Based on the video I viewed on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) on the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) website, I wanted to know more about the state's efforts to improve its teacher education programs.
The proposed change suggests that in order to properly support student teachers and intern teachers, educator preparation programs should make it more difficult to become a field supervisor or cooperating teacher/mentor (Texas Education Agency, 2023). Next, the late hire period has been moved from June 15 to 45 days before the first day of instruction, so that more intern instructors have time to finish training before commencing work (Texas Education Agency, 2023). In order to adequately prepare for such careers in the classroom, the present minimum of 80 hours of study and specialization should be increased to 150 hours (Texas Education Agency, 2023). In addition, the clinical training period can be increased from 12 to 14 weeks to give students extra practical experience before they acquire their teaching credentials (Texas Education Agency, 2023). It is recommended that preparation programs increase the number of observations they provide intern teachers from three per year to five (Texas Education Agency, 2023).
As part of its accountability system for educator preparation, the Accountability System for Educator Preparation would set a more exact and transparent criterion for judging the achievement of applicants on certification tests (Texas Education Agency, 2023). Having access to this data would allow for a more accurate comparison of available software. The plan would lay forth targets and a timetable for other required performance metrics set by law (Texas Education Agency, 2023).
The Professional Educator Preparation and Certification program is expanding its certification options for alternative certification programs on September 1, 2017 by introducing an intern and a probationary certificate (Texas Education Agency, 2023). An intern can use their credentials for the year only if they pass all of the required examinations in their field. In order to earn a two-year provisional teaching license, the candidate must pass all certification exams, including those on pedagogy and professional requirements (Texas Education Agency, 2023). This approach would require teachers to have expertise in their field before they could earn a position as a full-fledged classroom teacher, and it would cap the number of years an educator could spend in the profession without meeting their pedagogical and professional obligations (Texas Education Agency, 2023). It's wonderful news for schools and parents alike since it means candidates with varying levels of education and experience will receive more tailored assistance.
Disproportionate Rates of Access to Educators stood out to me when I skimmed the "Proposed ESSA Plan Amendment - January 2023." Contrary to expectations, the analysis did not identify differences between Title 1 and non-Title 1 campuses. When comparing Title I schools and non-Title I schools, TEA discovered discrepancies in teachers' experiences throughout the 2016–2017 school year (Texas Education Agency, 2023). When comparing Title I campuses to schools without Title I funding, we find that 5.35 percent of Title I campuses have a higher percentage of teachers in their first two years of teaching (Texas Education Agency, 2023).
Thirdly, I was interested in learning more about the criteria and methodology used by TEA to evaluate classroom teachers. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) analyzes indicators of student growth derived from statewide assessment results to evaluate the quality of education provided to students. I'm curious as to how they account for things like student families' involvement, teachers' lack of resources, and class sizes over which they have little say.
I was a teacher in a Title I school for a while and am interested in this topic because of the knowledge and lessons I learned there, both good and bad. It makes sense to me to allow intern teachers to help alleviate the teacher shortage and to increase the rigor of teacher preparation to ensure that students have access to qualified educators. Teaching is also gratifying and has deep significance. The profession of education is one that I find to be demanding of one's time and energy as well as mentally and physically exhausting. In the end, I realized that the sacrifices I had to make for my loved ones were not commensurate with the benefits I received. What I want to know is what schools can do to keep their teachers.
References
Texas Education Agency. (2023, February 3). Every student succeeds act. Texas Education
Agency. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-
rules/essa/every-student-succeeds-act
This is a response from Francisco Sanchez in the EDU6380 course with Dr. Wallace's:
Hello, Mrs. Davis. It is always great to read your work.
I want to discuss your statements regarding the accountability system for educator preparation programs. I find collective, national, and state measures paradoxical. You mention in your writing how the internship hours may be increased from 12 weeks of study to 14 weeks. Later in your blog, you also say how the state is attempting to accelerate the number of teachers finishing the alternate certification program by reducing the need to be certified until after a year of employment as an educator, given that the individual passed the state exams.
We seem to have a state…