CTE TEACH – Professional Development Opportunity

I recently participated in a meeting to learn about the curriculum and professional development training that is being offered for teachers with a designated subject credential and in particular for new teachers from industry  who need the 20-hours of “Early Orientation” time for their designated subject credential.

If you know of a teacher, school or district that could benefit from this free training, please forward this information on to them. Below is a letter from Stephanie Houston to explain the program and contact information:

Welcome CTE Professionals!

The Colton Redlands Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program (CRY‐ROP), in partnership with the California Department of Education and the Governor’s Career Technical Education Initiative, is offering K‐12 school districts, ROCPs, community colleges, and charter schools the opportunity to participate in a statewide program to fully develop CTE Teach, a new teacher training program. CTE Teach is similar to the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program for regular academic teachers and is designed to support the unique needs of new Career Technical Education teachers transitioning from industry to the classroom.

Today’s students will compete and thrive in an increasingly complicated, interconnected world ‐wide community. Federal and state accountability systems, ambitious goals and rigorous standards have placed unprecedented demands on both students and teachers. Teachers must possess a wide range of skills and competencies to provide a state‐off‐the‐art education the global economy demands. The California State Plan for Vocational and Technical Education, 2008‐2012 establishes the vision, goals and essential elements of a world‐class career technical education system. The plan is aligned with federal priorities and validates the need for on‐going, professional development and specifically identifies a key priority of “promoting leadership, initial preparation, and professional development of CTE teachers.” Research documents state that secondary drop‐out rates are reduced by student involvement in high quality CTE programs. Effective CTE teachers provide students with relevant, contextual learning that keeps them engaged.

In an educational climate that documents qualified teachers leaving the classroom in droves, as well as a shortage of qualified CTE teachers, this project is designed to increase teacher retention, improve instruction and teacher effectiveness through a system of on‐going support. Additionally, industry professionals transitioning from business to the classroom are required to obtain a Designated Subjects CTE (DS‐CCTE) credential which authorizes them to teach CTE courses within the fifteen State approved industry sectors. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires a program for early orientation for new CTE teachers. This project will fulfill the early orientation training need, and provide a consistent, high‐quality, replicable delivery model.

Compensation of up to $24,950 for staff time plus travel and accommodation expenses is available through this project. To participate in the first phase of this cutting‐edge opportunity, send your contact information to our Project Coordinator, Greg DiGiovanni at Greg_Digiovvanni@cry‐rop.org. I truly hope you will consider this incredible leadership and professional development opportunity.

Stephanie Houston, Superintendent, Colton‐Redlands‐Yucaipa ROP