Degree Program
When you enter the classroom in August as a Fellow, you do so with a Teaching Intern Certificate, a temporary certificate issued by the Arizona Department of Education in partnership with Arizona Teaching Fellows. This unique certificate allows you to begin teaching full-time while working towards your Arizona certification. This certificate also ensures that you are highly-qualified under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.
In order to be eligible for the Teaching Intern certification, Fellows must enroll in a qualifying certification/degree program and maintain good standing with that program as well as with Arizona Teaching Fellows. Assignment to one of the following programs is determined by teaching subject area and placement.
TNTP Academy
TNTP Academy Arizona is a national network of 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 the Arizona Department of Education Provisional Teaching Certification.
TNTP Academy is specifically designed to prepare new teachers without a formal education background for the rigors of high-need classrooms, building on the deep content knowledge they already possess by preparing them with practical skills and strategies needed to be a successful teacher. At the heart of TNTP Academy is the unique Teaching for Results™ curriculum, which uses approaches proven to improve outcomes in high-need schools where students often lag several grade levels behind. Participants attend seminars that focus on three core areas of teacher proficiency: content, assessment, and instruction.
Coursework is immediately relevant to teachers’ work in the classroom, so they can apply what they learn in the evening with their students the very next day. This approach to teacher preparation gets data driven results: recent research shows that TNTP Academy graduates may even outperform experienced teachers in several core subjects.
TNTP Academy is a one-year teaching certification program accredited by the state of Arizona Department of Education.
Incoming 2012 Teaching Fellows will enroll in TNTP Academy as determined by Fellows’ subject assignments and teaching placements. Incoming TNTP Academy Fellows will take and pass an Accuplacer basic math test to show skill proficiency. Fellows 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 Fellows are eligible to receive an Arizona Department of Education Provisional Teaching Certification. 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;
- Completing SEI coursework for Provisional Certification Endorsement; and
- Passing all required teaching certification exams.
At the end of the first year Fellowship, Fellows having earned certification through TNTP Academy Arizona may potentially apply coursework towards a Master of Education through an AZTF partner institute (details TBD spring 2013).
Fellows not enrolled in TNTP Academy Arizona may choose from an approved alternative certification program. Currently, Arizona Teaching Fellows partners with Arizona State University and Rio Salado College to offer Fellows two certification options.
Arizona State University
Arizona Teaching Fellows partners with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University InMAC (Induction, Master of Education, and Arizona Certification) program to provide Fellows with an opportunity to earn a Master’s degree and state certification coursework while teaching full-time.
Fellows attend classes one night per week from about 4:40pm – 9:10 pm for 2 years at the Downtown ASU campus. Upon enrolling, Fellows commit to completing all certification and Master’s requirements during this two-year timeframe. In addition to the Fellows program enrollment requirements, you must also comply with any and all applicable InMAC requirements for admission. Visit the InMAC site to learn more.
Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University offers Fellows the opportunity to earn a master’s degree and teaching certification in various education fields while teaching full-time. Coursework can be completed entirely online or as part of a cohort at the GCU main campus that meets one night a week for four hours. Regardless of the format, courses are eight weeks in length and programs are designed to be completed within two years. In addition to the fellows program enrollment requirements, fellows must also comply with any and all applicable GCU admission requirements.
Visit the GCU website to learn more.
Rio Salado College
Rio Salado's Teacher In Residence (TIR) program is fully online. Upon enrolling, Fellows commit to completing all certification requirements in a two-year timeframe. In addition to complying with all enrollment requirements of the Arizona Teaching Fellows program, you must also comply with any and all applicable Rio Salado TIR requirements for admission. If you are interested in earning a Master’s degree, Rio Salado has partnerships with select graduate programs. Each program will accept a limited number of transfer TIR credit hours. Learn more about the Teacher In Residence program.