School districts in California are required to provide teacher induction programs for new educators - and an updated version of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) program standards mandates 'individualized, job-embedded system of mentoring, support and professional learning'.
The CTC 'is the oldest of the autonomous state standards boards in the nation', whose mission is to 'ensure integrity, relevance, and high quality in the preparation, certification, and discipline of the educators who serve all of California's diverse students.'
The updated teacher induction program standards, available at CTC Online, require districts to:
Participating educators and their mentors work collaboratively to develop an ILP that incorporates professional learning goals, a plan to achieve those goals (and how they'll be measured), and opportunities to reflect on the plan and their progress.
As professional learning opportunities are an integral part of new teacher inductions, districts must find ways to provide these PD opportunities. This can present a challenge to districts at the start of every school year -- finding time, space and presenters to run a PD workshop, or coming up with funds to send new teachers to off-site programs.
But providing professional development to new teachers goes beyond checking a box to meet these standards. It's about creating a climate of constant learning, and giving new teachers the tools they need to succeed. Later this summer, we'll share stories from three of our Alludo districts who are leveraging our platform in their teacher induction and new teacher training programs, making the transition for new teachers easier -- and fun!