Chapter 25:

Teacher Preparation

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INTRODUCTION

Teacher preparation has been an integral part of the mission of San Francisco State University since it opened in 1899 as San Francisco State Normal School, a teacher-training center. The first class of 36 women graduated in 1901. In fact, the California State University system is a primary source of California teachers, preparing 60% of the state's K–12 teachers.

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The urgent need for qualified teachers in the state continues to grow. This is primarily due to three factors: (1) the increasing numbers of K–12 school age children coming into the state; (2) the numbers of faculty reaching retirement; and (3) recent legislative decisions to reduce class size in the public schools. All three factors contribute to the anticipated need for 300,000 new teachers within the next 5-10 years. In 1999-2000, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) granted 30,000 emergency permits to individuals who had not completed the credential requirements but were hired by school districts because the districts were unable to find fully qualified teachers.

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The role of the CSU in teacher preparation was reemphasized in June 1998 when Chancellor Charles Reed and the Board of Trustees identified teacher preparation as a major priority. They noted: "The California State University is committed to serving every individual who wants to be a teacher, wishes to be prepared by CSU, and meets CSU admission standards" (see "CSU's Commitment to Prepare High Quality Teachers" at www.calstate.edu/tier3/Executive/TeacherEd.html). In this statement, the Chancellor and the Trustees agreed upon the following goals:

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• Access: To build the capacity and efficiency of California's largest public university.

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• Curriculum: To develop opportunities for early and better articulated teacher preparation.

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• High Standards: To establish the CSU benchmark for a well-prepared California teacher.

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• Collaboration with Schools: To broaden university/K–12 shared role in teacher preparation.

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SFSU has embraced this commitment and these goals. Teacher preparation is viewed as an all-university responsibility. This chapter highlights the programs and activities that have been developed and enhanced to address the chancellor's and trustees' decisions.

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ACCESS: INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PREPARED TEACHERS

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The CSU commitment to access focuses on recruitment and on creating simplified and user-friendly admission procedures. At SFSU, recruitment efforts to attract students to teaching careers have been extensive. Particular emphasis has been placed on recruiting culturally and ethnically diverse students. That these recruitment efforts have been successful is demonstrated by the fact that 36% of the current students in the College of Education are students of color, compared to 25% in 1994.

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Additional funds were allocated to the CSU to address the state's need for more elementary school teachers as a result of class size reduction. At SFSU, the funds were allocated to the College of Education, and specifically to the Department of Elementary Education, to increase the number of students admitted to the Multiple Subject Credential program. The FTES in the department thus increased from 411 in Fall 1997 to 551 in Fall 1999, an increase of 34%. It is anticipated that the numbers of credentials recommended to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing will show a proportionate increase as students complete the credential program. Preliminary data indicate that the number of credentials awarded has increased from 99 in Fall 1997 to 131 in Fall 1999, a 32% increase. Additionally, as a result of intensive recruiting in the Single Subject Credential area, the number of credentials awarded has increased from 36 in Fall 1997 to 59 in Fall 1999, a 64% increase.

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Recruitment

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The following are examples of recruitment efforts that have been instituted to address the CSU commitment regarding building capacity:

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A faculty member with a joint appointment in Elementary Education and Ethnic Studies has been provided with released time to focus on recruiting culturally and linguistically diverse students majoring in liberal studies, a baccalaureate degree program appropriate for admission to the Multiple Subject Credential program. This faculty member sponsors workshops, sends special mailings to students, and meets with students individually and in small groups to provide information about teaching careers.

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Undergraduate students can also learn about teaching careers at Sneak Preview and Advising Days, which are orientation days for prospective students. At each of these events, the liberal studies program coordinator and faculty from the College of Education present a workshop entitled "So You Want To Be A Teacher." A brochure entitled You'd Be a Great Teacher! outlines for undergraduate students what to do to become a teacher. This brochure is distributed to high school and community college counselors and students through SFSU's Student Outreach Services Office.

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Community service learning programs such as America Reads and AmeriCorps allow undergraduates to explore working in the education field. These programs provide opportunities for SFSU students to work with students in elementary classrooms. This practical experience is very useful in helping students decide if teaching is the career for them.

