Georgia Educator Preparation Putting Students First Georgia Professional Standards Commission Fall 2015

Raising Expectations Transformations Partnerships Data-informed Improvements Looking Forward

Improving student growth & learning is our top priority! What do the numbers tell us? 34% of 3rd graders are reading at grade level GA ranks 28th nationally on ACT 2014 grad. rate -72.5%

"Every system is perfectly designed to achieve exactly the results it gets.” Dr. Don Berwick Berwick is past president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and most recently the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Changing our Systems Higher expectations for students Better prepared educators Higher expectations for educators Higher achieving students Transformations aimed at improving the preparation of educators are well underway.

Transformations Pre-service educators spend more time in schools—meaningful time Year-long residencies Co-teaching Professional development schools Performance-based Educational Leadership Year-long residencies: Many EPPs have implemented a residency model where candidates are in a clinical setting for an entire year, learning the culture of school, working with students to increase their learning, etc. Co-teaching: In many cases, candidates and their cooperating teachers are co-teachers in the classroom. They work side-by-side to teach the students in those classrooms, rather than having traditional student teaching roles (where one teaches and one primarily observes part of the time). Professional development schools: Many EPPs have established relationships with B-12 schools called professional development schools. These intensive partnerships provide a variety of benefits for all involved. Oftentimes, college coursework is taught on the campus of the P-12 school, professors and teachers switch roles for periods of time, and the EPP becomes heavily involved with reviewing data and providing professional learning opportunities. Performance-based Educational Leadership: Those who are training to become leaders are doing so while on the job. They complete projects associated with increased student learning and growth.

Transformations Stronger emphasis on knowledge of ethics and ethical decision making Pre-Service Certification for those in teacher preparation programs Rigorous programs for career-changers Certification assessments assure new educators are ready to enter the profession Subsequent slides cover each of these points

Why Focus on Ethics? GaPSC receives hundreds of ethics complaints every month We are taking preventive action Critical need for tools to help educators make ethical decisions before the damage is done Program providers are incorporating more instruction on ethical decision making

Pre-Service Certification Holds pre-service teachers accountable to the GA Code of Ethics Assures Schools/Districts a background check has been passed Required for those seeking field placements & internships in your schools GA and out-of-state programs

GaTAPP Currently there are 19 GaTAPP Programs across the state. Seven programs doubled their numbers this year making our total number of 2015- 2016 new candidates 900. GaTAPP is currently preparing and coaching over 1000 candidates to meet demands in high-needs schools and subjects. GaTAPP programs are growing. GaTAPP Teachers are Impact Players!

GaTAPP GaTAPP teachers must pass the same assessments as traditional candidates Plus Demonstrate Proficient performance on 24 Competencies of Effective Teaching Meet performance expectations of TKES Pass the edTPA in their 2nd or 3rd semester of teaching (based on hire date) What is edTPA?

edTPA – Education Teacher Performance Assessment A performance-based assessment of teaching completed during student teaching (traditional) or in the 2nd or 3rd semester for GaTAPP teachers. A passing score is required to earn an Induction certificate (traditional programs) or to complete a GaTAPP program.

edTPA involves extensive use of portfolios and unedited videotaping in Georgia’s P-12 schools – scored by a highly trained external evaluator. GACE measures content knowledge, edTPA measures the ability to teach the content.

With edTPA: New teachers have detailed information on their strengths and areas for growth; Employing districts have the information necessary to inform individualized induction/PL programs; and Program providers know how to improve programs and structures of support for pre- service teachers. A similar, portfolio-based assessment is under development for educational leadership programs.

Seamless Transition The transition from pre-service to in- service is smoother than ever before… Alignment of pre-service standards (InTASC) to TKES/LKES Alignment of pre-service assessments to TKES/LKES GACE, InternKeys, and edTPA edTPA results inform PLPs

educator preparation is a TEAM SPORT! Transforming… educator preparation is a TEAM SPORT! Silos are coming down Partnerships are strengthening across the state Talk about partnerships among state agencies and among EPPs, as well as partnerships among P-12 schools and EPPs.

The Power of Partnerships Preparation of your future workforce Year-long residencies & co-teaching Site-based courses and Professional Development Schools GaTAPP coaching, candidate support Ed leadership residencies Induction support Professional Learning Building capacity for Teacher Leadership When schools and EPPs work together, they can enhance the learning for not only teacher candidates, but also for in-service teachers. EPPs can partner with schools to examine student learning data, and then provide professional learning for in-service teachers on specific topics intended to increase achievement. In addition, school districts can partner with EPPs to examine EPP data, providing necessary seminars or workshops focused on improving candidate preparation. Inviting teachers to attend the EPP seminars (and inviting candidates to attend professional learning for in-service teachers) would be mutually beneficial for all.

P-20 Collaboratives GA has been divided into 9 regions Each region is centered around a group of preparation providers and contains all P- 12 partners in the region and RESAs Meet twice a year to identify areas of focus Provide opportunities for professional learning for all stakeholders Allow for dialogue to powerfully impact student learning One focus for all regions is training for those who serve as mentor teachers. There is a need to ensure that those individuals are prepared for their roles as cooperating teachers. P-20 collaborative efforts also include intentionality toward the appropriate selection of those mentor teachers, as well as sites for clinical practice. In several regions, EPPs and school districts are coming together to determine how to best implement co-teaching in all clinical practice placements.

Data-informed Improvements Prep. program effectiveness will be determined partly by performance in the field Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures (PPEMs) 50% from TKES/LKES Inform program improvement Inform the public about program quality

What’s Coming? New Educational Leadership Programs Alternative preparation programs for school leaders—piloting three programs Expanded options for the Educator Ethics Assessment Professional learning reform Ed Leadership – describe the 2-tiered model and the emphasis on instructional leadership and culture Alt prep for leader programs – explain the need in specific areas of the state and the fact that this is a limited pilot Ethics Assessment for inservice educators will be available in late 2016

Although these transformation efforts are targeted toward long-term impact, we are already seeing positive outcomes, as exemplified by one candidate who wrote, “It's comforting to know that it (edTPA) is in fact making me a better teacher.”

Questions?

Reiterate our focus on improving student growth and learning Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century.“ Perelman

Contact Us *E-mail is the best way to reach Educator Preparation staff! For Questions About: Contact: *E-mail Phone 404-232- GACE, edTPA, or Ethics Assessments Anne Marie Fenton annemarie.fenton@gapsc.com 2654 GaTAPP or Endorsement Programs Julie Beck julie.beck@gapsc.com 2642 Program Approval, P-20 Collaboratives, Partnerships Angie Gant angie.gant@gapsc.com 2655 Preparation Rules or PPEMs Penney McRoy penney.mcroy@gapsc.com 2629 Certification Certification Staff mail@gapsc.com Explain that Ed Prep staff travel a lot and can be reached faster via e-mail.