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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 085 397 SP 007 603 TITLE Teacher Trainee Program. ESEA Title I Annual Evaluation Report 1970-1971. INSTITUTION Virgin Islands Government Dept. of Education, Charlotte Amalie. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 71 NOTE 26p. rDRS PRICE NF -$0.65 HC-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS Cooperating Teachers; *Early Childhood Education; *Field Experience Programs; Individualized Instruction; *Preservice Education; *Program Development; Teacher Education; *Teacher Improvement IDENTIFIERS Virgin Islands ABSTRACT This study evaluated the first year of the Virgin Islands' Five Year Teacher-Trainee Program. The objectives of the program included a) provision of 100 degree-holding teachers for the Virgin Islands School System with specialized training in early childhood development and b) employment of 200 teacher trainees as classroom assistants for kindergarten to third grade. Sixty-nine teacher trainees accepted contracts between February and August 1971. All trainees worked with cooperating teachers in kindergarten to third grade one-half of the day and completed courses at the College of the Virgin Islands the other half. These trainees provided ' individualized classroom services to 1,900 students in 65 classes. Three trainees were also utilized in special education programs. The following considerations surfaced upon evaluation of the program: a) it took almost half the school year to develop and initiate the program because all trainees were required to have employment contracts; b) the program specified the use of two supervising teachers to conduct seminars and the Department of Education was not successful in contracting for these services; and c) conflicts were experienced when scheduling university course work and teacher trainee assignments. (BRB) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY U.S. DE pARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE CO NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO OUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM C=I THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY J _:- TEACHER TRAI NEE PROGRAM ESE,A TITLE I ANNUAL EVALUATION REPORT 1970-1971 GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ST. THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. SUMMARY 1 II. THE TEACHER TRAINEE PROGRAM 3 III. PROGRAM PROGRESS: SCHOOL YEAR 1970-71 13 IV. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION 20 Ii I. SUMMARY During the school year 1970-71 the Virgin Islands' ESEA Title I Program was reformu- lated and concentrated into a single thrust :. "The Teacher-Trainee Program". A Virgin Islands Needs Assessment indicated a growing pupil population, a poorly trained teacher base, and little emphasis in individualized instruction and early childhood development. The ESEA Title 1 Teacher Trainee Program answers these needs. The overall objective of the Teacher Trainee Program is to provide 100 degreed teachers for the Virgin Islands School System, with specialized training in early childhood development, white employing up to 200 teacher-trainees as classroom assistants in Kindergarten - Grade III classrooms. This goal is to be accomplished in a five year period beginning with the school year 1970-71. Results this first year indicate only partial success. Sixty-nine (69) teacher-trainees accepted contracts for the period February through August 1971. All trainees (with some few exceptions) were assigned to cooperating teachers on all three islands in Kindergarten - Grade III classrooms. All trainees were enrolled as students in teacher education at the College of the Virgin Islands. Of this group, eight dropped 1 out by the end of the school year. (A drop-out rate of 15 percent was assumed in the plan, which includes all academic failures.) No trainees were dropped due to academic failure. Teacher trainees provided individualized classroom services to a total of approximately 1900 students in 65 classes. In addition, the services of three teachertrainees were utilized in special educational programs such as the Title III Diagnostic Laboratory, a parochial school, and special tutoring assignments. It took almost half the school year to develop and initiate the program, the largest obstacle being the Government's contracting policies. The program necessitates executing employment contracts with each teacher-trainee, which proved to be quite difficult in a compressed time schedule. As a result, trainees could not begin until the spring semester, February 1971. In addition, the program plan specifies the use of twossupervisors from the College of the Virgin Islands to conduct a seminar series for Master (Cooperating) Teachers, as well as supervise and coach the classroom performance of teacher-trainees. The Department of Education was unsuccessful in contracting for these services. 