Who is eligible to apply for an Early Completion Option?
To be eligible candidates must:
- hold a California Multiple Subject or Single Subject Preliminary Credential
- have a minimum of three years of recent full-time experience as teacher of record in a private or public school
- have a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience verified by site administrator-conducted performance evaluations based upon the California Standard for the Teaching Profession on which the teacher received ratings of meets (satisfactory) or exceeds standards
- provide a letter of recommendation from current or most recent site administrator.
How is participant progress monitored?
As with all participants in the Induction Program, the ECO teacher will be working with a Mentor in his/her credential area on a weekly basis (average of 1 hour per week), and will attend Induction Meetings (average of every 6 weeks) – these provide the teacher with tools for self-monitoring. Throughout the program, there are certain key pieces of portfolio evidence (related to Induction Program activities such as action research [inquiries] and self-assessment) that are submitted to and reviewed by program staff, which provides appropriate feedback. If the teacher, Mentor, or program staff have concerns regarding program completion, the teacher will be invited to meet with the Induction Program Administrator or Designee to receive additional assistance.
How is completion of the Early Completion Option determined? What documents are required in the Induction Portfolio to demonstrate completion?
Early Completion Option candidates will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required of the Professional Clear Credential. Induction Program leadership will determine whether or not the requirements for the ECO program have been completed.* Upon acceptance into the ECO program, candidates will be provided a modified timeline of activities that will allow them to demonstrate all skills and abilities required of the Induction Program. Just like full-term Candidates, ECO teachers will be responsible for providing evidence of growth or competency in self-selected CSTP focus elements – the difference is that ECO teachers may accomplish this either through completion of an Inquiry related to the standard (as in the full-term program), or through submission of documents deemed equivalent by Induction Program leadership.*
What happens if teachers do not make satisfactory progress towards completion of the ECO Program?
It is expected that completion for Candidates in the ECO Program take a minimum of 15 months (finishing in January of the second year of participation). Each candidate will be monitored during regularly-scheduled advisement sessions to ensure that timelines are met. If a candidate is not successfully progressing according to the timeline, or if the candidate fails to demonstrate skills and abilities on a level consistent with those expected of an early completion candidate, adjustments will be made as deemed necessary and appropriate by the Induction Program Administrator and, if necessary, the candidate will be placed in the regular full-length profession induction program.*
What is the application process?
Teachers who qualify for the ECO Program should submit an ECO Application and the required documents to Program staff, who will review documentation and, if appropriate, schedule an interview and a classroom observation with the applicant. Applicants will be notified of their ECO status within two weeks of completion of the classroom observation.
*Progress toward program completion is assessed based on fulfillment of the instructions that are distributed and explained before Candidates begin to work on each program component. A grievance process is in place, should a teacher have a question about a decision regarding completion.