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The All-University Teacher Education Committee (AUTEC) collaboratively developed an on-line course to encourage students to consider teaching as a profession. The course, EDUC 333—Exploring Teaching as a Career, has increased in enrollment from an initial group of 13 students to a Spring 2000 enrollment of 47. Freshmen through graduate students interested in teaching preschoolers through university students have enrolled in the course. Based on evaluations completed each semester, students have identified the course as providing useful career directions.

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In Spring 2000, the dean of the College of Education taught an introduction to teaching careers at SFSU's largest feeder community college, City College of San Francisco, through the Transfer Articulation Bridge (TAB) Program. (TAB is a joint endeavor between CCSF's Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and SFSU's Community Access and Retention Program.) Twenty-seven students at City College enrolled in the introduction to teaching careers course through SFSU, received SFSU credit, and were able to attend the class at the CCSF campus. Considerable interest has been generated among students at CCSF. It is anticipated that this will be a strong recruiting tool for prospective SFSU students wishing to pursue a teaching career.

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The employed teachers single subject program in the Department of Secondary Education focuses on preparing teachers who have been hired by school districts in "hard to hire" categories and have not yet completed their credentials. Typically, more than 50% of these teachers are people of color. The program was recently doubled in size, and now more than 50 candidates complete the program each year.

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Faculty have also been successful in obtaining grant funds to recruit diverse students. Further details regarding these programs are described in the section of this chapter related to university/K-12 collaboration.

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Simplified and User-Friendly Admission Procedures

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The College of Education, working in collaboration with the dean of undergraduate studies, established the Teacher Preparation Center (TPC) in Fall 1999, designed as a "one stop shop" for students interested in teaching careers. Thus, whether the person considering a teaching career is an incoming freshman or a professional with a graduate degree, he/she can go to the TPC to learn about the steps required to obtain a credential. The TPC staff provides referrals for students and supplies materials related to teaching careers. The center includes a resource room that has a computer station accessible to students and comfortable furniture if students want to relax and talk to other students interested in teaching. The center is physically located in Burk Hall, in near proximity to other offices that advise students about procedures for being admitted to teacher preparation programs and to College of Education faculty advisors.

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The College of Education's Credential Programs Admissions Office offers credential orientation workshops on a regular basis. These workshops explain the admissions requirements and processes for the basic credentials. The workshops are advertised on a web site [www.sfsu.edu/~credinfo/welcome.html] and at the Teacher Preparation Center, the Liberal Studies Office, and the Advising Center on campus. The Credential Programs Admissions Office has established a database of all Multiple and Single Subject and Education Specialist Credential program applicants. This database provides immediate access to the status of student applications and the numbers of students applying. This has been extremely useful in enrollment planning and resource allocation requests to ensure that all qualified students are admitted.

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CURRICULUM

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Implementing the CSU commitment concerning opportunities for early and better-articulated teacher preparation programs has been a major focus of attention at SFSU. Specific emphasis has been placed on providing multiple entry points and pathways to the teaching profession.

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Innovations in Undergraduate Programs

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A Minor in Education, approved by the Academic Senate in Spring 1998, was developed to attract students on campus who are considering teaching as a career. The minor is designed to provide opportunities for students to study education issues, to meet faculty in Education, and to have field experiences working with children in public schools in the Bay Area. Students receive early advice about appropriate courses to take that make them eligible to enter credential programs.

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A new subject matter program in the child and adolescent development (CAD) baccalaureate degree was approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing in May 1999. It is anticipated that students from diverse populations majoring in CAD will be recruited into credential programs. Students completing this program will satisfy the subject matter requirements for the Multiple Subject Credential.