2 II. THE TEACHER TRAINEE PROGRAM (NOTE: The complete Program Plan is contained in a separate document: "Teacher Trainee Program, ESEA Title I, April 1971", available from the Virgin Islands Department of Education.) The Virgin Islands Title I project experience and a 1970 assessment by the Title III project took a close look at island needs. With few exceptions, Virgin Islands public school children fit the legislative guidelines for economically and educationally disadvantaged children. Although immediate educational needs are for the most part being met, the long term need for college graduated teachers is great. In addition, the need for more and better qualified teacher aids to perform classroom tasks in the lower elementary grades was also identified. Research findings in other school systems and national Head Start and Follow Through programs have pointed out the immediate value and future importance of quality early childhood develop- ment, especially kindergarten through third grade. A. Needs Assessment 1. The Need for Qualified Native Teachers The Virgin Islands public school system currently employs some 748 teachers to serve more than 17,000 elementary and secondary school children in twenty-five schools. Twenty-nine percent of Virgin Islands teachers lack a bachelor's degree, and almost all of these are in elementary schools. The teachers are a mixed group of native islanders and teachers recruited from the mainland to serve a school population that has increased 70% in the last five years. Mainland teachers, though academically well prepared, have a substantially higher turnover rate than native teachers. Also, absenteeism is greater among mainland teachers than natives. Excessive teacher absenteeism greatly strains the small staff of qualified substitute teachers. The Virgin Islands have a distinct culture and proud heritage, and public school children relate more easily and directly to native teachers. 2. The Need for Classroom Aides Although elementary school classes have not been increasing in size in recent years, an increase in new schools in the last two 4 years, coupled with the influx this school year of new alien children, has strained the teaching capabilities of the modest sized staff. The island public school system is now faced with a heterogeneous population of students of widely varying achievement levels in overcrowded classes. Little individualized instruction is available. 3. The Need for Concentration of Early Childhood Development The beginning grades of kindergarten through Grade III have the most divergent enrollment of students from varying backgrounds. Remedial programs in the higher elementary grades, though partially successful, are inherently less effective than preventive programs in the .:arty years where children can be "hooked" on school. National Follow Through data and the recent experience in s,averal other Title I programs confirm the large payoff to be realized by concentration on early childhood development and the kindergarten through third grades in particular. Thus, with the assistance of the U.S. Office of Education's Division of Compensa- tory Education, the Virgin Islands' Departrnent of Education adopted a strategy to 5 simultaneously alleviate the three needs identified above in a concentrated teacher-trainee program. It is clear that having more qualified native teachers will give the student added stability and continuity of instruction. Providing additional classroom aides will ease overcrowded classrooms and allow for indi- vidualized instruction to address the varying needs of the students. B. Plan Objective The overall objective of this program is to improve the quality of Virgin Islands public education by increasing the number and quality of graduate native teachers specializing in early childhood education while providing a large force of teaching assistants to afford improved individualized instruction in the Kindergarten-III grades. The objective is to specifically add one hundred certified native teachers with specialty concentration in early childhood education and over two hundred teacher- trainees assigned to senior teachers in the K-HI classrooms throughout the three islands. Teacher- trainees are recruited from various sources and assigned for one-half day to a senior teacher as a classroom assistant. Each teacher-trainee attends college classes and studies for the other half day at the College of the Virgin Islands in the Teacher Education Division, in a specially arranged program leading to a bachelor's 6 degree in an expected five years (including summers). In the first year of the program sixty-nine teacher-trainees have begun the cycle. In September, an additiwIal sixty trainees (plus replacements) will begin the program. If the ctirre,t Title I grant level is continued in future years, only a modest few trainee additions can be made to the total number of teocher-trainees in the program. However, it is the intentior, of the Virgin Islands Title I staff to seek additional sources of funds so as to increase the number of new teacher-trainees entering the program as per the original five-year program projection on Table I. C. Teacher-Trainee Composition Current teacher- trainees and applicants come from all walks of life including: Current school aides and substitute teachers who lack appropriate academic education for teacher certification but have substantial interest and experience in a teaching career (40%). Recent high school graduates who cannot afford to go to college or who have not previously considered a career in teaching (10%). Persons currently unemployed who show both potential capabilities as a teacher as well as minimum academic preparation for college enrollment. This group also includes welfare recipients (25%). 