Teacher Education Program

 

The Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program

Summary Statement

Beginning in 1991, graduates of the College of Education teacher education program at the University of Montevallo who are recommended for certification will be covered by the Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program during their first year of teaching.  The program is an affirmation of the College's confidence in the quality of its graduates--their preparation and their potential.

The College of Education's faculty are confident that its graduates are ready to begin regular classroom teaching and will stand behind their performance during the first year of teaching.  Any school system in Alabama who hires one of these graduates and subsequently identifies a lack of professional or academic competence will be able to request that the College of Education provide assistance for remedying the problem.  The College of Education and the Dean will visit the school in order to verify the need for and to plan appropriate assistance.

The College's Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program will be in effect for students graduating in May, 1991, and its impact will be felt in Alabama's school systems beginning with the 1991-1992 school year.  This program should serve as evidence of the College faculty's diligence in screening, instruction, and assessment designed to identify and prepare the best prospective teachers for the children of Alabama and as a confirmation of these graduates; however, it also should contribute to the larger purpose of improving the relationships between the College of Education and the public schools of Alabama.

Please see the attached information sheet on the Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program for further information.

THE INITIAL TEACHER QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

The University of Montevallo Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program is an expression of confidence  in graduates of the College of Education's teacher education programs, and an offer of cooperation with colleagues in Alabama's public school systems.

To College of Education graduates, the Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program represents our pride in their accomplishments, our acknowledgement that a strong support system is important in their first year of teaching, and our desire to be a part of their continuing professional development.

To the schools boards in Alabama, the Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program represents the College of Education faculty's diligence in screening, instruction, and assessment designed to prepare the best prospective teachers for our children.  We believe that school boards can appoint our graduates with a high degree of confidence that they are ready to begin teaching and that College of Education personnel stand behind them.

If problems arise in the performance of one of our graduates in the first year of teaching, and if these problems have resulted from shortcomings in the preservice teacher preparation program, College of Education faculty will help to correct them, free of charge.*

Services to School Systems

•           Initial Teacher Assistance Information

            No cost or low cost ways to assist beginning teachers adjust to new jobs and enhance their professional growth.

•           Requests for Assistance

            Investigation and assistance in addressing verified performance problems of College of Education graduates.

•           OPENLINE

            Immediate access to the Initial Teacher Quality Assurance Program through the Office of the Dean of the College of Education.

Services to Beginning Teachers

•           Beginning Teacher Clinics

            Opportunities for first year teachers to share common concerns and problems, as well as to gather sound, practical, and research-based information on topics of concern from experienced and knowledgeable professional educators.

*See the last page for the conditions of the warranty and instructions for initiating a request for assistance.

INITIAL TEACHER QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO

Conditions and Instructions

The Conditions.  Any initial teacher in Alabama who graduated from and who was recommended for certification by the University of Montevallo after May, 1991, and who is judged to be performing unsatisfactorily in the classroom shall be eligible for supervisory assistance and/or remediation from College of Education faculty.  There shall be no cost either to the teacher or the employing school system in situations where the Dean of Education or his designee has determined that the assurance applies.  The assurance does not apply in situations where the teacher has been given an unreasonable number of preparations, an out-of-field teaching assignment, an excessive number of students, complete floating status, or other contextual arrangements which conflict with the idea of minimal and necessary support for beginning teachers.  Assistance agreed upon by College of Education representatives, school system personnel, and the teacher will be provided throughout the first year if requested.

Instructions for Initiating Requests.  When the first year teacher's performance has been assessed as unsatisfactory by the school principal and/or by central office supervisory personnel, the school principal should call the Dean of the College of Education (665-6360) to initiate the request for assistance.  If conditions  seem to have been met, the Dean or his designee will visit the school to further verify the conditions of request, to gather information about the nature of the situation, and to gauge the interests of school personnel and the teacher so that a course of action may be determined.  The Dean, his designee, and the appropriate department chair will determine the nature and extent of faculty involvement.

For more information about the quality assurance program, please contact the Dean of the College of Education at 665-6360, or write:

                                    Dr. Jack Riley, Dean
                                    College of Education
                                    Station 6360
                                    University of Montevallo
                                    Montevallo, AL  35115