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DISCOVER Program
The DISCOVER Program offers teachers and other staff access to valuable professional development aligned with state standards and district goals. DISCOVER courses provide opportunities for teachers to learn from other practicing professionals while earning district salary advancement credit. The $75 per unit fee covers the cost of instructors, marketing, and program staff. For more information or to register for a class, go to http://www.sandi.net/discover or contact Esther Caluza at (619) 725-7138 or ecaluza@sandi.net.
Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Program
The Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Program provides support to permanent teachers experiencing difficulty in their classrooms. Participation in PAR is required for teachers receiving overall evaluations of “Unsatisfactory” based on the ratings of the first four elements in any combination, or “Unsatisfactory” in one of the four, and overall evaluations of “Less than Effective.” Participation in PAR is voluntary for permanent classroom teachers who have received “Requires Improvement” in any of the first four areas of the evaluation and/or overall evaluations of “Less than Effective.” Other teachers and/or their administrators may request assistance on an informal basis.
Full time release consulting teachers support participants and provide them with the assistance necessary to become effective, thereby improving the quality of classroom instruction, and increasing the overall level of student learning and achievement. A joint panel comprised of three classroom teachers and two district administrators provides program oversight. For additional information on the Peer Assistance and Review Program, or to determine if you are eligible for support from a consulting teacher, call (619) 725-7269.
National Board Certification
National Board Certification is achieved through a rigorous program of professional growth and development. Teachers voluntarily choose to participate in the process, which requires deep self-reflection and analysis of one’s own practice. The process includes intense assessment of a teacher’s knowledge and the actual demonstration of skills and professional judgment as applied daily in the classroom. Achieving certification is a demonstration of a teacher’s practice as measured by the highest and most rigorous standards. National Board Certified teachers improve the quality of education by demonstrating a high level of leadership to their peers, and having higher expectations of their students. There are 144 National Board Certified teachers in the San Diego Unified School District.
District Support for Candidates
The district supports the National Board Program by funding a portion of each teacher’s application fee, hosting monthly academies for candidates, and by providing coaching and mentoring from support providers who have already achieved National Board certification. The application fee is $2,565, of which the district pays up to $750 and the California Department of Education subsidizes $1,250. The net application cost to the teacher is $565. Teachers may also earn 3.0 salary advancement credits at no cost for participating in the district’s support program for candidates. Candidates also receive two release days to work on their portfolios. To learn if you qualify for district support, please contact Julia Groff at jgroff@sandi.net before beginning the application process.
National University Partnership
In addition to the above support, the district has partnered with National University to offer teachers another venue for pursuing National Board Certification. There are three options available for teachers who wish to participate in the National University program:
Option A –For teachers who wish to pursue a Master’s Degree in Teaching along with National Board Certification. This 13-month program consists of 10 classes during which teachers complete their National Board portfolios in lieu of a thesis. District teachers receive a discount of 25% off the cost of tuition at National University, for a total cost of approximately $11,000.
Option B – For teachers that already have Master’s Degrees, but wish to earn graduate level units in conjunction with their National Board Certification. This program consists of five classes during which teachers complete their National Board portfolios. The total cost for this option is approximately $4,500.
Option C – For teachers that already have Master’s Degrees and are already in Column D or E of the Salary Schedule, and only wish to pursue National Board Certification. This option includes monthly support academies, and candidates may earn graduate credits from National University for fee of $485.
For more information, contact:
- Julia Groff at jgroff@sandi.net
- National Board for Professional Teaching Standards at www.nbpts.org
- National University at http://www.nu.edu/OurPrograms/SchoolOfEducation/NBCInfo.html and select “Specialization and Certificate in National Board Certified Teacher Leadership”
- California Department of Education at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ps/te/nbpts.asp
Distinguished Teacher in Residence (DTiR) Program
The San Diego Unified School District is a member of a consortium of southern California school districts that support the Distinguished Teacher in Residence (DTiR) Program at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM). The program’s objective is to establish and maintain a close connection between university teacher education and exemplary teaching practice by ensuring that aspiring teachers prepared by CSUSM are well grounded in current concepts of teacher roles, instructional pedagogy, and efficacy as practiced in model area schools. Selected teachers from each of the member districts have the unique opportunity to serve on the CSUSM College of Education faculty with duties that include teaching, advising, program development, applied research and community service. The consortium also established a grant process through which member districts utilize the skill and talent of College of Education faculty to collaborate on school improvement projects. For more information, contact Karen Evans at (858) 539-5330 or kevans@sandi.net.