7 TEACHER - TRAINEE FIVE YEAR PROGRAM PLAN Level of Academic Standing 1970-71 1971-72 School Year 1973-74 1974-75 First Year 1972-73 New Entrants 64 31 38 31 15 Continuing' Teacher-Trainees 0 33 51 45 22 Second Year New Entrants 4 33 25 20 12 Continuing Teacher-Trainees 0 23 43 30 36 Third Year New Entrants 2 4 5 3 3 Continuing Teacher Trainees 0 3 35 45 52 Fourth Year New Entrants 0 2 2 1 0 Continuing Teacher-Trainees 0 0 7 35 69 Total New Entrants in Program/Year 70 70 70 55 30 Total Teacher-Trainees in Program/Year 70 129 200 210 209 Graduates 0 2 5 31 62 Cumulative Number of Graduate Teachers 0 2 7 38 100 TABLE I 8 Current or former Head Start teachers and aides (5%). Persons currently employed in other occupations such as clerical and administrative, military service, business and others (20%). Only a minimum of requirements for eligibility have been established in order to invite the largest number of potential appihzants. Persons eligible for teacher trainee appointments must have a high school diploma or its equivalent; be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident and be of sufficient moral character consistent with the responsibility of teaching children. Preference is given to native Virgin Islanders, persons with teaching experience, men, persons who have already earned college credits in the field of education and those individuals demonstrating a strong desire to make elementary education a career. Pending the number of positions available, each person making application and possessing the minimum eligibility requirements is interviewed. Most teacher trainees were interviewed by Miss Aline M. Kean, the Title I Coordinator (resigned on 30 June 1971, with no replacement as of this date)who has been personally in- volved in all aspects of the program since Title I began. D. Teacher-Trainees' Duties and Responsibilities 9 Each teacher-trainee is responsible for performing certain duties in the school system and for fulfilling certain obligations under an annual employment contract. These include: 1. Satisfactorily complete a minimum of twenty-four credit hours of bachelor's level academic work each year (two semesters and one. summer session) applicable towards a degree in teacher education. 2. Take no more than five years to attain a degree in teacher education from the College c4,the Virgin Islands. 3. Pay for all books and fees necessary to accomplish the above. 4. Work fifteen hours per week at an assigned school during the school year. 5. Agree to reimburse the Department of Education for all tuition expenses incurred on behalf of the teacher-trainee in the event the trainee withdraws or is dismissed from the program for any reason whatsoever. 6. Upon receipt of his degree, agree to accept a suitable position, if offered, with the Department of Education and serve as an employee 10 of the Department of Education for a period of time equal to the number of years employed in the teacher-trainee program. In their classroom assistance role, teacher-trainees have a variety of tasks. Most trainees are assigned to a master teacher to whom he reports and receives super- vision. Some teacher-trainees, because of their advanced study level or prior experience as a classroom teacher, are substitute teachers. Still other teacher- trainees may be assigned to special education programs in remediation, handicapped, ,Iiagnostic, insular school or "shut-in" tutoring. The following are typical professional and para-professional duties assigned to teacher-trainees (depending upon qualifications) requiring close contact with students: classroom tasks assisting the teacher to provide more individualized learning for children; assisting with slow (or fast) learners or small groups of children; correcting papers; supervising study periods and assisting in preparing visual materials and other instructional media. E. The Role of the College of the Virgin islands The Department of Education selected the College of the Virgin Islands to provide 11 the academic education for teacher-trainees. The Teacher Education Division of the College is responsible for developing and counseling each teacher-trainee in a program to satisfy baccalaureate degree requirements, a total of 128 credit hours. In addition, the College of the Virgin Islands awards academic credits toward the bachelor's degree for part of the classroom teaching activities performed by the teacher-trainee. In the 1971-72 school year, two college instructors will circle the islands monitoring and coaching the classroom activities of teacher-trainees. In addition, a series of seminars will be held for cooperating master teachers, principals and educational supervisors to assist them in effectively utilizing classroom assistants. Dr. Herbert Hoover, Chairman of the Department of Teacher Education, is personally attending to all details of the Title I teacher-trainee program for the College of the Virgin Islands. F. Use of Consultant The Department of Education has contracted with Dr. Edward J. Cherian, a Management Consultant, for planning and evaluation services. Dr. Cherian has been responsible for developing and implementing the details of the program plan, including preparation of budgets, employment contracts, negotiating with the College of the Virgin Islands, and preparation of an evaluation plan. 12 III. PROGRAM PROGRESS: SCHOOL YEAR 1970-71 The recently completed school year 1970-71 is the first year of the Teacher-Trainee five-year program. As such, the entire program had to be designed from the beginning. Several meetings were held to describe the program to the many persons who were to be involved in one form or another. Program data were published, forms designed, contracts drafted, and discussions held with the U.S. Office of Education Title I staff. A chronology of events leading up to the initial performance by teacher-trainees, and program progress is as follows: July 1970 - Meeting with U.S. Office of Education Task Force Four representatives of the U.S. Office of Education's Division of Compensatory Education, headed by Mrs. Genevieve Dane, Chief of the Operations Branch, visited the Virgin Islands Department of Education as a Title 1 Task Force. This team, working with Virgin Islands educators and administrators, reviewed Title 1 expenditures to date as well as program progress. In light of a recent needs assessment, the combined working group agreed that a new emphasis program (described in the previous section) would better serve the Virgin Islands Title I children. 