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In the Fall of 1998, the vice president for academic affairs charged a sub-committee of the Liberal Studies Council to develop a plan for an integrated B.A. in Liberal Studies and Multiple Subject Credential. This broad-based faculty group developed a curriculum that is designed for students entering as first-time freshmen who know they want to become teachers. The Liberal Studies Integrated Teacher Education (LSITE) program enables students to complete both subject matter and pedagogy within 4½ years. Each semester candidates take, concurrently as a cohort, courses in subject matter and at least one course in pedagogy. Candidates begin with subject matter that they can immediately put into practice and gradually across eight semesters increase their knowledge of subject matter at the same time they are learning the pedagogy of each discipline. For example, in the first semester, LSITE candidates analyze elements of music and musical styles. The course is structured to develop musical judgment and creativity. Woven into the course is a pedagogical strand that increases candidates' knowledge and understanding of developmentally appropriate teaching practice. In another example, students in the fourth semester of the program enroll in a physical and life science course while at the same time enrolling in a course on curriculum and instruction in science.

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Post B.A. Credential Initiatives

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A CSU initiative to expand year-round operations (YRO) was implemented in Summer 2000 at SFSU and includes a focus on teacher preparation. Students were able to enroll in Multiple Subject, Single Subject, or Education Specialist Credential programs and pay state-support fees rather than self-support fees. The YRO focus on teacher preparation programs is geared toward addressing the CSU’s commitment in this area.

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An alternative Multiple Subject Credential program was piloted in Summer 1999 as the Summer Intensive Teacher Education (SITE) program. This program is designed for emergency permit teachers who take a full load of courses in the summer to prepare for teaching in their own classroom beginning in the fall semester. Courses in the fall and spring semesters are structured for working teachers in terms of scheduling (after school and weekends), location (at school district sites), and assignments (directed to activities teachers can use in their classrooms). The candidates also complete student teaching requirements in their own classrooms. This innovative program has proven very popular with teachers on emergency permits and with districts that recognize that their under-prepared teachers need special support.

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The Muir Alternative Teacher Education (MATE) program has attracted national attention. The school is administered by co-principals. One principal is a tenured faculty member at SFSU and the other is an administrator in the San Francisco Unified School District who also serves as an SFSU lecturer. Candidates accepted into the Multiple Subject Credential program offered at John Muir Elementary School work in the kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms in the mornings and attend credential courses taught at the school site by SFSU faculty in the afternoons. Students report that they feel very well prepared to work in diverse, urban classrooms after completing this program. The San Francisco Unified School District recognizes their preparation, as these graduates are among the first hired by the district.

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The Clinical Schools Program is another example of a Multiple Subject Credential program that utilizes school district facilities, offering some credential courses at various elementary school sites in San Francisco. District and university faculty work closely together to make curricular revisions that strengthen the program and better prepare candidates to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students in the city's schools.

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Preparing teachers to work with the culturally and linguistically diverse students in Bay Area urban schools is a major responsibility of teacher education programs at SFSU. School districts are primarily interested in hiring teachers who understand and can use effective teaching strategies for English language learners (students whose first language is not English). Because of this, all Multiple Subject Credential programs are designed to include the Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) emphasis. The CLAD emphasis is also available to students who complete the Single Subject Credential program.

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Special Education Initiatives

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Project Include is another innovative program that combines the requirements for regular education and special education credentials. Candidates can earn a Multiple or Single Subject Credential with emphasis on teaching middle school students and an Education Specialist (mild/moderate emphasis) Credential. Faculty in the two credential programs have redesigned the curriculum, integrating the course work to allow the students to meet the standards of both credentials in a timely and effective way.

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A major shortage of fully qualified teachers exists in special education. To further exacerbate the situation, low incidence areas in special education (such as deaf/hard of hearing, physically handicapped, or visually handicapped) often result in teachers who are in classrooms all over the state, often in rural areas. This is especially true for teachers who are teaching the visually impaired. The on-campus program at SFSU preparing teachers to work with visually impaired is one of two programs in the state and is not readily accessible to all teachers. To remedy this, a faculty member in special education has designed a distance-learning program for these teachers. In Spring 2000, a pilot class was taught which included 13 students who enrolled on campus and 17 candidates who participated from five different distant sites located at district or county offices or local community colleges. The program is working well and was one of the programs offered through year-round operation in Summer 2000.

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HIGH STANDARDS

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The Credential Program Admissions Office, described above, ensures that applicants to the various credential programs meet admission standards. The CSU deans of education have proposed common admission standards for credential programs to be applicable to all CSU campuses. These standards have been reviewed and approved by the chancellor and will be instituted at SFSU by the beginning of the Fall 2001 semester.

