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posted Apr 4, 2011 6:45 AM by Micah Fikes
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updated Apr 6, 2011 6:43 AM
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Schools budgets are stretched like the Hulk's boxers. There are no aisles between the desks in classrooms across the state. Our superintendants can't afford to turn the lights on in thier offices. Soon, oil prices will require that we tear up the furniture to use for kindling that we may start fires for warmth. A bit dramatic? ...sure, but that's what it feels like when you are the new kid on the block, and you hear that even experienced teachers are worried about their jobs.
Yes, we are in a budget crisis, but we have been for over three years now. Our alternative certification program has felt the tightening of the belt just as our teachers and schools have. The difference this year is that the news is public. Last year, blurry eyed applicants had to be convinced how competitive the market was, and they never fully understood it until they were in the game. The numbers showed that Math, Science and Bilingual teachers had a very high success rate in the job market. Special Education and Foriegn Language were still above 70%. It is only when we get to English, Social Studies and regular ed Elementary that our job numbers drop below 50%. This was slighlty down from prior years, and job availablilty this year will be similar to last year, according to recent (last week) news from a couple of our larger local districts. Don't let this get out, but one of them is even going to need Art, Music and Elementary teachers.
Here is the dilemma we will face this year. We may not have enough new applicants to fill the need. The news reporting on the budget crisis has brought our prosepective new teachers to such a downtrodden state that they feel there is no use in trying anymore. Our application numbers, and although they may not admit it, those of programs and universities across the state are very, very low. So here is the picture: Last year 5 trillion people showed up at the NCTASPA job fair. They all applied for the ten available jobs within a 200 mile radius of their home. They all went home and called me to ask why I didn't tell them it was hopeless when they applied.
I spent the months of May and June having the same conversation over and over. It was like a broken record - 'I haven't had one interview', 'I've applied at 25 districts and not heard anything' and 'What are the odds that I'll find something' were the most frequently asked questions. Then came July - and like every July for the past 10 years, interns miraculously began to get interviews and then even job offers. We ended up with a very encouraging number of hired interns. We weren't busting at the seems, but the reality was much brighter than the early predictions.
I don't claim to know the future, but I do believe that history provides us with a pretty good guess. History would suggest that some recovery will take place among the districts and some elevated level of hiring will have to take place just as it has for the past few years. The problem this year just might be that the public nature of the educational budget crisis has scared our normal crop of potential shortage area teachers badly enough that they don't pursue their dream. Everyone won't find a job, but Math, Science. Bilingual and Special Education teachers are still going to find lots of success and, with a little more work, the rest of us will as well. To win the game, you have to be on the field though. If you have been called to teach, this is not the time to be discouraged. Get in the game.
Micah Fikes
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posted Feb 16, 2011 9:05 AM by Micah Fikes
We are beginning to get lots of submissions in teh Web 2.0 course and it has become apparent that a lot of you already use web based technology in pretty cool ways in your classroom. Our purpose with Web 2.0 is to ensure that every intern coming out of ECAP knows what is available and can teach themselves to use web 2.0 tools. If you already have a blog, for instance, that meets the majority of our course requirements, we don't really want to make you go through the excercise of creating another one. On the same note, if you have used any tool that is similar, but not exactly what we require in web 2.0, you probably have achieved what the course is intended to teach.
With that said, I'm going to give you some unofficial policies to follow that might help you avoid duplicating your efforts. First, everyone has to complete the legal issues section in the course. You can't get around that. Second, if you have a blog already, simply give Sheryl Woods access to it. Then use that blog to show her evidence of any web 2.0 experience you already have that is alligned to any of the course requirements. You have to, in short, give her a proposal that she can approve or adjust that confirms your knowledge of the course content. The proposal should be thorough and should address every section for which you desire credit in sequence. It should also include evidence such as links to your work or images of student work (black out the names).
Third, if you actively manage a classroom website that meets the following criteria, submit the link to Sheryl Woods through the Web 2.0 course for potential alternative credit.
The website must:
- be actively used by your students
- include a class calendar
- include sections for class information, news and parent communication
- contain at least one lesson plan
- contain some kind of personal learning network (sites, links, shortcuts, etc...)
