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Professional Development
Overview
Professional Certificate Program
The College of Education will not be accepting applications to its Professional Certification Program for the 2008-09 school year
The University of Washington’s program reflects the performance-based system created by Washington State which requires candidates to fulfill competencies designated by the State. The UW program allows for maximum flexibility for professional growth as a teacher with a Residency Certificate plans and demonstrates the growth needed to earn the Professional Teacher Certificate, Washington State’s second level certificate. (For more information about the State’s requirements for the professional certificate, click here.)
The University of Washington program...
- Takes advantage of UW’s ability to offer experiential, context-based learning experiences, either in the College of Education or through other UW Academic units.
- Links to other forms of professional development – district-sponsored professional development and/or a master’s degree.
- Reflects National Board model of analysis of teaching.
- Strengthens content knowledge and pedagogy simultaneously.
- Provides coaching in content/pedagogical focus area (online and in person).
- Offers face-to-face sessions and online support.
The program is grounded in the belief that teachers’ understandings and experiences in teaching will grow as they inquire into their practice with substantive consideration of the contexts in which teaching and learning take place. The program consists of four components that leverage candidates’ strengths and interests to inform the specific focus of each component. The four components include:
- Orientation to Effective Teaching
- Content-in-Context Learning Experiences
- Refining Effective Teaching
- Assessing and Working Collaboratively
The program has the following goals:
- Assist teachers in acquiring the knowledge, skills and dispositions that will enable them to learn from teaching and to improve practice throughout their teaching career.
- Enable teachers to describe, analyze and justify their practice, adopting an analytical approach to teaching.
- Increase teachers’ understanding of what constitutes evidence of teaching that shows a positive impact on student learning.
- Increase teachers’ understanding of tools, including technology, to gather evidence on the impact of their teaching on student learning.
- Enable teachers to engage in professional discourse about teaching.
- Foster teachers’ understanding and appreciation for the context of their teaching.
- Enable teachers to successfully complete the Professional Certificate Requirements as defined by three standards – Effective Teaching, Professional Development, and Professional Contributions -- and the 12 related criteria.
Program Structure
|
Orientation to Effective Teaching (includes preassessment seminar) |
Content-in-Context Learning Experiences | Refining Effective Teaching* |
Assessing and Working Collaboratively (includes culminating seminar) |
* May be taken concurrently with Content-in-Context Experiences.
Component I: Orientation to Effective Teaching
Schedule:
Winter - Spring 2008
TBA
Credits: 3 quarter credits
Candidates will focus on self-assessment, design of professional growth plans, and inquiry into practice. As areas for growth within the three standards – Effective Teaching, Professional Development, and Professional Contributions – are identified, candidates will also name a specific content (e.g., science, writing, mathematics, etc.) or pedagogical focus (e.g., special education, multicultural education, reading, etc.). The candidate will receive assistance in choosing a colleague and a district/building administrator to serve along with a university representative on his/her Professional Growth Team (PGT). The expected outcomes of this first component include a professional growth plan approved by the PGT and increased understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching. At the conclusion of the course, each candidate will be assigned an online coach who has expertise in the candidate’s area of need and interest.
Component II: Content-in-Context Learning Experiences
Schedule: Dates vary according to institute/workshop/course
Credits: Varies with institute/workshop/course – 6 to 8 quarter credits
Learning experiences will vary in format and time commitment by discipline and project. Most will be on the UW campus, though some may be on district premises, in the field, or in other locations around Washington State. The expected outcome is an enhanced understanding of the content area or pedagogical focus identified by the candidate. Click here for a list of examples of Content-in-Context experiences for 2007.
Component III: Refining Effective Teaching
Schedule:Fall 2007 - Dates: Oct. 1, Oct. 15, Nov. 5, Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 17 (4:15 – 7:15 p.m.)
Credits: 1-3 quarter credits (varies with specifics of professional growth
plan and intensive learning experience)
Candidates will focus on linking new ideas and understandings from the summer experiences with their own practice. They will engage in a series of online and face-to-face coaching sessions, interacting at least once per week, typically extending through autumn quarter. Through these interactions with coaches, candidates will have opportunities to address areas for growth under the Standards of Effective Teaching and Professional Development.
Component IV: Assessing and Working Collaboratively (Culminating Seminar)
Schedule: 2008 Dates &em; TBA
Credits: 3 quarter credits
The final component focuses on using assessment to monitor and improve instruction, communicating with parents, collaborating with colleagues for school improvement, and planning for further professional development. The final face-to-face meeting (Celebration of Completion) will provide for a sharing of portfolios.
Admissions Requirements
- Washington State Residency Teacher Certificate
- Employment with a Washington State public or approved private school
- Completion of provisional status* in the public or approved private school
- Commitment of service from members of candidate’s professional growth team
Teachers who wish to apply the credits associated with the Professional Certificate Program toward a master’s degree will need to meet additional criteria. See the College of Education’s website for criteria and admission procedures for applicants who wish to begin a master’s degree either as graduate non-matriculated or graduate students.
*Each school district, in accordance with state law, determines when a teacher has completed provisional status. Typically it takes two years of teaching experience in the same school district to complete provisional status. (Candidates may take the preassessment seminar prior to completing this requirement.)
Expectations for Earning the Professional Certificate
Candidates for the professional certificate must complete the Professional Certificate Program and present evidence of competency in three standards (Effective Teaching, Professional Development and Professional Contributions) and the 12 related criteria defined by Washington State. Wherever appropriate, the candidate will need to provide evidence that his/her teaching has had a positive impact on student learning. Candidates will also be required to document course work in issues of abuse. The University will determine if the candidate has satisfactorily addressed the standards, and if so, recommend the candidate to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for Professional Certification.
Experienced Teacher Option
Out-of-state teachers who come to Washington State with at least five years of teaching experience and receive the residency certificate are considered experienced teachers. This option is available to those teachers who are able to document meeting the Professional Certificate standards and criteria, either through coursework or the assistance of a coach, without additional support.
Steps for Experienced Teacher Option
- Apply to Professional Certificate Program ($45 application fee)
- Enroll and successfully complete Pre-assessment Seminar, 3 credits
- Submit portfolio with evidence of competencies for all standards and criteria ($150 evaluation fee)
Costs **
Total costs of programs will vary depending on the individual’s Professional Growth Plan. Current costs associated with Components I,III,and IV are $214 per credit. In addition there is a $45 application fee, a $35 nonrefundable registration fee each quarter, and a technology fee of approximately $12 per quarter. If the Content-in-Context Learning Experience (Component III) is grant-funded, it may be at little or no cost to the candidate. If the candidate elects to earn the Professional Certificate as part of a master’s degree, the per credit fee will be graduate tuition. A portion of tuition will go toward refreshments during the courses associated with Components I, III, and IV.
**Tuition costs are subject to change.
Application Process
Please click here for a copy of the application form and the materials needed for a complete application. Applications for the Winter/Spring 2008 program are due January 11, 2008. Accepted applicants will be mailed registration materials for Component I: Orientation to Effective Teaching which includes the preassessment seminar.
Questions: Email hmatrone@extn.washington.edu or call (206) 616-2552.