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Assessment procedures in the teacher preparation programs have been established to verify that candidates meet the subject matter content and pedagogy standards required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The assessment is aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. Candidates are required to demonstrate their competence in course work, field experiences, and student teaching. Their field supervisors and university supervisors complete evaluation forms at midterm and at the end of the semester to evaluate the candidates and determine their competence. Only candidates who demonstrate competence as verified by their supervisors, and who have completed all other requirements as verified by the credential analysts, have their applications submitted to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing recommending them for the appropriate credential.

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The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) completed a joint site review in Spring 2000 of all teacher preparation programs at SFSU. This was a rigorous review conducted by a 24-member site team responsible for determining that all programs met eight common standards and various individual program standards. Only programs that meet CCTC standards can offer credential preparation programs. Accreditation by NCATE is voluntary, and approximately one-third of teacher preparation programs nationwide meet NCATE standards. At the conclusion of the visit, the CCTC site team recommended accreditation for all credential programs offered at SFSU, and the NCATE team recommended continuing accreditation. The results of this review are indicative of the high quality of teacher preparation programs on the campus.

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Faculty in the College of Education are establishing procedures to meet a new CCTC standard on technology for Multiple and Single Subject Credential programs. This new standard requires that candidates be able to use technology and that they be able to integrate this information into the K–12 curriculum. Intensive professional development was initiated in January 2000 to prepare SFSU faculty to incorporate technology into their course work. Professional development opportunities are continuing in Fall 2000, supported by state and federal grants that have been obtained by faculty in the Department of Instructional Technologies.

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COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS

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A major strength at SFSU is collaboration with K–12 schools. We have significantly increased and expanded the number of university/district partnerships. These include teacher preparation partnerships, participation in beginning teacher induction programs designed to assist teachers as they begin their teaching careers, and multiple externally funded projects in partnership with school districts.

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To underscore the commitment to collaboration, President Corrigan created the position of coordinator of K–12 educational outreach in 1999. The coordinator facilitates partnerships between the university and local school districts. (See the external partnerships chapter in Part One for further information.)

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Collaborative Teacher Preparation Partnerships

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The Paraprofessional Career Program is a partnership program among San Francisco Unified School District, United Educators of San Francisco, City College of San Francisco, and San Francisco State University. The program has been extremely effective in providing a systematic opportunity for paraprofessionals to obtain baccalaureate degrees and teaching credentials. Included are the San Francisco Paraprofessional Career Ladder Program, the San Francisco Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program, and the Bilingual Teacher Recruitment and Bilingual Cross-cultural Career Ladder Programs. Paraprofessionals recruited into these programs represent the diversity of the student population in the school district and come with a depth of understanding of the urban youth in San Francisco schools. Graduates of these programs remain in the teaching profession at a much higher percentage than is usually the case. For example, of the 130 paraprofessionals who have completed the program to date, 89% continue to teach in San Francisco schools.

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The Elk Grove Intern Program was the result of discussions for an alternative certification program between the Elk Grove School District and San Francisco State in 1994-95. The College of Education, the school district, and the bargaining agent for the certificated employees of the school district all participated in the planning, development, and implementation of this intern credential program. Two co-directors provide program administration, one from the College of Education who coordinates and oversees university responsibilities and resources, and one from the school district who has responsibility for coordinating the district's activities and resources for the program. Additionally, there is a full-time program coordinator who manages the everyday operations of the program. The program is viewed as highly successful by the school district, supplying almost one-quarter of the new teachers hired by the district each year (approximately 100 of 400 openings). The value of the program was also lauded during the Spring 2000 site visit by the accreditation site team from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

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The San Francisco Teaching Intern Credential Program was developed and implemented collaboratively in response to state initiatives and district need for an alternative teacher credential program. The San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco State, and the United Educators of San Francisco collaboratively developed the credential program which involves recruiting potential teachers, placing them in schools as teachers of record, and providing for their preparation in a two-year program that includes professional support. The program is a "learn and earn" program designed to prepare teachers for the culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms in the San Francisco school district. Individuals representing the three partners form an Intern Advisory Committee who work collaboratively to design and evaluate the program.

