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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SANTA CRUZ NEW TEACHER PROJECT (SCNTP)
Questions from Administrators:
How often will the beginning teacher advisors meet with my beginning teachers? Advisors will be working with each of their beginning teachers every week for one to two hours. One of the responsibilities of the advisors will be to schedule time with each of their beginning teachers every week.
What types of things will advisors do when working with beginning teachers? Advisors will engage in a variety of activities with their beginning teachers such as observing lessons, assisting with lesson planning, meeting informally with beginning teachers, modeling lessons, and helping to create professional growth plans.
Will the advisors evaluate the beginning teachers? No. The role of Beginning Teacher Advisor is one of collegial support to help beginning teachers improve their teaching knowledge and skills. The advisor role is to provide formative assessment for beginning teachers as opposed to conducting formal evaluations. Administrators will be responsible for conducting all evaluations of the beginning teachers.
To whom will the BTAs report? Beginning Teacher Advisors will report to the META representative for their school district. The META representatives will conduct BTA evaluations with input from the BTA Coordinator and appropriate principals. If a BTA is scheduled to visit your building on a day in which she is ill, she will contact your school in order for the BTs to be notified.
Will the SCNTP interfere in any way with student learning in my building? No. In fact, the SCNTP will enhance student learning. Beginning teachers will have the advantage of working with a veteran teacher as they plan and conduct classroom lessons. BTAs will be your partner in promoting best practices. Data show that students of beginning teachers involved with the Santa Cruz model showed achievement gains comparable to those of veteran teachers in the same district, despite being assigned larger proportions of low-achieving students.
What are the advantages of being a part of the SCNTP? The SCNTP has achieved outstanding results in the retention of new teachers as well as in the development of teacher leaders. In a recent principal survey, 95% of respondents credited the SCNTP with significantly improving beginning teacher performance. They also noted better new teacher morale, increased willingness to take risks, more effective problem-solving strategies, improved classroom management and organization, and more effective instructional strategies. Further, beginning teacher advisors make a profound impact on school cultures when they return to the classrooms. (Please refer to the Comparison Chart enclosed in this packet.) |