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SUMMARY:
Each year since the Board of Regents approved the offering of
alternative teacher preparation (ATP) programs by New York State colleges
and universities, the Office of Higher Education has provided a report on
the activities and status of those programs. In response to the
request for information by the Board of Regents, the attached report for
academic year 2003-2004 reflects specific data about the programs,
beginning with the Teaching Fellows Program.
During the report year, ATP programs were offered by 12 colleges and
universities in New York City through the Teaching Fellows Program and by
6 upstate colleges. The focus of the programs is the preparation of
additional teachers in the high need fields of mathematics, the sciences,
and special education. In 2003-2004, 47 percent of ATP candidates
in New York City and 96 percent of upstate candidates were prepared in
these 3 fields. Over 2,800 ATP candidates began teaching in
2003-2004 in New York State.
In 2004-2005, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE)
instituted a city-wide mentoring program for all new teachers, including
Teaching Fellows. During the first year, between 5,500 and 6,000
new teachers will receive mentoring. There were over 300 prepared
mentors in place for Teaching Fellows on the first day of school.
Staff in the Office of College and University Evaluation (OCUE) has
continued to monitor ATP programs through dedicated on-site visits or as
a component of teacher education program accreditation visits. In
addition, during the summer of 2003, staff conducted one-day visits to
the introductory components of all 12 New York City Teaching Fellows
Program colleges.
Alternative Teacher Preparation in New York State
2003-2004 Annual
Report
Alternative teacher
preparation (ATP) is a relatively small but important source of teachers
for hard-to-staff schools and subject areas in New York State. By
design, ATP programs are partnerships among institutions of higher
education (IHEs), local school districts, teachers’ unions, and teacher
candidates. Candidates in these programs must meet all the
requirements for initial teaching certificates by the end of their
programs.
This report describes New
York State ATP programs as of June 2004. Part 1 looks at trends
from school year 2000-2001, when ATP programs began in New York State,
through the end of school year 2003-2004. Part 2 describes program
support and outreach efforts during 2003-2004. Part 3 provides
detailed information about new Fellows entering the New York City
Teaching Fellows program in fall 2003.
PART 1
General Program Update
Scope.
From July 2000 to June 2004, the number of colleges and
universities offering ATP programs grew from 3 to 18. The number of
ATP candidates beginning teaching increased from 314 in 2000-2001 to over
2,800 in 2003-2004 (See Table 1.1). Over 92 percent of the new candidates
were in the New York City Teaching Fellows program. Appendix 1
includes the names of IHEs offering these programs in 2003-2004.
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Table 1.1
ATP Program Growth
Fall 2000 through January 2004
Based on the Number of Candidates Starting to Teach |
|
Academic Year |
Cohort |
Colleges and Universities Participating Each Year |
New ATP Candidates |
|
NYC |
Upstate |
Total |
NYC |
Upstate |
Total |
|
00-01
00-01 |
2000 Fall
2001 January |
3
2 |
0
0 |
3
2 |
314
71 |
0
0 |
385 |
|
01-02
01-02 |
2001 Fall
2002 January |
13
1 |
2
0 |
15
1 |
1,094
36 |
62
0 |
1,192 |
|
02-03 |
2002 Fall |
15 |
3 |
18 |
1,829 |
82 |
1,911 |
|
03-04
03-04
03-04 |
2003 Fall
2003 Rolling
2004 January |
12
1
2 |
6
0
0 |
18
1
2 |
2,442
83
86 |
79
143
0 |
2,833 |
|
Total
new candidates at 12 NYC and 6 upstate colleges/universities |
5,955 |
366 |
6,321 |
|
SOURCES: NYC DOE (updated data) and upstate colleges, fall
2004.
NOTE: Colleges with Rolling and
January cohorts also had
fall cohorts. |
Focus. When
ATP programs were first authorized by the Board of Regents, colleges and
universities registered a broad range of programs in this format.
Since then, institutions have narrowed the focus to the high-need subject
areas. In New York City in 2003-2004, 47 percent of Teaching
Fellows started teaching in the high-need areas of math, the sciences,
and special education. Upstate, 96 percent of ATP candidates were
in math, the sciences, and special education programs. This change
in focus represents the responsiveness of these programs in meeting local
needs.
Impact.
Since their inception in 2000-2001, ATP programs have prepared
over 6,000 individuals to begin teaching careers. The New York City
Department of Education (NYC DOE) reports that there are 6,000 teachers
employed in the City who entered the profession through various cohorts
of the Teaching Fellows Program (including the 2004-05 cohort).