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Another example of responding to local K–12 requests is the Bay Area Teachers Center located at Lick-Wilmerding High School. The center was established to address the needs of private schools in San Francisco. SFSU, San Francisco Unified School District, and Oakland Unified School District offer resources from the public education community to complement the energy and expertise of the independent education community at Lick-Wilmerding High School, The Urban School of San Francisco, The Head-Royce School, The College Preparatory School, Aim High, and AmeriCorps.

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SFSU is also strongly committed to preparing school administrators to meet the challenges of their changing roles. The success of faculty efforts is evident in the number of requests from Bay Area Schools to provide specially designed programs for them. For example, programs have been developed for the San Mateo Office of Education and Marin County Office of Education leading to the Administrative Services Credential. Courses are taught at county sites for cohorts of future administrators. The success of this program has resulted in the two counties asking that the programs be extended to accommodate additional cohorts.

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Collaborative Professional Development Programs

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The College of Education is in partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program and the San Mateo BTSA Consortium. The latter is a partnership with twelve school districts in San Mateo County. Both programs have a majority of SFSU graduates and provide opportunities for SFSU faculty to work with our graduates as beginning teachers. These partnerships thus provide first-hand information regarding the effectiveness of our teacher preparation programs.

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SFSU is also in partnership with the Jefferson Union High School District as part of the California Academic Partnership Program. The goals of CAPP include developing cooperative efforts between secondary and post-secondary institutions; improving the academic quality of public secondary schools; improving secondary school curricula; enhancing the ability of students to benefit from these improvements; improving the preparation of all students for college; and involving those schools having low student participation in post-secondary education or a concentration of students underrepresented in higher education.

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The locus of this partnership is Jefferson High School. Student teachers are assigned to the school; a faculty member in the SFSU Mathematics Department and two graduate students offer after-school tutoring; faculty from the College of Education and the associate dean of undergraduate studies teach SFSU critical thinking courses at the high school site; faculty in Secondary Education collaborate with Jefferson High School faculty on a school-to-career program; and a representative faculty group serves on the CAPP Advisory Council. A broad-based group of educators, community representatives, parents, and students has developed district standards addressing what every student should know and be able to do upon graduation. The mathematics and English/language arts standards have been identified as a major focus for CAPP at the high school.

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Joint Doctorate

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The campus is seeking approval to negotiate a joint doctoral program in urban educational leadership with the University of California, Berkeley and two other CSU campuses—Hayward and San Jose. Just as there is a great need for teachers in California, so too is there a deepening need for new leaders at high levels of our public school systems. The strong CSU commitment to expand high quality teacher education clearly must extend to the preparation of innovative educational leaders at the doctoral level. The proposed four-campus model of collaboration will maximize our ability to leverage existing campus strengths to deliver a rigorous program that will attain national prominence. The plan for this consortium-based joint doctoral program is directly in line with stated goals of the CSU and the UC to support the K–12 public education system in California.

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CONCLUSION

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In summary, SFSU had made a strong response to each of the four goals identified by the chancellor and trustees in their commitment to prepare high quality teachers. We will continue to address recruitment efforts and design programs that recruit and retain a diverse credential candidate population. Efforts to simplify credential program admission procedures will continue to be a priority at the university. The process remains complex due to extensive legislative requirements.

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The faculty systematically review the curriculum to ensure that new requirements are incorporated into the credential programs. All programs must meet the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing standards requiring assessment of candidate competence prior to recommending candidates for a credential. Each credential program has identified assessment procedures and will continue to refine these procedures. In addition, faculty are committed to designing alternative programs that meet the needs of candidates, be they incoming freshmen, post-baccalaureate students, reentry students, or employed teachers working toward their credentials to become fully qualified.

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It is anticipated that the focus in the state and the nation will remain on education and teacher preparation and that there will be additional legislative initiatives, as yet unknown, that will require our response. Our collaborative partnerships with K-12 and community college colleagues will be a powerful force in meeting the CSU commitment to prepare high quality teachers and to address local and state needs.

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