- include your professional profile or resume
If you already have a website you use and it looks like this, make sure you submit it. You might just get alternative credit for it,. allowing you to skip most of the Web 2.0 course.
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posted Sep 21, 2010 1:52 PM by Micah Fikes
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updated Sep 21, 2010 2:26 PM
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First, this post only applies to my Tier 2 interns. If you're in a hurry, skip the next 2 paragraphs and go to step 1.
Tier 2 means that you are teaching before attending Summer Academy. Or it could stand for "I'm in TEARS because I'm 2 busy". Let's just say it's a really tough way to start a new career. Anyway, I don't know of any way to make a tier 2 (untrained) intern feel totally comfortable during the first few weeks of school, but we still try.
I've had just a few calls from my Tier 2 people who weren't sure what they were supposed to be doing - So, just in case this issue is larger than it appears, I thought I would follow up with everyone and make sure you know where to find the important "To Do" items for ECAP. Many of you will be on track and this will be old news, but for some, if you missed our mail or haven't had time to get started, this should help immensely. Some of this stuff is time sensitive and all of it is required, so make sure you follow the links and familiarize yourself with the process.
Using your lastnamefirstname as a username
and your lastname as a password
(all lower case with no spaces)
2) If you need to register, do it. If not, go to the next step.
or click the Orientation Tier 2 link (if you see it in Moodle)
This takes you to the orientation course (which takes you in baby steps through the whole program).
Print the printable schedule of requirements.
4) Work through the first two steps of the course in a hurry. Then start to plan your attack for section 3.
5) Once you finish section 3, sit back and relax until Christmas. Then, when school starts again, go back and see what's next.
I hope this helps anyone who might have been feeling unsure about what has to be done now and what can wait.
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posted Sep 2, 2010 7:41 AM by Micah Fikes
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updated Sep 22, 2010 6:16 AM
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Answer: Right now, there is no venue for reporting these training hours. You should simply keep your own records. We will request the hours of you if and when we need them.
During your information meeting you were told that you would be reporting your school district's training events in order to help you meet the magical 300 hour training requirement. In reality, we are only going to ask for you to report those hours at the very end of the year if you need them.
As long as you attend all training events (or make sure you complete the makeups) and keep up with your requirements in Moodle, you will easily exceed your 300 hour requirement. We use Summer Academy, Additional Professional Development, PPR Study time, observation time etc... to meet the total requirement. We are working on an update to your IPIP that will show you the number of hours assigned to each training. We're also adding certificates of completion to our courses (with the number of credit hours) so you can show your school or just keep your training hours in a file.
An important point regarding state required training:
While there is a requirement for total training time (300 hours) there is also a curriculum requirement. ECAP is very carefull to exceed state expectations in both of these requirements. In other words, we can't just let you report 300 miscellaneous training hours and call it even. Those hours have to include specific types of training, so once again I'll say that if you complete all of your assigned training, you will meet the requirements.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone for staying on top of this topic. We've had lots of questions surrounding it. I beleive some of you thought that you needed 300 hours of training aside from ECAP training events, when we should have explained that the 300 hour requirement includes and should be comprised solely of ECAP training events. |
posted Sep 2, 2010 7:18 AM by Micah Fikes
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updated Sep 29, 2010 7:44 AM
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9/29/2010
Surviving the First Year will be loaded today.
9/14/2010 - 5:01
-Connections is available for everyone.
-Okay I got it figured out. Connections is available for Bilingual and Sped. It will be available for Secondary and Elementary within the hour.
-I have posted the Connections video but I am having trouble getting them in order. Someone who had Betty for Connections needs to email me at mfikes@ecapteach.com and help with with the order of the videos. 9/10/2010 - 12:23 pm
All Groups Teach to your Strengths is ready
Secondary Teach to your Strengths is ready
Secondary Teacming and Communication - Day 2 is up. Day 1 will be loaded tomorrow. Quiz is available.
9/9/2010 - 4:00 pm
Phones and email have been very busy. I just got caught up so I should be posting video all day tomorrow.
9/7/2010
I'll have to spend most of the day returning emails and voicemails from the weekend. Lots of people decided that they want to teach yesterday. It probably had something to do with school holidays.
