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Welcome to the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley
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What is the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project?
Operated by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, SC/SVNTP is a California Commission on Teacher Credentialing-accredited Induction program for both general education teachers and education specialists holding a preliminary credential.
We are located at Santa Cruz County Office of Education
400 Encinal Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (2nd floor)
Office Phone: (831) 466-5840 Fax: (831) 466-5846
400 Encinal Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (2nd floor)
Office Phone: (831) 466-5840 Fax: (831) 466-5846
Our Mission Statement
The Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project (SC/SVNTP) believes that every student deserves a quality teacher. To achieve this goal, the SC/SVNTP collaborates with participating districts to partner highly trained mentors with teachers in order to earn their California Clear Teaching Credential.
The SC/SVNTP is built on the core values of equity, responsiveness, positive presupposition, reflective dialogue, and inquiry stance. Through an individualized goal-focused approach, the SC/SVNTP guides teachers and mentors in strengthening best practices within and beyond the classroom as outlined in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) to ensure the growth of all students.
The Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project (SC/SVNTP) believes that every student deserves a quality teacher. To achieve this goal, the SC/SVNTP collaborates with participating districts to partner highly trained mentors with teachers in order to earn their California Clear Teaching Credential.
The SC/SVNTP is built on the core values of equity, responsiveness, positive presupposition, reflective dialogue, and inquiry stance. Through an individualized goal-focused approach, the SC/SVNTP guides teachers and mentors in strengthening best practices within and beyond the classroom as outlined in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) to ensure the growth of all students.
SC/SVNTP Core Values
Equity
Equity
- Collaboration
- Positive Pre-suppositions
- Reflective Dialogue
- Responsiveness
- Inquiry Stance
A Brief History of SC/SVNTP
The Santa Cruz New Teacher Project was initially established in 1988 by Ellen Moir, then Director of Teacher Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), in collaboration with Wendy Baron, Supervisor of Teacher Education at UCSC, and supported by the Chair of the UCSC Teacher Education Program, Eugene Garcia. In 1988, the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project was among the first 15 New Teacher Project pilot programs funded by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
In 1993, the legislature approved funding for new teacher support and created legislation for Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA). BTSA set aside state funds to provide mentor support for new teachers in order to clear their credentials. The Santa Cruz New Teacher Project became one of California's initial projects jointly administered by the CDE and the CTC.
In 1998, Ellen Moir founded the national New Teacher Center (NTC) at UCSC based on the successful work of the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project. Now a stand alone non-profit, NTC is dedicated to improving student outcomes by accelerating the development of new and veteran teachers and leaders. NTC provides high quality professional development for mentors, instructional coaches, and new school leaders as a lever for positive and collaborative school change. SC/SVNTP and NTC still work closely together as founding partners.
The Silicon Valley New Teacher Project was established in 2000, joining with the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project to become the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project, and extending the Induction model into Santa Clara County.
While BTSA funding no longer exists under the Local Control Funding Formula, Induction is still a required and valuable component of the teacher credentialing system in California. SC/SVNTP continues to partner closely with the members of its' consortium to provide high-quality support for mentors and instructional coaches. Today, the SC/SVNTP supports an average of 70 full-release mentors who serve approximately 600 new teachers in 32 partner districts and charter schools in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara counties in the SC/SVNTP consortium.
The Santa Cruz New Teacher Project was initially established in 1988 by Ellen Moir, then Director of Teacher Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), in collaboration with Wendy Baron, Supervisor of Teacher Education at UCSC, and supported by the Chair of the UCSC Teacher Education Program, Eugene Garcia. In 1988, the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project was among the first 15 New Teacher Project pilot programs funded by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
In 1993, the legislature approved funding for new teacher support and created legislation for Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA). BTSA set aside state funds to provide mentor support for new teachers in order to clear their credentials. The Santa Cruz New Teacher Project became one of California's initial projects jointly administered by the CDE and the CTC.
In 1998, Ellen Moir founded the national New Teacher Center (NTC) at UCSC based on the successful work of the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project. Now a stand alone non-profit, NTC is dedicated to improving student outcomes by accelerating the development of new and veteran teachers and leaders. NTC provides high quality professional development for mentors, instructional coaches, and new school leaders as a lever for positive and collaborative school change. SC/SVNTP and NTC still work closely together as founding partners.
The Silicon Valley New Teacher Project was established in 2000, joining with the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project to become the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project, and extending the Induction model into Santa Clara County.
While BTSA funding no longer exists under the Local Control Funding Formula, Induction is still a required and valuable component of the teacher credentialing system in California. SC/SVNTP continues to partner closely with the members of its' consortium to provide high-quality support for mentors and instructional coaches. Today, the SC/SVNTP supports an average of 70 full-release mentors who serve approximately 600 new teachers in 32 partner districts and charter schools in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara counties in the SC/SVNTP consortium.
