Gilroy Unified provides BTSA (California’s Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) Induction services, in collaboration with the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project (SC/SVNTP).  BTSA Induction supports teachers for the first two years of teaching with a Preliminary Credential. The SC/SVNTP is a collaborative effort among the University of California, Santa Cruz Teacher Education Program, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and approximately twenty-eight school districts and five charter schools in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, North Monterey and San Benito counties. 

 

In order to earn a Professional Clear Credential, teachers must complete a state-approved two-year induction program to show demonstration, application, and synthesis of knowledge and skills acquired in professional preparation for the Preliminary Credential. Support strategies and practices of the SC/SVNTP promote teacher autonomy through the ongoing and recursive processes of self-assessment, inquiry into practice, reflection, and professional goal-setting, in order to meet the needs of all students. The focus of this full-release model is to improve Participating Teachers’ classroom practice, to ensure student academic success, and to develop reflective teachers who are responsive to the diverse cultural, social, academic, and linguistic backgrounds of all students.  

 

Three key elements that support beginning teachers are:  1) Having an assigned Mentor to provide assistance with planning, classroom management, curriculum resources, communication, and the requirements for earning a Clear credential. Mentors observe and coach Participating Teachers, teach demonstration lessons, provide release time for observation, and facilitate communication with administrators and parents, while maintaining confidentiality and remaining non-evaluative.  

2) The Formative Assessment System is based on the professional development needs of the Participating Teacher and follows the guidelines of BTSA Induction Standard 4 (Formative Assessment System). Participating Teachers and Mentors collaboratively assess teaching practice in relation to the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) and BTSA Induction Program Standards 5 (Pedagogy) and 6 (Universal Access: Equity for All Students). During the year, teachers move first from assessing and understanding their learning context, to setting and reflecting on professional goals, and then to examining practice through inquiry.

 

3) Professional Development is designed to build a support network and ongoing professional dialogue amongst Participating Teachers while providing a structure for reflecting on teaching and learning. Teachers meet in ongoing small Collaborative Learning Communities to determine how to improve student learning through an inquiry action plan of their choice.

 

This fully integrated and formative model of support and assessment assists teachers in meeting the learning needs of all students, while providing a solid base for a continuous cycle of improvement in teaching and learning.