As soon as I can start loading video again, I'll post here.
9/3/2010 - 2:15 pm
Secondary Reading in the Content is ready to go
9/3/2010 - 12:30 pm
Special Ed Behavior Management is ready to go
Secondary Parent Conferencing is ready to go
9/3/2010 - 11:18 am
Secondary - Teaching in Urban Schools is ready to go
9/3/2010 - 11:04 am
Secondary Critical Thinking is posted and the quiz is open
9/3/2010 - 9:30 am
I'll be posting video all day if the server cooperates.
Updates will be posted here throughout the day.
9/2/2010 - 10:30 am
All handouts are posted
ARD/IEP (Special Ed) video is up and quiz is available
By the way, I am not uploading video controls yet. I will go back and put controls on the videos after they're all posted. You will have to right click the video to play/pause.
9/2/2010 - 9:30am
I should twitter this but I wanted to put it somewhere that everyone could access it.
You guys should email me and let me know if you think twitter, facebook, or any other social networking link to me would be helpful. mfikes@ecapteach.com.
I am in the process of posting all of your handouts to Moodle right now. You will be able to click the handouts link in each training course to see your full set as well as every other group set. This should be done by end of day today.
On a side note, Linda Denson's Colors handouts are in the Secondary handbook in the Teaming and Communication section. I know that all of you Elementary Teachers wanted them.
I have the video perpetually loading to our web server, but the process is slow. I'll post here, at the end of the day, which courses I am able to complete.
To make up or requiz, you just need to wait until you see your course name updated here. Then go into the quiz and retake it the same way you did the first time. I will remove passwords.
Makeups will be given full credit and curved just like the other participants. Retakes will be averaged with your first quiz grade.
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posted Jun 7, 2010 6:51 AM by Micah Fikes
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updated Jun 7, 2010 8:51 AM
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Typical Pre-Summer Academy Questions and Answers:
When is Summer Academy?
Secondary Teachers ,Elementary/ESL Teachers, Bilingual Teachers - your training dates are 7/5/2009 through 7/23/2009
Special Education - your training dates are 7/5/2009 through 7/23/2009. You will also attend 7/1 and 7/2.
All Participants Summer academy is Monday through Friday. It starts at 9:00am and ends at 4:00pm daily.
Do you have a Fall Academy?
I’m sorry, but we do not offer a Fall Academy. We concentrate on supporting our working teachers during the Fall.
I’ve been teaching for 20 years. Do I have to train?
Yes, you still have to attend. The state requires it.
I was an education major in college. I just didn’t get certified. Do I have to attend Summer Academy?
Yes, you still have to attend. The state requires it.
If I don’t attend Summer Academy, can I still take a teaching job next year? Or… Is there an alternative to Summer Academy?
Yes, you can accept a job for the 2010-2011school year even if you do not commit to training in the 2010 Summer Academy. Your school must request that we suspend your training requirement, which means that you have to explain to your potential employer the reason you cannot attend training and have them call ECAP.
To remain active with ECAP you'll have to sign up for and complete an online course called 'Foundations of Teaching / Survival Training' this summer. The cost of the Foundations course is $65, and to remain active in the program you have to enroll when we send your enrollment request in early July. This additional course does not replace summer training; it only allows your training to be suspended for a year. After you've taught for a year (next summer) you will attend summer academy.
The program is designed to be delivered training first, then experience. You put yourself at a disadvantage when you don’t attend Summer Academy before entering the classroom. This is why online programs are not popular among the districts. Some things need to be taught face-to-face. In short, we do not advise this.
What if I have to miss a day?
This question will be addressed at your information meeting. I will advise you that attendance requirements are strict. In most cases, non-emergency absences result in returning to Summer Academy the following year to make up missed days. After 3 absences we require that you drop from Summer Academy and return the following year.
We might seem a bit unforgiving about Summer Academy attendance. Please understand that this is because we have to cram so much information into such a short period of training that every day is very important. We also have to document your completion of |
posted Mar 31, 2010 7:08 AM by Micah Fikes
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updated May 27, 2010 6:40 AM
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I am already hearing this question from our new applicants, so I thought I would address it here as well.