Principals throughout the State continue to provide anecdotal reports of
their high levels of satisfaction with teachers prepared through ATP
programs. In addition, at the end of each academic year the NYC DOE
conducts a survey of principals who employ Teaching Fellows. The
2003-2004 survey continued to show satisfaction with ATP candidates in
affecting gains in student achievement and understanding the subject
matter they were teaching. A research team, with Principal
Investigator Professor James Wyckoff, is conducting a longitudinal study
of the effectiveness of New York City teachers prepared through a variety
of routes. Reports from the research will be released soon to
provide more information about the influence of Teaching Fellows on
student achievement; the full report should be released in early 2007.
Oversight.
OCUE staff continue to monitor ATP programs through site visits
and through e-mail contact. When a college or university that has
ATP programs is scheduled for a teacher accreditation site visit, a
review of ATP programs becomes a focused part of the visit. In
cases where an accreditation visit is not scheduled during the academic
year, staff make dedicated site visits to ATP programs.
During 2003-2004, 5 dedicated site visits were made, with 1 resulting in
an unsatisfactory report. The institution receiving the
unsatisfactory report was required to provide additional information and
to make changes in its ATP program prior to accepting a new 2004 cohort.
Frequent e-mail and phone contact is continuing with the program
director, and a follow-up visit will be made to this college during early
2005. Accreditation site visits resulted in 2 satisfactory program
reviews. In addition, during the summer of 2003, staff conducted
one-day visits to the introductory components of all 12 college and
university partners in the New York City Teaching Fellows Program.
These visits resulted in satisfactory reports.
Teacher retention.
To effectively address teacher shortages, ATP programs must
prepare teachers who can effect change in their students and who stay in
teaching. The NYC DOE considers a Fellow to be “retained” when the
Fellow remains in or completes the Teaching Fellows program and is
teaching for the NYC DOE. The first-year retention rate for the
2003-2004 cohort of Teaching Fellows was 93 percent. The retention
rates over longer periods of time in Table 1.2 are in the same range as
other rates reported for New York City and the nation (Lankford, Wyckoff
and Papa, 2000; NCES, 2004). All partners in New York City and
upstate ATP programs continue to examine recruitment, selection,
placement, graduate programs, and school-based support in order to
understand the causes of attrition and to improve retention rates.
Table 1.2
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Retention
Rates for New York City Teaching Fellows
Fall 2000 through Fall 2003 Cohorts
|
|
|
Cohort |
|
Start Pre-Service Training
|
Jun-00 |
Jan-01 |
Jun-01 |
Jan-02 |
Jun-02 |
Jun-03 |
|
|
Date School
Started |
Sep-00 |
Feb-01 |
Sep-01 |
Feb-02 |
Sep-02 |
Sep-03 |
Totals
|
|
Started
Teaching Year 1 |
314 |
100% |
71 |
100% |
1,094 |
100% |
36 |
100% |
1,829 |
100% |
2,442 |
100% |
5,786 |
|
Finished
Teaching Year 1 |
270 |
86% |
66 |
93% |
940 |
86% |
33 |
92% |
1,655 |
90% |
2,259 |
93% |
90% |
|
Started
Teaching Year 2 |
256 |
82% |
60 |
85% |
837 |
77% |
32 |
89% |
1,557 |
85% |
|
|
82% |
|
Finished
Teaching Year 2 |
241 |
77% |
55 |
77% |
815 |
74% |
29 |
81% |
1,520 |
83% |
|
|
80% |
|
Started
Teaching Year 3 |
209 |
67% |
52 |
73% |
701 |
64% |
28 |
78% |
|
|
|
|
65% |
|
Finished
Teaching Year 3 |
200 |
64% |
51 |
72% |
674 |
62% |
25 |
69% |
|
|
|
|
62% |
|
Started
Teaching Year 4
Finished
Teaching Year 4 |
168
164 |
54%
52% |
39
36 |
55%
51% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
54%
52% |
|
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|
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|
4 |
55% |
2 |
58% |
36 |
67% |
1 |
81% |
32 |
87% |
NA |
|
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NOTE:
Data provided by the NYC DOE through payroll actions recorded as of
July 2004 payroll. Data does not include the 2003 Rolling nor
the 2004 January cohorts that are included in Table 1.2.
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- January cohort benchmarks
correspond with beginning and end of school year, not service
year, and are not included in totals column percentages.
- Retention percentages are
shown as a percent of those who began teaching in year one.
- Numbers include all active
teachers in good standing as Teaching Fellows, including those on
an authorized leave.
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PART 2
Continuation of federal grants.
Based on annual progress reports submitted to the U.S. Department
of Education, the Teacher Quality Enhancement ($464,815) and the
Transition to Teaching ($400,000) grants were continued for 2003-2004.
These grants enable us to award funds on a competitive basis to
independent institutions working as partners in the New York City
Teaching Fellows Program. We also received $153,592 in supplemental
HEA funds. These funds are being used to support two projects:
- Through the SUNY Research Foundation, Professor James Wyckoff is
conducting an evaluation of 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 Teaching Fellows
working in grades 3 through 5. The study will analyze student
achievement, cohort retention, college supervision, college coursework,
and school-based mentoring, thus contributing greatly to our knowledge
of the effects of the Teaching Fellows Program. Results of this
study are expected in the fall of 2006.