13 September 1970 - Meeting with U.S Office of Education Technical Assistance Team Dr. Cornelius Butler, Chief of the Program Support Branch of the U.S. Office of Education's Division of Compensatory Education and Dr. Edward Cherian, serving as Consultant to Dr. Butler, visited the Department of Education to provide technical assistance in the structure and details of the teacher-trainee plan. October-November 1970 - Search for Candidates A wide search was conducted in order to identify as many eligible and interested candidates as possible for the teacher-trainee program. All elementary school principals, coordinating supervisors, and Department of Education superintendents on all three islands were (-ontacted. In addition, newspaper and radio announcements were made of the positions available. November-December 1970 - Internal Program Review Meetings were held with Department of Education staff to review program details. The Acting Commissioner of Education reviewed the program, and plans were made by the Personnel Department to accommodate necessary changes in classroom assignments. 14 November-December 1970 - Screening and Interviewing Candidates Candidates completing application forms were notified of their eligibility and those eligible were interviewed by the Title I Coordinator, Miss Aline M. Kean. December 1970 - Contract for Consultant Services A contract was made with Dr. Edward J. Cherian to provide planning and evaluation services for the teacher-trainee program. December 1970 - .Teacher - Trainee Contract Prepared The final form of an appropriate employment contract for teacher-trainees was prepared, and subsequently approved by the Department of Law. December 1970-January 1971 - Selection of Teacher-Trainees Final selection of teacher-trainees was made and notifications sent to those selected. Those eligible, but not selected for the initial year of the program, were notified that they were placed on a waiting list for possible future selection. January 1971 - Informal Meetings with Selected Teacher-Trainees 15 The Title I staff made several visits on St. Thomas and St. Croix to informally meet prospective teacher-trainees. At this time there was reason to believe that many, if not all, trainee contracts would not be signed by the Governor before the beginning of the spring semester. It was believed that this final act might dissuade some people from beginning the program. In addition, a reasonable number of pre-program dropouts ("no-shows") were expected, but no accurate forecast could be made. Indications were that the salary levels proposed for teacher-trainees would not be sufficient to attract the quality of trainee desired, as well as most men being con- sidered. As a result, an upward revision was made in the specified salary schedule. February 1971 - Start Spring Semester Sixty-nine (69) teacher-trainees, representing all three islands, began the spring semester--both as students at the College of the Virgin Islands, and as teacher- trainees assigned to master teachers in elementary classrooms. February-March W71 - Teacher-Trainee Contracts Signed Teacher-trainee contracts received final signature and authorization by the Virgin Islands Government. 16 March 197] - Contract for College of the Virgin Islands Final authorization was received for contract with the College of the Virgin Islands for tuition reimbursement. A second contract with the College of the Virgin Islands, providing for the services of two college supervisors and the conduct of a series of seminars for master teachers, was aborted. April-May 1971 - Teacher-Trainee Five Year Plan Formalized Copies of the final five year plan for the ESEA Title I teacher-trainee program were prepared and transmitted to the U.S. Office of Education. After review by Division of Compensatory Education staff, informal approval was received. May-August 1971 - Plans for Second Year The knowledge gained by the frustrations in initiating this program resulted in the Title I staff planning for the second year at an early date. June 1971 - Evaluation Sessions with Teacher-Trainees and Cooperating Teachers Two meetings were held (one on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix) with all teacher- trainees, cooperating teachers, and supervising principals. Attendance was excellent, 17 and considerable "feedback" was received about the progress of the program - -both substantively and procedurally. July-August 1971 - Summer Session at College of the Virgin Islands Teacher-trainees continued at the College of the Virgin Islands with a six credit hour course load. August 1971 - Teacher-Trainee Meetings to Discuss New Contract Two meetings were held (one on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix) with all teacher- trainees entering the fall program. Program changes and new contracts were distri- buted and discussed. August 1971 - Visit by U.S. Office of Education with Governor Evans Richard L. Fair ley, Director of the Division of Compensatory Education, U.S. Office of Education, visited the Virgin Islands to review progress to date by the ESEA Title 1 Teacher-Trainee Program. Mr. Fairley met with many Department of Education staff including the Acting Commissioner and the Commissioner Designate. Mr. Fairley's visit ended with a meeting with Governor Evans, Dr. D. Cawley (Special Assistant 18 to the Governor), Dr. H. Hoover (Head of the Department of Teacher Education at the College of the Virgin Islands), and Dr. E. Cherian, Title I Consultant. 