STEP Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Immersion Program
- A standards-based teacher education program at Scottsdale Community College
- Fulfills requirements for Elementary Teacher Certification (grades 1-8) and Provisional English as a Second Language (ESL) Endorsement
- Twelve month intensive program that meets two days per week (Monday and Tuesday) from 7:30 AM until 8:30 PM.
- Teacher-in-training program with 14 hours per week in classrooms alongside master teachers
- Courses taught by experienced teachers
- Integration of college coursework and classroom experience
- Cohort group of students participate in all coursework and field experiences together
- High marketability of graduates after interning for one year in classrooms
- Reduced cost with community college tuition
- Program approved by the Arizona State Board of Education
The STEP post-baccalaureate teacher certification program is a field-based immersion program where student interns learn through direct experiences in classrooms with children. The students begin the first day of school assigned to a mentor teacher and experience the school year from setting up a classroom, planning, teaching, assessing, communicating with parents and professional responsibilities.
The program begins with a Summer Institute where students are taught foundations for teaching and learning. For the 2008-2009 Cohort, the summer institute is from June 9 through August 5th. Classes meet Monday and Tuesday evenings from 4:00 - 9:30 PM. Three courses are offered, each in a blended format, whichis a combination of traditional face-to-face instruction and on-line learning. Each course meets for three weeks.
Fall Semester: August 11 through December 16. Courses are offered in a blended format which includes field experience, traditional face-to-face instruction and on-line learning, and meet on Mondays and Tuesdays from 7:30 AM until 8:30 PM. Students spend from 7:30 - AM until 3:00 PM during the school day, working side-by-side with teachers in the classroom. From 4:00 - 8:30 PM theory and methods courses are taught at SCC. Each student participates in two nine-week blocks with each block at a different grade level. Three courses are taught in each block.
Spring Semester: January 5 through May 15. The same Monday/Tuesday schedule is followed with each student participating for six weeks with a middle school team emphasizing the teaching of science. The middle school experience is followed by a 3-week internship at a school with a high population of English language learners. Student teaching is FULL TIME during the final ten weeks of the program.
At the end of the STEP program, the students will have had the opportunity to work with children at three grade levels, including middle school and meet the requirements for Elementary Teacher Certification (1-8) and provisional certification in English as a Second Language (ESL). Students are required to pass the state teacher Arizona Educaiton Proficiency Assessments.
The 2008 - 2009 STEP program begins June 9th, 2008 and ends May 15th 2009.
Applications are due by March 1, 2008. The first twenty student who are accepted into the STEP program may be eligible for a $2300 grant from Americorps.