-
Pace University conducted a pilot of the “Rolling Fellows” approach
that prepares additional Teaching Fellows to begin teaching during
an academic year. These new teachers are used to provide permanent
replacements for teachers who leave during the academic year. The pilot
program included candidates in mathematics, bilingual elementary
education, the sciences, and English. Most of the candidates were
placed in teaching positions by the end of the fall 2003 semester.
Eighty-three candidates began the program and 75 are still teaching,
for a retention rate of 90 percent.
Project Leadership Team (PLT).
As part of our federal grant projects, we have established a
Project Leadership Team (PLT) comprised of representatives from
institutions receiving project funds, the NYC DOE, and SED. In the four
meetings held during 2003-2004, the PLT discussed issues and strategies
for improving ATP programs, developed an evaluation plan for the two
grant programs, and shared best practices, including the assessment of
teacher candidates. On March 5, 2004, the PLT sponsored a statewide
meeting of ATP programs that was attended by 60 representatives of IHEs
and other interested organizations. The meeting included
presentations on selection and placement of candidates, forming
partnerships with PreK-12 schools, and candidate support, as well as
roundtable discussions on topics affecting ATP programs.
Outreach
As an outreach effort, a brochure was prepared in Spanish and
English for use at the 17th annual Somos El Futuro
Conference in April. The brochure introduced prospective candidates
to ATP programs and included contact information for colleges offering
ATP programs.
Innovative new ATP
program. In December 2003, SUNY Empire State College received
approval for their ATP programs to be offered at seven locations
throughout New York State beginning in fall 2004. The College
applied for and received an ESEA Transition to Teaching grant totaling
$2.4 million to implement their innovative program using technology to
support the program and its candidates.
Mentoring update.
The NYC DOE has budgeted $36 million for 2004-2005 to implement a
city-wide mentoring program for all first-year teachers.
Approximately 300 mentors have been trained by the New Teacher Center
from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Representatives from
the New Teacher Center will work with New York City’s recently hired
Director of New Teacher Induction and Regional Directors of New Teacher
Induction to implement the mentoring plan. Between 5,500 and 6,000
new teachers, including Teaching Fellows, will be mentored this year.
IHE representatives report that most Teaching Fellows began the 2004-2005
academic year with mentors assigned and in place.
Continuing dialogue.
Discussions are continuing with the NYC DOE and other partners on how to
prepare and use the “second written agreement” that details continued
mentoring and ways to meet individual learning needs of ATP candidates
following the initial eight weeks of mentored teaching. Part of
this discussion centers on the roles of each of the participants in the
joint meetings that are to take place every three months during the first
year of mentored teaching as required by Part 52.21(b)(3)(xvii) of the
Commissioner’s Regulations. At this time, partners appear to be
seriously working together to fully comply with regulations.
PART 3
Fall 2003 New York City Teaching
Fellows
The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) provided
the Department with more detailed data on New York City Teaching Fellows
(Fellows) who started teaching in fall 2003 than on any previous cohort
of Fellows as part of evaluation efforts related to the two federal
grants. The tables in this report are descriptive, but do not imply
cause and effect.
Schools with fall 2003 Fellows. A total of
2,442 Fellows started teaching in fall 2003, of which 2,430 were assigned
to 719 schools and 12 to assignments that were not school-specific.
More than half of the Fellows were in schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn,
but Fellows were assigned to every borough (See Table 2.1).
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Table 2.1
Distribution of
Fall 2003 Fellows and Their Schools by Borough
|
|
Borough |
Number of Fall 2003
Fellows |
Number of Schools
with Fall 2003 Fellows |
Fall 2003 Fellows
per School |
|
Average |
Maximum |
|
Bronx |
936 |
215 |
4.35 |
20 |
|
Brooklyn |
698 |
237 |
2.95 |
11 |
|
Manhattan |
417 |
123 |
3.39 |
26 |
|
Queens |
365 |
136 |
2.68 |
12 |
|
Staten Island |
14 |
8 |
1.75 |
4 |
|
Not school-specific |
12 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
All Boroughs |
2,442 |
719 |
2.77 |
26 |
|
SOURCE: NYC DOE September 2004.
NOTE: “Not
school-specific” assignments included assignments in non-public
schools and the Teacher Reserve Pool. |
Fellows per school
One in three of the schools with fall 2003 Fellows had only one
new Fellow. Two in three of the schools had less than four
fall 2003 Fellows (See Table 2.2).
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Table 2.2
Distribution of
Schools and Fellows by Number of Fellows per School
|
|
Number of Fall 2003
Fellows per School |
Schools |
Fall 2003 Fellows |
|
Number |
Percent |
Number |
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