Many of you have started applying for jobs, and good for you! It's never too early to look. Sometimes you get lucky, even in the middle of the year. The reality, however, is that many of you in high need areas won't start hearing about open jobs until April or May. Those who aren't in high need areas might not see many job postings before summer arrives. Why is this?
All schools are not on the same schedule, so there will be some variances, but... Most schools are now sending out letters of commitment to their current staff. This letter asks the teacher whether or not they will be returning next year. Some (relatively few) openings are recognized as the principals receive notice that some of their teachers will not be returning the next year. These jobs will first be filled by transfers within the district. Then job postings will go up. This can take a little time.
Also, keep in mind that principals still have to finish TAKS testing for the year. Since the standardized tests have a huge affect on their school's reputation, principals tend to focus on them, leaving little time for recruiting. Once those tests are finished though, some of you will see a little action in the job market. We always see a spike in interviews and acquired positions just after school ends each year as a result of this and increased teacher resignations (some hold out until the end of the year).
In mid June, we see another wave of positions appear in the market. The reason behind this is primarily that teachers are aware that they are responsible to give their employer notice within 45 days of the beginning of the upcoming school year if they will not be returning to their contracted position. Therefore, approximately 45 days before school starts, we see more interviews and hirings. This wave lasts until school begins, and even one or two weeks into the school year.
It is more important than ever to conduct a thorough job search and to make whatever consessions you are willing to make to gain employment as we don't expect to see a dramatic increase in hiring this year. For the past couple of years our number of hired interns has been much lower than in prior years. This means that if you are in a high need area, you need to be dilligent in your job search. If you're not in a high need area, you need to be relentless.
Your professionalism, appearance and attitude are of utmost importance since the pool of candidates is several times larger than it used to be. If you aren't exactly what a principal or personnel representative is looking for, they have plenty of willing and able candidates to fill jobs.
If you are an ECAP intern, make sure you complete your orientation course. It has lots of resources for your job search.
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posted Mar 5, 2010 8:24 AM by Micah Fikes
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updated Mar 5, 2010 9:24 AM
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The race is on. Everyone's applying for teaching jobs for the upcoming shool year, and many new interns who haven't received a probationary certificate yet are asking us what to put in the certificate section of the various applications.
There are two types of applicant, so I'll address them seperately:
First, there are applicants who have not received an acceptance letter from ecap. You may have applied, but not met requirements, or you may not even have applied. You can apply now, but you need to realize that you can't claim to have a certificate until a program accepts you (even if you have passed a content test). You have to say that you have no certificate on the online applications for now, but you can come back and update the application once you are accepted.
Second, there are applicants who have received an acceptance letter form ECAP. Make sure you have an acceptance letter and not a status letter. Our acceptance letter states that you are elligible for a probationary certificate for the upcoming school year. These applicants should indicate on school district applications that they hold a probationary certificate. While the probationary certificate has not been issued officially, the school districts are aware that we cannot issue the actual certificate until we know the employing district. In other words, as soon as they offer you a job, your certificate will be recommended.
Some applications ask what date your certificate was issued. You should use a date that is approximately the first day of the upcoming school year as an issue date. The expiration date is one year later.
I hope this helps you all as you search for new jobs.
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posted Mar 4, 2010 12:04 PM by Micah Fikes
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updated Mar 4, 2010 4:22 PM
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This only applies to those interns who began teaching before September, 2009.
We just held our last PPR review of the year and lots of registered interns did not show. I totally understand though. It was a really pretty day and I wanted to play hookey too. I'm kidding. I know that there are lots of legitimate reasons for missing the training.
The fact remains though, that you have to complete a face to face review before you can take the PPR exam (no matter how much you beg us). You now have two options:
1. You can apply for another probationary contract (if it's your first year teaching) which makes you elligible to teach another year. You can take the PPR review that we offer in September, test and recieve your certificate then.
-or-
2. You can find a review being offered somewhere else, attend that review, give ECAP evidence that you attended and we will give you credit for the training. I think that Region X or Region XI offer PPR reviews. You could also check www.texesreviews.com. Many people even pay to get into university PPR reviews.
A word of advice in closing...
Dust off that ECAP handbook and make sure that you have completed everything. Surprises at the end of the year are rarely good news. |
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