Who Partners with SC/SVNTP?
The following 34 districts and charters are members of the SC/SVNTP consortium. We also provide support for various charters and private schools within the districts listed below.
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Santa Clara County
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Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties
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1. Mentoring for New Teachers
The SC/SVNTP program operates in alignment with the newly revised Induction standards. As such, our job-embedded two-year Induction model puts the relationship between a highly trained mentor and a new teacher are at the heart of the work. Our 70 mentors provide an average of one hour per week of job-embedded support for nearly 600 participating teachers each year. During that time, mentors work one-on-one and in small groups with new teachers to guide them through inquiry-based formative processes designed to build on their pre-service experience and develop long-term effective habits of practice while also addressing “just in time” needs.
Mentoring processes include:
University credit through UC Santa Cruz is available to participating teachers who wish to purchase units for completion of their Induction program.
Early Completion Option (ECO): SC/SVNTP offers a one-year ECO program for teachers deemed “exceptional and experienced” when they enter the program. Teachers with more than three years of previous teaching experience and with evaluations and recommendations showing evidence of exceptional practice are invited to apply for this program.
Education Specialist Option (PT3): For teachers with a clear credential in general education and who have a preliminary Education Specialist credential, SC/SVNTP offers a highly personalized one-year program for new Education Specialists to learn knowledge and skills unique to Special Education.
Learning Management System: Participating teachers and mentors use a web-based learning management system wherein they can work together on formative assessment tools and share video. New teachers periodically film their classrooms as part of their Induction work, upload these videos to a secure website to share with their mentor for the purposes of the teachers’ formative assessment. These electronic tools are provided and maintained by SC/SVNTP for each mentor and new teacher as part of the SC/SVNTP program.
High-Quality Ongoing Professional Learning for Mentors: In order to provide the highest quality mentoring support for each participating teacher, mentors need time to develop their skills as coaches of adults learners. Research shows that being an excellent TK-12 classroom teacher does not guarantee an educator will automatically be successful in coaching adults. A completely different knowledge and skill set is required to be a mentor, and it takes time and practice to develop these assets. For this reason, a core principal of the SC/SVNTP Induction model is ongoing professional development.
New mentors begin with three days of initial training in August and then join the larger SC/SVNTP mentor community for twice monthly mentor forums, these mainly half day forums take place on Fridays either in Santa Cruz or in Santa Clara. Additional support for new mentors is also provided across the year as part of these ongoing forums. During forum, mentors learn more about the formative assessment tools, practice coaching language and skills, review data from their caseloads of new teachers, problem pose/problem solve with each other, and engage in a parallel process of goal setting and development for themselves.
The SC/SVNTP program operates in alignment with the newly revised Induction standards. As such, our job-embedded two-year Induction model puts the relationship between a highly trained mentor and a new teacher are at the heart of the work. Our 70 mentors provide an average of one hour per week of job-embedded support for nearly 600 participating teachers each year. During that time, mentors work one-on-one and in small groups with new teachers to guide them through inquiry-based formative processes designed to build on their pre-service experience and develop long-term effective habits of practice while also addressing “just in time” needs.
Mentoring processes include:
- Developing an Individualized Learning Plan which includes assessing their own practice against a subset of high-impact California Standards for the Teaching Profession, setting goals, and planning for growth
- Working to knowing the strengths and needs of their students across multiple dimensions-both as academics and as whole people
- Building positive collaborations with families, colleagues, administrators, and the broader community
- Regularly analyzing student work in order to understand student strengths and needs as well as current levels of success
- Planning effective and rigorous standards-aligned lessons
- Engaging in focused observation and feedback cycles both of their own classrooms as well as observing in the classrooms of veteran teachers
- Regularly reflecting on teaching practice and growth
University credit through UC Santa Cruz is available to participating teachers who wish to purchase units for completion of their Induction program.
Early Completion Option (ECO): SC/SVNTP offers a one-year ECO program for teachers deemed “exceptional and experienced” when they enter the program. Teachers with more than three years of previous teaching experience and with evaluations and recommendations showing evidence of exceptional practice are invited to apply for this program.
Education Specialist Option (PT3): For teachers with a clear credential in general education and who have a preliminary Education Specialist credential, SC/SVNTP offers a highly personalized one-year program for new Education Specialists to learn knowledge and skills unique to Special Education.
Learning Management System: Participating teachers and mentors use a web-based learning management system wherein they can work together on formative assessment tools and share video. New teachers periodically film their classrooms as part of their Induction work, upload these videos to a secure website to share with their mentor for the purposes of the teachers’ formative assessment. These electronic tools are provided and maintained by SC/SVNTP for each mentor and new teacher as part of the SC/SVNTP program.