19 IV. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION . In developing the subjective and judgmental observations noted below, Dr. Cherian, Consultant to the Teacher-Trainee program, has personally visited all but one elementary school on all three islands involved in this program, Dr. Cherian and Miss Kean had several large meetings with groups of trainees, cooperating teachers, and principals in an attempt to view program progress at all levels. More than half the first year's trainees were viewed in classroom situations, and private interviews with these trainees and their cooperating teachers were conducted by Dr. Cherian. Any evaluation must compare actual completed results with original program plans. Following this truism, a review of the first year results of the teacher-trainee program indicate only partial success. Program success as measured basically as achievement of specific objectives, indicates satisfactory success in the numbers of teacher-trainees satisfactorily completing the first year: a total of 61 out of 69. A combined self dropout and academic dropout rate of 15 percent was factored into enrollment forecasts. A rate of less than 12 percent was actually experienced. The reader is cautioned, however, that this experience is somewhat artificial insofar as the College derided to continue some "marginal" students for a second semester before making final decisions on their academic standing. 20 The major shortcoming in this program was primarily due to the late start in the second semester of the year. Inordinate delays in the Virgin Islands Government contracting process were the primary cause of the late program start. These delays were directly responsible for cancellation of the proposed contract with the College of the Virgin Islands for trainee supervision and conduct of seminars for cooperating teachers. In interviews and debriefing sessions with teacher-trainees, principals, and cooperating teachers, the lock of college supervisors for trainees and training for cooperating teacher participation were repeatedly noted as shortcomings in this program. Other specific and detailed substantive and procedural evaluation issues are noted below. A. Substantive Problems and Issues The Island of St. Croix has on extension campus of the College of the Virgin Islands whose main location is on St. Thomas. The St. Croix campus currently has a limited course offering, with most courses being offered for freshmen and sophomore levels. The campus must be expanded to provide brooder course offerings and o specialized teacher education program in order to service the teacher-trainee 21 program. As of the writing of this report, College of the Virgin Islands' officials are unclear as to the future development of this campus. The College of the Virgin Islands' Department of Education does not now include a specialist in early childhood development. The teacher-trainee program is predicated upon providing trainees specialized instruction in early childhood education concepts, individualized instruction techniques, implementing activity center classrooms, and other newer educational approaches for early elementary education. Attracting men as teacher-trainees has been difficult. The salary schedule, although acceptable to many women, is less than adequate for heads of households. In addi- tion, elementary education has long been stenotyped as a "woman's world", which further discourage; men from applying and continuing in this program. National Head Start and Follow Through data has clearly indicated the value of men in the classroom in early childhood development, and in rarticular where there are fatherless families and high male dropout rates. B. Procedural Problems and Issues The major procedural problem encountered to date has been in the scheduling of courses 22 at the College of the Virgin Islands in with (and between) teacher-trainee classroom assignments. On the St. Croix campus this problem does not exist since currently all courses are conducted in the early evening haurs (although some trainees object to this late scheduling). On St. Thomas, courses are scheduled throughout the day, and teacher-trainees are integrated with regular full-time students. In same few cases, teacher-trainees have had to journey back and forth to the College of the Virgin Islands twice in a clay with a classroom assignment in between. The amount of unproductive time thus spent is unacceptably high. Teacher-trainees would, in most cases, prefer to be assigned to an elementary school closest to his home. Because of the unequal distribution of home-school this has not been possible in many cases. As a result, added travel time is experi- enced in a trainee's day. Although still in the freshman or sophomore years, many teacher-trainees expected, but did not receive, guidance counseling at CVI with respect to an overall academic program plan. Teacher-trainees traveling from the Island of St. John were faced with an almost impossible schedule. The travel time from home to CVI has been as long as one 23 hour and forty minutes each way. This has precluded effective utilization of the trainees' services in the elementary school classroom. In interviews with trainees and cooperating teachers, a need was cited for more planning time to be made available to the trainee and cooperating teacher. Such an opportunity would be used to synchronize classroom activities and explain to trainees in advance both short term and long term classroom plans. 24