Project Abstract

Forced to compete for the best of the next generation of academic professionals to fill critical classroom assignments to improve academic achievement of all students in some of the most critically high-need schools in the nation, Broward County developed the Transition to Education and Accelerated Certification for Teacher through Higher Education (TEACHER) Project through Broward’s Educational Collaborative Alliance (BECA). BECA is an alliance of institutions established with the goal of improving the quality and number of new teachers joining the Broward County district's schools. Through the TEACHER Project, the BECA partners will take a two-pronged approach to improving teacher quality. Together with BCPS, the BECA partners will create and implement a high-quality competency-based accelerated route
to certification program for the district's hardest-to-staff subject areas and neediest schools. The BECA partners have also partnered with the district to institute key reforms and streamline the hiring process so that the district could secure the highest-quality candidates for Broward’s highest need schools. This project’s goal is to expand the pool of quality mid-career professionals and recent college graduates who become highly qualified to teach in high need subject areas and professionally certified, and remain in Broward’s high need schools. The expected outcomes are to enhance the quality of the pool of teacher applicant; prepare teachers to meet students’ educational needs and improve student achievement; increase the number of professionally certified teachers; increase the number of quality teachers teaching in high need schools; increase teacher retention; and improve the hiring system. The project will target mid-career
professionals and recent college graduates.

IMPACT Competency Based Inservice Program

The Teaching and Leadership Center's IMPACT Program is a competency based program to be completed in its entirety leading towards a professional teacher certification in each of the core content areas of elementary, English, science, social science, mathematics, foreign languages and the arts. IMPACT course design comprises a blended model of face-to-face and online and total eight courses. Successful completion of these eight course may be transfered to master's credit through when applying for an advanced degree at Nova Southeastern University. Through this twelve month program, participants may have the opportunity to earn a Florida Professional Teaching Certificate. Mentors are available for each program participant. Additionally, virtual office hours and online mentors provide the technical support as needed.

Module One: Foundation Knowledge of Teaching
Component 1: New Teacher Academy (NTA) Survival Skills
Component 2: Child Abuse Online Training
Component 3: Technology and the Theoretical Foundations of Learning (DETA 1)
FAU’s graduate course on integrating technology and theories of learning.

Module Two: Application of Knowledge of Teaching
Component 4: Communication and the Learning Environment
Component 5: Reading Endorsement Competency Two
Broward Virtual University Course Prefix and Number ED 601: Advanced Reading Processes
Component 6: Instructional Teaching Strategies

Module Three: Evaluation & Analysis of Teaching
Component 7: Instructional Assessment Strategies
Component 8: Continuous Improvement of the Learning Environment

Additional Program Support:
FTCE Test Preparation
• General Knowledge
• Subject Area
o English
o Mathematics
o Sciences (General, Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
o Social Sciences

Completion of All Florida Teacher Certification Exams
• General Knowledge (four sections: reading, mathematics, English, essay)
• FTCE Subject Area
• FTCE Professional