Induction: A passage to teaching

Job satisfaction during the first year of teaching seems to have a greater correlation with teacher retention than does prior academic performance or the quality of the teacher preparation program, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Induction programs, which are designed to help teachers successfully connect their teacher preparation with classroom practice, could play a vital role in transitioning teachers through their critical first years.

Induction is a teacher credentialing requirement established by the California Legislature in Senate Bill 2042 in 1998. Under the Learning to Teach system created by the bill, a new teacher who has received a preliminary credential is required to participate in a program of professional development and beginning teacher support in order to win recommendation for the professional clear credential.

How have induction programs evolved?

Beginning teachers once had the unhappy experience of working in their first classrooms with only what they had learned in preservice courses or picked up from student teaching to rely on.

Since 1992, under the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment project (BTSA), California schools have enlisted practicing veteran teachers to help beginning teachers start their careers with confidence and support.

Now, with the passage of SB 2042, California has established standards for teacher preparation and certification, including maximized opportunities for entry into teaching. Credential candidates must now complete their subject matter, professional preparation and competency assessments in order to earn a preliminary credential. After signing a teaching contract, they enter induction programs at the district level, which are intended to provide two years of support and assessment leading to a recommendation for a professional clear credential.

Teachers who must participate in an induction program include those who are teaching on preliminary or intern credentials and those who were prepared out of state and have less than five years of experience as teachers.

In March 2002, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing established 20 standards for teacher induction programs. Standards 1-9 address how sponsors organize and administer such programs. Standards 10-14 address program design (roles and responsibilities, collaboration, professional development activities, etc.). And Standards 15-20 address what teachers should be able to demonstrate competency in. The main site www.ctc.ca.gov also contains frequently asked questions about the SB 2042 induction requirements.

Why do we need induction?

Like other professionals who possess a body of knowledge unique to their professions, teachers need to master the essential content, skills and strategies required for effective teaching.

Quality induction programs develop the ability of new teachers to control the conditions of teaching and learning in their classrooms - how to motivate students, how to incorporate different methods of teaching and learning, how to use time, how to set up a healthy physical and social environment in the classroom, and how to assess student learning.

Effective induction projects also contribute to the retention of competent professionals. According to Mentoring Beginning Teachers: Guiding, Reflecting, Coaching by Jean Boreen, Mary K. Johnson, Donna Niday and Joe Potts:

• 17 percent of teachers leave teaching after one year;
• 30 percent of teachers leave after two years;
• 40 percent leave after three years;
• Nearly half leave after 5 years;
• Up to 80 percent leave after 10 years.

Over the course of no more than two years, quality induction programs can engage participants in a strategic formative process of goal setting, planning, monitoring and assessing outcomes.

The idea is to help beginning teachers learn to replace ineffective methods with improved practice guided by their own professionally autonomous decision-making. Highly successful beginning teachers are more likely to continue to develop professionally and to remain in teaching.

Through the induction process, teacher knowledge - such as curriculum development, content knowledge, cognitive development theory and classroom management theory - evolves into effective teaching practices - such as appropriate application of methods, development of interventions, professional autonomy and teaching efficacy.

Good induction programs share the following traits:

• They train beginning teachers on the skills, knowledge and abilities required for good teaching.
• They support beginning teachers and enable them to meet the competencies described in the California standards for the teaching profession.
• They use embedded performance assessments to provide helpful feedback to beginning teachers and their support providers.
• They are not used for employment-related evaluation, as a condition of employment, or as a basis for terminating employment.
• They are required for certification.

The real question about induction is whether or not participating teachers do in fact benefit from involvement with the program. California faces a critical shortage of highly qualified teachers - especially in high-priority, low-performing schools. Good induction programs should have the dual impact of creating engagement for professional learning and improvement as well as increasing the likely retention of caring, competent educators.