United States Certification Program education online
The Teach For America Interim Certification Program is a state-approved
alternative route to certification and is open only to teachers accepted
by Teach For America (TFA), placed in TFA’s Detroit region, and who
pass the appropriate Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC)
tests.
Entry to this program begins with an application toTeach for
America. During the application and interview process with TFA,
applicants will be able to indicate their preference for working in the
Detroit region. TFA is generally a two-year program; during their
service, corps members who don't hold teacher certification are required
to participate in a professional education program. Members of the
TFA-Detroit corps who do not already hold State of Michigan teaching
certification and who choose the University of Michigan School of
Education as their university partner are automatically invited to
enroll in the Teach For America Interim Certification Program at the
University of Michigan School of Education. In this program, students
are provided with content methods seminars, field instruction, and
job-embedded professional growth experiences to prepare and support
their induction as teachers.
Those who choose to pursue provisional certification in the State of Michigan, must
1. Successfully complete the interim certification program.
2. Complete a third year of successful teaching in their placement.
3. Participate in four field-instruction visits and receive satisfactory ratings.
4. Compile a portfolio of evidence of successful teaching, including an
employment verification letter; satisfactory performance evaluations
from supervisor, a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or mentor;
and the Individualized Development Plan required of all new teachers in
the State of Michigan.
Over the course of the two-year program, corps members work toward a
pre-identified and sequenced set of instructional skills aimed at their
ability to demonstrate specific program outcomes which have been aligned
to national and State of Michigan standards for the preparation of
teachers, as well as to Teach for America’s Teaching As Leadership
framework.
To support the corps members as they develop as novice teachers, the
program engages them in a number of practice-based learning experiences.
Corps members are expected to exhibit professionalism in their
attendance and participation in these experiences in accordance with
School of Education and TFA–Detroit’s policies and expectations:
• Biweekly content methods seminars (approximately 17 class meetings per year)
• Field instruction visits (4 per year) using the program rubric with
written feedback provided to corps members, as well as face-to-face
debriefings.
Assessment
Corps members’ successful demonstration of these skills is evaluated
through field instruction visits, as well as a professional learning
profile (PLP) that corps members compile. In consultation with U-M
instructors, corps members design a plan for proceeding through the PLP
and gather artifacts, such as videos of their teaching and sample
student work with feedback. These artifacts are submitted to a personal
electronic portfolio and evaluated.
Non-candidate for Degree (NCFD) Option
TFA-Detroit corps members enrolled in the certification program may also
apply to the Rackham Graduate School as non-candidates for degree
(NCFD)and earn credit for certification-program coursework. This
application does not require candidates to take the GRE. Corps members
elect two or three of the following courses for graduate credit, for a
total of 5-8 credits:
EDUC 490 Content-Methods Seminar (3 credits) Receive credit for bi-weekly seminar
EDUC 638 Field Instruction (3 credits) Receive credit for field instruction and successful field ratings
EDUC 655 Professional Portfolio (2 credits) Receive credit for e-portfolio completion and participation in portfolio exhibition
Master's Program Option
The
University of Michigan has also developed a master’s degree program
based on our existing Educational Studies program. Corps members
electing this option matriculate in cohorted courses along the program’s
Urban Pedagogy pathway, further enhancing their understanding and
abilities as skillful teachers. Classes are cohorted and occur in the
evenings or on Saturdays at the Ann Arbor campus or at the University of
Michigan Detroit Center to accommodate corps members’ regular work
schedules in Detroit-area schools. They are also scheduled so as not to
conflict with required certification program courses, which are a
legislated mandate for those teaching under an interim certification.
