe, and engage in intensive professional development sessions

• Utilize Faculty Advisors to train and support Fellows

• Provide high-touch customer service to most desirable candidates

• Establish web-based referral system that allows applicants to be considered by multiple schools and to register for events and interviews online

• Enable principals to view applicants and schedule interviews online

• This will take place in the spring and summer of 2011 for GTF

• Ensure candidates meet “highly qualified” standards

• Prepare candidates for state certification and ensure they complete certification in timely manner

• Connect teachers with district support resources such as mentors

• Ensure that only those participants who demonstrate effectiveness based upon growth in student achievement are certified.

• Utilize Seminar Leaders to facilitate content

Operations

Planning & Evaluation


In addition to passing a rigorous selection process, candidates will be required to demonstrate effectiveness in the classroom in order to receive certification.

Summer Training

Institute: Assessment of

Fellow potential

End of Year 1: Certification or continuation

decisions

End of Year 2: Certification or

dismissal decisions

• Collect data on Fellow classroom performance

• Collect data on Fellow classroom and program performance

• Collect data on Fellow classroom performance

• Conduct observations • Use data to inform certification decisions

• Use data to make final certification decisions

• Outplace Fellows who do not show potential for effective instruction

• Outplace Fellows who do not demonstrate effectiveness above a target

• Outplace Fellows who do not demonstrate effectiveness above a target


Participants in Georgia Teaching Fellows benefit from…

Intensive training before entering the classroom: During the Summer Training Institute, Fellows participate in an intense training that includes hands on experience working in a summer school classroom and training sessions led by veteran teachers.

*95% of 2010 Fellows felt that our summer training Institute prepared them as well as possible to be successful in their first year of teaching.


A Closer Look at GTF’s Summer Training Institute

Commitment: The six-week summer Institute is a full-time commitment and runs early-June through mid-July.Practice Teaching: Fellows spend some mornings with veteran teachers in their summer school classrooms observing and receiving hands on opportunities working with and teaching students. Practice Teaching typically lasts about 3-4 hours per day, giving Fellows between 60 -120 hours of hands-on preparation for their own classrooms – more than double the state requirement. Fellows also receive feedback on their instruction. Afternoon Sessions: Small, content-based groups work with a master teacher. Teaching for Student Achievement (TfSA), the Institute framework, focuses on the two most crucial areas of learning for new teachers:

1) Classroom Management and Culture2) Instructional Design and Delivery

Evaluation: Fellows are evaluated on their mastery of the curriculum through the above two components of Institute: framework sessions (based on assignments, session involvement, and professional values focused on effective teaching) and practice teaching (based on observations of each Fellows’ teaching).


1- The Insitute Director ($10,000) is one of the key players in the Fellow’s training institute and their readiness to enter the classroom. Ultimately, the Institute Director is responsible for the successful planning and implementation of the training institute, including the training and management of a team of teacher trainers (Fellow Advisors) and to delivery of our Teaching for Student Achievement curriculum (TfSA).

1- Data Specialist ($4,000) is one of the key players in the Fellows’ training Institute responsible for monitoring Fellow performance throughout their training to ensure they are as prepared as possible to effectively lead their own classrooms. DS will report to the Training and Resource Manager and will coordinate with the Site Manager and Assistant Institute Director to ensure that data is consistently and accurately entered into the program database so that the Institute Team may make data-driven decisions. The Data Specialist is a full-time role for the duration of the teachNOLA summer Institute (5-6 weeks) and is based out of the Institute site (centrally located public school in New Orleans).

3- Fellow Advisors ($5,000) deliver the Georgia Teaching Fellows curriculum to the Fellows during Institute Training. Each FA works directly with a group of 10 - 20 Fellows and is responsible for observing and giving constructive feedback to Fellows on their practice teaching in the mornings, in addition to leading Teaching for Student Achievement (TfSA) curriculum sessions and workshops in the afternoons. FAs are experienced and successful teachers who guide Fellows as they learn to set high academic goals, invest Fellows in these goals, and work strategically to meet them.

2- Observers ($2,000) is one of the key players in the Fellows’ Training Institute and is integral to Fellow readiness to enter the classroom. Each FV is responsible for observing a group of 9 to 12 Fellows as they complete the Practice Teaching component of their Training Institute experience. FVs are experienced and successful teachers who guide Fellows as they learn to set high academic goals, invest students in these goals, and work strategically to meet them.

20- Cooperating Teachers ($400)

Opportunities for teachers and district staff to support Georgia Teaching Fellows through part-time positions


District Hiring

95% of principals agreed that Fellows have a stronger knowledge of their content area as compared to other first year teachers.

92% of principals agreed that Fellows are more effective at planning and delivering curriculum and instruction.

95% of principals feel that Fellows are more effective at raising student achievement.

Principal and District representatives are pleased with the caliber of Teaching Fellows, which assists Fellows in securing positions


Next Steps

GTF meet with MCSD Principals who will host summer school

Publicize and Recruit for part-time job opportunities

GTF meet with MCSD Principals who will have vacancies


Training: Accepted candidates participate in an intensive six-week pre-service training institute.

The Teaching for Student Achievement (TfSA) Framework organizes the critical knowledge and skills that new teachers need to be effective in a high-need school.


The Teaching for Student Achievement (TfSA) Framework comprises 10 competencies.

Framework Competencies1) Set Rigorous Academic Goals2) Use Appropriate Assessments3) Create Standards-Based Lessons

and Units4) Apply Differentiated Instruction5) Use High Impact Teaching

Strategies6) Address Misbehavior Effectively7) Develop Rules, Procedures and

Consequences8) Create a “No Excuses” Classroom

Culture9) Use Diversity to Promote

Achievement10) Effecting Change as a Newcomer

georgia teaching fellows and muscogee county school district

Documents

new teacher project

teaching fellows work

georgia classrooms

sample teaching session

rigorous selection process

recent gradsseek candidates

evidence of selection

pipeline of effective