Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
South Valley Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP)
The South Valley Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) addresses a critical need for well-qualified, highly-committed teachers for learners in schools in the southern Central Valley of California. Currently, college students who wish to become teachers through an exemplary, evidence-based teacher education program need to travel to Fresno from their communities in the South Valley for coursework at California State University, Fresno; a trip of more than an hour, several times per week. Completion of the program takes a total of five and a half years.
In the new ITEP program, future teachers in the South Valley will complete their first two years of college work in a carefully aligned program at one of three community colleges:
- College of the Sequoias
- Porterville College
- West Hills College Lemoore
Students transfer to Fresno State and complete their remaining coursework in an accelerated two-year program at the Fresno State Visalia Campus. They also will be engaged in learning how to teach through authentic experiences in schools in their home communities. Most importantly, they will complete their Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and their teaching credential in only two more years, shortening the total time from five and one half years to four years.
Program Comparison
South Valley ITEP Teacher Pathway |
Traditional Teacher Pathway |
|---|---|
| 2 Years - lower-division coursework at a community college | 2 Years - lower-division coursework at a community college |
| 2 Years - upper-division coursework in Liberal Studies and Teaching Credential program at Fresno State Visalia Campus |
2 Years - upper-division coursework in Liberal Studies at Fresno State |
| 4 YEARS TO BECOME A TEACHER | 1.5 Years - Teaching Credential program at Fresno State |
| 5.5 YEARS TO BECOME A TEACHER |
South Valley ITEP Course Matrix
|
Years 1 & 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Sequoias | Fall 2019 | Spring 2020 | Summer 2020 | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 |
|
General Education Major Courses Prerequisites Electives |
Writing for the K-8 Classroom | Linguistics & Reading | Elementary Curriculum | Science Methods | Special Education |
| Communication & Learning | Educational Applications of Technology | Developmentally Appropriate Practices | Math Methods | Inquiry into Problems of Practice 3 | |
| California Studies | Sociology of Race & Ethnicity | Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy | Integrated Curriculum & Disciplinary Literacies | Student Teaching | |
| Interdisciplinary Art Studies | Exploring Mathematics | Literacy | Inquiry of Problems of Practice 2 | ||
| Physical Education for Children | Environmental Earth & Life Science | Inquiry into Problems of Practice 1 | Student Teaching | ||
College of the Sequoias Foundation Scholarship Opportunity
The College of the Sequoias (COS) Foundation volunteers and staff are pleased to announce a $50,000 scholarship incentive program to support future teachers from the Central Valley. The COS Foundation is committed to meeting the teacher shortage in the South Valley through generous scholarship support with the goal of “growing our own teachers.”
College of the Sequoias students transferring to Fresno State and enrolling in the South Valley Integrated Teacher Education Program in the Fall of 2019 are eligible for a COS Foundation $1,000 scholarship.
Once eligible students provide written verification of admission to Fresno State and the South Valley ITEP to the COS Foundation, a one-time $1,000 scholarship payment will be made to Fresno State in the student’s name and account.
Please contact the COS Foundation if you are a COS transferring student accepted into the South Valley ITEP by emailing Peighton Sisk at peightonsi@cos.edu.
Questions? Contact Us!
Prospective students seeking admission to Fresno State should contact Admissions and Recruitment to meet with a counselor. They will discuss how to apply, what your options are, and all of the basics in how to get started at Fresno State. Online advising and campus tours are also available through Admissions and Recruitment.
Click here to complete an ITEP Inquiry Form
Current ITEP students, please contact Ana Espinosa at anae@csufresno.edu.