High-Quality Ongoing Professional Learning for Mentors: In order to provide the highest quality mentoring support for each participating teacher, mentors need time to develop their skills as coaches of adults learners. Research shows that being an excellent TK-12 classroom teacher does not guarantee an educator will automatically be successful in coaching adults. A completely different knowledge and skill set is required to be a mentor, and it takes time and practice to develop these assets. For this reason, a core principal of the SC/SVNTP Induction model is ongoing professional development.
New mentors begin with three days of initial training in August and then join the larger SC/SVNTP mentor community for twice monthly mentor forums, these mainly half day forums take place on Fridays either in Santa Cruz or in Santa Clara. Additional support for new mentors is also provided across the year as part of these ongoing forums. During forum, mentors learn more about the formative assessment tools, practice coaching language and skills, review data from their caseloads of new teachers, problem pose/problem solve with each other, and engage in a parallel process of goal setting and development for themselves.
2. Support for Instructional Coaches
Beginning in 2014, the SC/SVNTP expanded its support for districts and charters to include initial and ongoing professional learning for instructional coaches who support a wide range of teachers and teacher teams in their district. Like mentors of new teachers, instructional coaches need time and intentional support to develop their skills as coaches of adult learners. While working with veteran teachers requires instructional coaches to know and be able to use many of the same skills, processes, and tools that our mentors use, working with veteran teachers requires instructional coaches to employ these strategies in unique ways.
New instructional coaches begin with two days of initial training in August and then meet monthly in Santa Cruz or Santa Clara to continue to build and hone their coaching skills. During forums, instructional coaches learn more about formative assessment tools, practice coaching language and skills, consider how best to work within their roles to support both individual teachers as well as groups of teachers, review data, problem pose/problem solve, and engage in a parallel process of goal setting and development for themselves.
New instructional coaches begin with two days of initial training in August and then meet monthly in Santa Cruz or Santa Clara to continue to build and hone their coaching skills. During forums, instructional coaches learn more about formative assessment tools, practice coaching language and skills, consider how best to work within their roles to support both individual teachers as well as groups of teachers, review data, problem pose/problem solve, and engage in a parallel process of goal setting and development for themselves.
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For more information about the SC/SVNTP Instructional Coach Professional Development series, please download the flyer to the right.
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Meet our Leadership Team
The SC/SVNTP is led by a team of highly knowledgable and experienced educators with a long history of work in Induction
Melissa Roberts
SC/SVNTP Director
Program Director, Santa Cruz
A graduate of University of California, Los Angeles, Melissa was a public school teacher for 13 years. Teaching in California, Louisiana and Connecticut, she worked with students in grades 5-8 and Alternative Education. Melissa has her National Board Certification in Early Adolescent English Language Arts and is a literacy specialist. She has a Masters in Education from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and her clear administrative credential. For the past six years, Melissa has been part of the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project working with new teachers, instructional coaches, and mentors.
SC/SVNTP Director
Program Director, Santa Cruz
A graduate of University of California, Los Angeles, Melissa was a public school teacher for 13 years. Teaching in California, Louisiana and Connecticut, she worked with students in grades 5-8 and Alternative Education. Melissa has her National Board Certification in Early Adolescent English Language Arts and is a literacy specialist. She has a Masters in Education from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and her clear administrative credential. For the past six years, Melissa has been part of the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project working with new teachers, instructional coaches, and mentors.
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Candace McIsaac
Program Director, SC/SVNTP (Silicon Valley) Candace started her teaching career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kaszahstan where she taught English to adults and students 3rd grade through 12th grade. She returned to the U.S. where she earned her teaching credential at San Jose State and started teaching in the Alum Rock School District. She worked in Alum Rock for twenty years as an elementary school teacher, instructional coach, SC/SVNTP mentor, and lastly as a district administrator. Her last three years with Alum Rock, Candace worked as Alum Rock's Academic Services Coordinator where she oversaw Induction mentors, designed and developed her district’s Instructional Coaching program, and provided principal support for curriculum implementation and coaching. |
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Jamie Brown
Assistant Director, SC/SVNTP (Silicon Valley) Jamie worked as an elementary school teacher for many years at a progressive education choice school in Mountain View where her skills developed around inquiry, differentiation, parent education, Social Emotional Learning through Responsive Classroom, as well as Project Based Learning through Envision Learning Partners and the Buck Institute for Education. She became a mentor and coach in the Mountain View-Whisman School District for teachers TK-8th where she created and led various professional learning opportunities for new and veteran teachers, including Positive Teacher Language, Second Step, 123 Magic, Responsive Classroom, Classroom Management, PBL, Guided Reading, the Writing Process, Explicit Direct Instruction, and more. As a beginning teacher, she was mentored through SC/SVNTP and is now an excited member of the SC/SVNTP family, passionate about supporting mentors and new teachers. |
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InJin Jun
Department Coordinator, SC/SVNTP |