Internship Program Bolsters Teacher Ranks in Local School Districts
Cal State Fullerton Aids Commission on Teacher Credentialing

November 29, 2007 :: No. 112

In past careers, they were airline pilots, lawyers, musicians and child care directors.

Today, they are middle and high school teachers — the result of the Single Subject Internship Program led by Cal State Fullerton’s College of Education.

This internship program, coordinated through the college’s Department of Secondary Education, helps adults prepare and secure teaching positions in local public schools.

Supported by a $175,000 contract — part of a Commission on Teacher Credentialing grant awarded to the Anaheim Union High School District — the program is a way to assist school districts in meeting teacher shortages and to boost the number of teachers of hard-to-staff specific subjects, such as math, science and English, said Helen Taylor, program director and CSUF professor of secondary education.

This year’s grant underwrites professional development training for up to 50 Cal State Fullerton students working toward a single-subject credential, as well as funding stipends and release time for the teacher mentors, Taylor said.

“One of the goals of the program is to expand the pool of qualified teachers by attracting people into teaching who might not otherwise become teachers,” said Ellen Kottler, assistant director of the program and lecturer in secondary education.

The grant monies make it possible for the university to serve up to 55 school districts in Southern California, with the Anaheim Union High School District acting as the program’s lead agency.

Currently, 46 Cal State Fullerton students are enrolled in the program at school districts in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Students are accepted into the program each fall and spring semester.

Participants in the one-year program already have bachelor’s degrees and work on temporary teaching contracts in public schools. They are paid by the school district while simultaneously participating in the teacher preparation program to become credentialed 7th-12th-grade teachers.

Paying students while they work on their credential is a huge incentive to entice individuals into the teaching profession, Taylor noted. “They can leave their old jobs and not even miss a paycheck.”

To qualify for the program, students must pass the California Basic Skills Requirement (CBEST) and other competency tests. They complete prerequisite courses offered at Cal State Fullerton, the CSUF Irvine Campus or online and are paired with teachers at the schools where they are placed. The mentor teachers offer one-on-one guidance and assistance to the interns throughout the school year, Kottler said.

Cal State Fullerton has received grants in support of the program since 2000, she noted. To date, 375 students have completed the internship and have earned teaching credentials.

One reason the program has been successful in attracting and retaining teachers is due to the fieldwork supervision, Kottler explained. Fieldwork coordinators visit students during the first eight weeks of the program, then subject-area supervisors visit the schools twice during the first semester and seven times during the second semester of the program.

In the latest five-year follow-up study, data show that 83 percent of the 303 students who completed their internships between 2003 and 2007 are still teaching. Moreover, two-thirds of those students continue to teach in their original school district.

“We have a very successful retention rate, due to our collaborative efforts with our school district partners,” Kottler said.

For more information about the Single Subject Internship Program, visit http://ed.fullerton.edu/SecEd/Professional_Track_Program/Index.htm.

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