Program Expectations

 

All TCP sessions and events are required and count towards your certification coursework, including your required courses, elective courses, Corps Member Summits, and Rising 2nd Year Event. As stated previously, you are required to engage in 12 course catalog credits during your first year of teaching and 8 course catalog credits during your second year of teaching. You earn these credits by attending at minimum 3 of 4 classes in each course. If you miss more than 1 class in a 4 class series, you will not receive credits and will have to enroll in an additional course to earn those credits. If this course is a requirement for certification, you be out of compliance with certification requirements and put your highly qualified status as a teacher at risk.

 

As a teacher in TCP you will also have to earn 30 artifact credits across your 2-year commitment. These assignment credits are earned by submitting the required PSC artifacts that showcase meeting the standards for alternative route teachers at certain points during the school year. A list of these artifacts and due dates can be found in the TCP program of study.

 

Your standing in the program in terms of your credits will be communicated with you at the end of each quarter with next steps if you have not met the requirements. You can expect communication on your standing during the weeks of October 13th-19th, 2014; January 5th-11th, 2015; March 23rd- 29th, 2015; and June 15th-21st, 2015 during Year 1. You can expect communication on your standing during the weeks of October 12th-18th, 2015; January 4th-10th, 2015; March 22nd-28th, 2015; and June 14th-20th, 2015 during Year 2.

 

Communication

Communication with your mentor, MTLD, building administrator, and the Alternative Certification team will be a necessary component to completing the program successfully. You are responsible for scheduling your Mentor Observations in Year 1 and MTLD Observations in Year 2. Your building administrator also provides you with a yearly evaluation and professionalism form that is required as evidence for the PSC. It will be your responsibility to ensure these forms are completed and given to you for upload in LiveText- our online assessment submission and evaluation system. You will learn how to navigate LiveText during our first virtual certification meeting on August 14, 2014.

 

Additionally, the alternative certification team is here to help you through the completion of the program. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email at macertification@teachforamerica.org.

 

Attendance and Artifacts Responsibilities Schedule

All artifacts must be submitted by the specified due date provided by the program. All artifacts must meet the proficient level in order to receive the credit. Proficiency levels are outlined in the assessment rubrics. All assessments that are not at the proficient level due to performance MUST be resubmitted at the specified due date determined by the program. In the Course Catalog Handbook (also found HERE) is a table that outlines all of the attendance and artifact responsibilities during your 2-year commitment. Please note that descriptions of each artifact and associated rubrics can be found in LiveText under its title. You will learn more about navigating LiveText in August/September.

 

Ethics for Teachers

As a teacher, you are required to strictly abide by the Educator Code of Ethics. You will be provided with information regarding the professional ethical standards, the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators, the criminal background check, and requirements for certification and employment. You are required to participate in the online ethics course and complete the associated assessments at a proficient level before being recommended to the Professional Standards Commission to receive a Georgia professional teaching certificate. The online ethics module and reflection need to be completed no later than October 5, 2014. The GA code of Ethics for Educators can be found HERE. If a seminar on the Code of Ethics is given by your district, you can print off transcript and upload to LiveText to exempt from the Ethics course on Cornerstone - TFA’s learning and development online platform tool which holds a variety of self-paced trainings. However, you will still be required to complete the Ethics Assessment.

 

Field Experience Observations/Excellent School Visits

You are required to complete at least four field experience observations throughout the certification program. These visits give you the opportunity to observe classrooms that vary in regard to student demographics, free and reduced lunch status, and academic performance. It is very important that you are exposed to different teaching environments to understand the many factors that influence a students’ experience in the classroom and how professional educators meet the needs of all of their students. You can find a list of the specific grade level band guidelines for the observations based on your grade level placement in the Course Catalog Handbook (and HERE).

 

Two of these field experience observations can take place pre-institute, during institute, and two of the visits MUST take place during enrollment in the program. You will attend excellent school visits coordinated by the Directors, Teaching and Learning and/or coordinate with their mentor, MTLD, and/or building administrator to take advantage of any other school visit opportunities, if scheduling issues arise.

 

Academic Honesty

Teach For America seeks to promote and ensure academic honesty and personal integrity among teachers, and other members of the Teach For America community. Academic honesty means performing all academic work without plagiarism, cheating, lying, tampering, stealing, giving or receiving unauthorized assistance from any other person, or using any source of information that is not common knowledge without properly acknowledging the source. Academic dishonesty will automatically result in a grade of zero for that assignment and formal procedures being initiated against this action with consequences ranging from being placed on an Improvement Plan to dismissal from the certification program.

 

Staying in Compliance and Good Standing

In order to remain in compliance and in good standing with the program, district, and Georgia Professional Standards Commission, you must meet all program requirements and expectations at certain points during the school year. You will find in the Course Catalog Handbook (and HERE) a graphic that delineates the program requirements and expectations at those transition points and what it means to be in good standing.