The vision of the Culver City-Beverly Hills Unified School District Consortium Induction Program is to develop teachers who are able to provide instruction at the highest level of excellence to meet the needs of every student through a job embedded mentoring and professional development system. With the support of qualified and trained mentors, candidates participate in research-based cycles of inquiry aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. New teachers explore best practices designed to meet the needs of diverse learners with a focus on individualized goals and student achievement.
1. Program Summary
Program Design
The Culver City (CCUSD)-Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Consortium Induction Program operates under the Educational Services Department of the Culver City Unified School District. This Consortium has evolved through several teacher support models since its inception around 2001, all based on the inquiry cycle of Plan, Teach, Reflect, and Apply. Additionally, the Consortium focuses on the importance of systematic mentoring to support teachers in both effective teaching and professional practices. All work together to promote retention in the profession and increase academic achievement for all students.
The Culver City-Beverly Hills Unified School District Consortium Induction Program leadership consists of the Superintendent (CCUSD), Assistant Superintendents of both districts, Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning (CCUSD), and the Induction Coordinator (CCUSD). The Induction Coordinator reports directly to the Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning and meets with the Director on a regular basis. In addition, the Assistant Superintendents of both districts and the Director have regularly scheduled meetings to provide updates on the day-to-day operation of the Induction program. Lastly, The Consortium has a Steering Committee comprised of the Program leadership, mentors and teachers in the Program. This Committee meet annually to discuss survey data, evaluate the Program and provide feedback.
Mentors are chosen based on their teaching reputation in the district, their interest in mentoring, and their match to a candidate's content area and/or grade level. New mentors attend a New Mentor Orientation where skills such as reflective conversations, paraphrasing, and adult learning theory are discussed. Mentors receive ongoing, continuous training during their mentoring term. They meet monthly to collaborate, participate in a book study, and discuss any other relevant topics. To document mentor growth, the Induction Program implemented a Mentor Individual Learning Plan this year, in which mentors self-assess on a self-selected mentoring standard several times a year and are provided feedback from the program.
The effectiveness of the mentor and candidate pairings is monitored and assessed through candidate feedback and regular monitoring of mentor logs, Induction documentation and mentor self-assessments. Mentors meet with their Induction candidates at least one hour a week for a minimum of four hours per month. Mentors guide their candidates through all required Induction processes and documentation during these weekly meetings, as well as provide "just in time" support to promote professional growth. As an added layer of support, the Culver City Unified School District Induction Program implemented a lead mentor this year to support new mentors. The lead mentor regularly communicates and meets with the new mentors, as needed. The lead mentor provides new mentors with support and guidance on not only the program's processes, but also on how to best support the candidate.
Program stakeholders are provided with several opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation. Candidates complete surveys after trainings and professional development. The survey data is used to tailor the program to best meet the candidates’ needs. Mentors are also surveyed and feedback is used to guide the topics of the mentor trainings and meetings. The Steering Committee provides annual feedback based on candidate surveys, and Induction leadership uses their input to make improvements to the program.
Course of Study
The Culver City-Beverly Hills Unified School District Consortium Induction Program is a two-year program, with an Early Completion Option, designed to support both General Education and Education Specialist candidates. Over the two-year course of the program, candidates complete three Inquiries as part of their Individual Learning Plan (ILP) in self-selected California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) focus areas. Early Completion Option candidates complete two Inquiries over one year. All candidates are matched with like-credentialed mentors within 30 days and attend a New Teacher Orientation. First-year candidates and second-year candidates who are new to either district attend an Orientation where they learn about program processes and the Individual Learning Plan, the main Induction document. This begins the process of building upon the knowledge and skills gained during the candidate’s preliminary preparation program and any previous teaching experience.
Induction candidates use their transition plan from their preliminary program (when available) and site administrator objectives to guide the initial goals they set in each of the six CSTPs on the ILP. Mentors then observe their candidate, work with them to identify student needs, and discuss Induction roles and administrator objectives at a triad meeting with the candidate and their administrator. These are then taken into consideration to guide the candidate in choosing which teaching standard to focus on for their first Individual Learning Plan. The ILP is modified and updated after each inquiry process and at the mid- and end-point of each Inquiry. Based on self-assessment findings, candidates determine which CSTPs they need to work on. If, at the end of the inquiry, it is evident that they have not made adequate progress towards mastery, then they may continue working on the focus CSTPs for the next inquiry cycle. The inquiry process can include professional development sessions, observations of exemplary teachers, and collaboration with other teachers. Candidates attend several professional development seminars, where they have an opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues. Newly implemented for this year’s program, candidates suggest and choose topics discussed at the seminar, as opposed to the former practice of program leadership devising the topics from which to choose. The Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning, Induction Coordinator and mentors facilitate these small breakout groups.
Assessment of Candidates
Candidates maintain an online portfolio for documenting evidence of growth toward mastery in the standards. Candidates receive individualized feedback from the program leadership on milestone evidence. Candidates maintain documentation of their Induction progress and are aware of the requirements for completion through a completion checklist.
At the end of the second Induction year, if all previous milestones have been satisfactorily completed, the candidates prepare a presentation of their learning for a panel consisting of program and district leadership. Once the presentations are completed, the Coordinator provides the Credential Analyst with the names of those teachers who have completed all requirements of the Induction Program. The Credential Analyst from Culver City Unified School District files the needed documentation for the California Clear Credential.
1.1.1 Location, Delivery and Pathways Offered
2. Organizational Structure
2.1 Organizational Chart/ Graphic
3. Qualifications of Mentors and Professional Development Personnel
3.1 Instructional Personnel Table (Induction Mentors)
3.3 Published Experience and Qualifications Requirement
4. Program Sequence
4.1 Culver City- Beverly Hills Induction Program Handbook
4.1.1 Culver City- Beverly Hills Induction Website
5. Job-embedded Fieldwork and Clinical Practice
5.1 Timeline of Candidate and Mentor Matches
5.2 Candidate, Mentor and Site Administrator Responsibilities and Agreements
5.2.1 Candidate/ Mentor Summary Form
5.2.2 Candidate Collaboration Log
5.3 Links to Training Materials
5.5 Induction Program Handbook and Induction Program Syllabus
5.6 ILP Template and Related Documents
5.6.1 Assessment Instruments
6. Credential Recommendation
6.1 Description of process ensuring appropriate recommendation
Monthly, the Induction Coordinator reviews the induction database and candidate documentation portfolio to monitor candidates’ progress and participation. Feedback is given to each candidate and mentor on their Induction work. Candidates are also able to monitor their progress on their completion checklist for updates on submission status, feedback, and attendance at induction events.
Inadequate progress is reviewed with the mentor and the candidate. To support the candidate whose work needs revision to complete induction, a plan and timeline is developed by the Induction Coordinator, mentor and candidate for resubmission and review.
In May, all candidate portfolios are reviewed for a final time by the Induction Coordinator and lead mentor for completion. Candidates’ whose work has been determined to meet criteria and growth along the Continuum of the Teaching Practice, with evidence and reflection, are recommended for their California Clear Teaching Credential.
6.1.1 Candidate Progress Monitoring Documents