Standard 4 Aspect B

The program is committed to and invests in strengthening and improving the education profession and the P-20 education system. Each program’s context (or multiple contexts) provides particular opportunities to engage the field’s shared challenges and to foster and support innovation. Engagement with critical issues is essential and must be contextualized. Sharing results of contextualized engagement and innovation supports the field’s collective effort to address education’s most pressing challenges through improvement and innovation.

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Recruitment Efforts to Diversify Pool of Candidates:
Recruitment of Single Subject Teacher Credential candidates who reflect our local P-12 system begins with the idea of bringing in those who are already committed to a certain school or district. The Single Subject Teacher Credential Program, in collaboration with its various academic subject matter area departments, has begun a “Grow Your Own” initiative, whereby recruitment focuses on middle school and high school students and on credentialing non-certified school staff. An example of this is Kremen’s Prospective Single Subject Math and Science Teacher events hosted through the Math & Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI). Another example is the Stellar Science and Circuit Science events hosted through the Natural Sciences Department on the Fresno State campus for students in grades K-8 each year hoping to foster an interest in becoming a Single Subject teacher in the future.   

Another example of a P-12 event, hosted by the Fresno State Career Development Center, is the Alumni Teacher Panel where Fresno State graduates share their Single Subject Teaching careers and provide potential Single Subject Teacher Credential candidates tips for future success.  

The California State University system (CSU) also has a program titled, “Classified School Employee Pathways,” which provides grants to paraprofessionals, bus drivers, administrative support staff and others already working at a school who want to earn their Single Subject teaching credential. Upon graduation, these individuals return to their school as certified Single Subject  teachers.  

Finally, the Single Subject Teacher Credential Program is also working to diversify its credential candidate pool to reflect the local P12 system through its four-year Teacher Integrated Programs, as these programs draw a cross representation of P-12 applicants. The Single Subject Program currently houses two integrated Single Subject teacher credential programs: the Math Integrated Single Subject Teacher Credential Preparation Program, instituted in 2019, and the Single Subject Agriculture Education Integrated Teacher Preparation Program.

Support Candidates from Diverse Backgrounds:
In addition to offering tutoring, exam stipends for math and science candidates, and job placement services through our KSOEHD Future Teacher Fair, the Single Subject Teacher Credential programs offers internal educational supports like faculty mentoring and program consultation to ensure our candidates from diverse backgrounds are able to successfully complete the program.

There are also two loan forgiveness programs, the TEACH and Golden State Teacher Grant, that reimburse a portion of tuition costs in exchange for a commitment to teach in high-need schools or subject areas like Science and/or Math candidates for four years, within five years after completing the program. 

Demographic Data of Enrolled Candidates:

2020-2021 Regional K-12 Enrollment Data by County (source: CDE DataQuest):

Aspect C →