|
Laura Bemus, Julie Brewer, Libby Langston
|
|
Changing Requirements
for New Teachers
By Laura Bemus, Assistant Superintendent
Greenville City School District
For the past four years, there has been a change for new
teachers. Prior to that time, when a teacher graduated from a
college or university, meeting the education requirements to become a
teacher, they applied for and were issued a two year provisional
teaching license from the Ohio Department of Education. Now, upon
graduation a prospective teacher is issued a Resident Educator license
with four years of additional requirements from the Ohio Department of
Education. When those requirements have been met, then a teacher
is issued a professional teaching license.
The purpose of the Ohio Resident Educator Program is to benefit
improved teacher effectiveness and improve student learning. The
timeline of best practices focuses on experience in year one with
knowledge of students, content, instruction, assessment, learning
environments, collaboration, professional growth, observation, and goal
setting. These areas of focus correspond with the seven teaching
standards for the state of Ohio. In year two analyzing best practices
is added to the focus. Performance is added in year three with a
Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA). Developed by the
Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, Teachscape, and
the Ohio Department of Education, RESA includes two videotaped lessons,
as well as, evidence of assessments, communication, and a reflection on
teaching practice. Leadership is the focus of year four. At the
completion of year four, if a resident educator has completed all of
their requirements, a resident educator applies for the 5-year
professional teaching license.
Teachers in the four years of the resident educator program have
specific requirements for each year of that program. It is a
formal program that includes mentoring on an ongoing basis.
During year three resident educators are required to administer a
performance-based assessment and must pass this assessment to become
eligible for the professional educator license. If an educator
doesn’t pass this assessment, they are required to retake the deficient
portions of the assessment.
Mrs. Julie Brewer is completing her fourth year as a resident educator
with Greenville City Schools and she stated that, “The first two years
of the program I had a one-on-one mentor who met with me regularly to
check in on my progress. Those conversations about what was going
well, what wasn’t going so well, and what could be done to make
improvements were crucial to my self-reflection process as an
educator. I’m so thankful to have had a wise listening ear who
helped me through those first couple of years. As a greater
emphasis continues to be placed on data, the Resident Educator Program
has helped me find ways to collect, analyze, and use this data.
Additionally, the very practice of self-evaluation and having progress
check-points can only help as teachers seek to become more effective in
their roles.” Mrs. Libby Langston, also a fourth year
resident educator with Greenville City Schools shared that, “The four
year Resident Educator program has been helpful in allowing me to meet
and work with other entry level teachers and has been very beneficial
in building a network of professionals to work with and share
ideas. Through the Resident Educator Program I have been allowed
to spend more time analyzing and reflecting on my teaching based on the
Ohio Standards for teachers.”
The Ohio Department of Education wants all educators to never stop
asking the question, “How can I be a better educator tomorrow than I am
today?” The process of becoming an effective educator never ends
and according to several of our Resident Educators, The Ohio Department
of Education is meeting that goal.
|
|
|
|
