TNTP Academy-Arizona

TNTP Academy-Arizona is grounded in a simple premise: Effective teachers can and must close the achievement gap. Teaching in high-poverty school districts presents even the most talented new teacher with unique challenges. Yet few certification programs focus on preparing graduates to be immediately effective in this environment, or are tailored to the needs of career changers making the switch to teaching.

In response, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) developed an intensive, practice-based certification training that builds upon alternate route candidates’ existing content knowledge and life experiences. The rigorous program exposes participants to the realities of classroom teaching and places an explicit focus on high-need schools and subjects. In 2011, TNTP in partnership with the Arizona Department of Education launched this training through TNTP Academy-Arizona.

TNTP Academy-Arizona is operated by the Arizona Teaching Fellows, a program of TNTP, and is part of a national network of TNTP Academy teacher preparation programs dedicated to training excellent teachers who work in high need schools. First launched in 2001, TNTP Academy currently prepares new teachers for licensure in 8 states and the District of Columbia. It is among the first teacher preparation programs in the country to require all teachers to demonstrate their effectiveness in the classroom in order to then be recommended for certification.

In Louisiana, ongoing, state-sponsored research of TNTP’s certification training shows that program graduates consistently outperform both new and experienced teachers in raising student achievement in core subjects. In 2011, the study ranked The New Teacher Project against 17 other teacher preparation providers and awarded the highest possible rating for teacher effectiveness.

TNTP Academy-Arizona is a rigorous, relevant pathway to certification accredited by the Arizona Department of Education and offering key benefits to participants, including:

Competitive tuition cost—$6,500 with available payment plans;
Less seat time—Earn certification in one-year;
Highly exclusive—Work as part of a small group with other AZTF Fellows and Teach For America corps members; and
Immediately applicable—Evening and Saturday seminars are conducted in-person, twice a month, so that knowledge can be immediately put into practice the very next day in the teaching classroom.

Participants attend TNTP Academy-Arizona seminars, lead by Seminar Leaders, according to subject area assignments and teaching placements. Incoming TNTP Academy-Arizona participants will take and pass an Accuplacer basic math test to show skill proficiency. Participants receive in-person coursework, regular teaching observation, and personalized clinical support to develop the skills necessary to raise student achievement.

Upon successful completion of all program requirements Participants are recommended for the Arizona Department of Education professional teaching certificate. These requirements include:

Demonstrating a positive impact on student achievement;
Completing a successful year of teaching as demonstrated by principal evaluation;
Successfully completing all certification coursework through TNTP Academy-Arizona;
Arizona Constitution course or appropriate exam;
US Constitution course or appropriate exam;
Full Structured English Immersion (SEI) coursework for certification endorsement; and
Passing all required professional teaching certification exams.

At the end of the first year, participants having earned certification through TNTP Academy-Arizona may potentially apply coursework towards a Master of Education through an AZTF partner institute.

FAQs: Teach For America CMs in TNTP Academy

Expand all

Q: Why did Teach For America choose to work with TNTP Academy-Arizona?

A: Both Teach For America and TNTP Academy share the common mission of closing the achievement gap and eliminating educational inequity. TNTP Academy-Arizona is designed explicitly to provide corps members with the training they need to be successful in high-poverty and high-minority Arizona schools.

TNTP Academy is fully accredited by the Arizona Department of Education and has a strong track record of effective teacher preparation. As TNTP Academy is the national certification program of TNTP (founded by Teach For America alumna Michelle Rhee) and draws upon more than a decade of teacher preparation experience and proven models for rigorous teacher training.

Research shows that TNTP Academy’s model of preparation – pairing relevant coursework and classroom practice –produces effective teachers. In a 2009 state-wide study by the Louisiana Department of Education, teachers certified by TNTP were compared to graduates of 16 university certification programs across the state. Using value-added measurse, the study confirmed that graduates of our program in Louisiana outperformed graduates of every other program in the study and outperformed even experienced teachers in raising student achievement in the core content areas of math and reading.
Q: Can’t I get the same training through a university?

A: The TNTP Academy curriculum, like that of TFA, is designed explicitly to ensure your success as a new teacher in a high-need school. Our year-long curriculum and support, together with your preparation through TFA, is a powerful combination.

In a national survey of education school alumni, 6 in 10 said education schools fail to prepare graduates to cope with classroom reality. Nearly 7 in 10 said they wanted a better balance between subject matter preparation and field experience.

Our curriculum addresses the shortcomings of many traditional teacher training programs by providing rigorous and relevant preparation that is tightly connected with actual classroom practice. Your TNTP Academy instructors will work in collaboration with your MTLDs to streamline the support that you receive.
Q: Once I earn my teaching certification, will I be able to teach outside of Arizona?

A: Yes, although different states have different reciprocity agreements with Arizona. All teachers, regardless of which certification program they attended, are subject to the same rules of reciprocity from one state to another. Once you successfully complete the TNTP Academy certification process, you will receive an institutional recommendation to be issued an Arizona Provisional Teaching Certificate. The Provisional Teaching Certificate will enable you to teach throughout the state of Arizona. Certification reciprocity from one state to another is determined by individual departments of education. You may find additional information on the Arizona Department of Education website: http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/
Q: Who are the Seminar Leaders? What type of support do they provide?

A: Seminar Leaders are experienced, fully certified teachers who have taught in our partner districts and have a record of success in the classroom – and many are also TFA alumni. Our process for hiring Seminar Leaders is highly selective, including multiple interviews, an involved project and a teaching sample. Seminar Leaders are then given full training in the Teaching for Results™ curriculum and ongoing support to ensure that they are prepared to guide new corps members successfully through their first year of teaching – and beyond.

Seminar Leaders will be your instructors throughout the first year of teaching. They lead the Teaching for Results™ content seminars, provide feedback to corps members on assignments and assessments, and answer questions about the curriculum and best practices for ensuring student success in the classroom.

In 2011 91% of TFA participants indicated that their Seminar Leader was a significant factor in making them a more effective teacher.
Q: What is required of me to start earning my certification?

A: TNTP Academy-Arizona will enroll Teach For America corps members January - June 2013. You are required to submit a $100 enrollment fee upon enrollment. You will then register for your Seminar by June 25, 2013 and provide a $203 one time registration and materials fee. Seminars and tuition payments begin on October 1. The total cost of TNTP Academy Arizona tuition is $6,500 and payment plans are available. In July 2014, upon successful completion of TNTP Academy Arizona, you will be recommended for the Arizona Department of Education Provisional Certification. Get started.
Complete your enrollment today.

TFA corps members please contact info@arizonateachingfellows.org or (602) 663-8524 to speak with a TNTP Academy-Arizona enrollment coordinator.

TNTP Academy-Arizona

FAQs: Teach For America CMs in TNTP Academy

Q: Why did Teach For America choose to work with TNTP Academy-Arizona?

Q: Can’t I get the same training through a university?

Q: Once I earn my teaching certification, will I be able to teach outside of Arizona?

Q: Who are the Seminar Leaders? What type of support do they provide?

Q: What is required of me to start earning my certification?