LEAP Project-Teach LA (4)

THE LOS ANGELES


EDUCATION


ALIGNMENT PROJECT


(LEAP)










www.teachlarc.org
DECEMBER 2020 REPORT
THE TEACH LOS ANGELES REGIONAL
COLLABORATIVE (TEACH LA)
Prepared by: Renee Marshall
[email protected]
Funded in part by the California Community Colleges, Chancellor's Office, Strong Workforce
Regional Allocation Funding, FY 2018-2019.

The Los Angeles

Education Alignment Project (LEAP)



Teacher Preparation Colleges within the Los Angeles region vary
with their course, certificate and degree options within the field
of Education. Designated as part of the Essential Workforce by
CA Community College Chancellor’s Office Vice Chancellor
Sheneui Weber (CCCCO Covid update webinar 7/8/20), teachers
have proven to be a key factor in bringing back the Los Angeles
workforce during Covid and beyond. Quality teacher
preparation is needed in Los Angeles, and Community Colleges
play an essential role in the training of California’s TK-12 teacher
workforce. However, among Los Angeles area Community
College Education Programs, there is a wide degree of variance
in courses, certificates, and degree options. The Los Angeles
Education Alignment Project (LEAP) brought key stakeholders in
teacher preparation together to coordinate, collaborate and
align student opportunities in Education Programs, including
STEM and CTE teaching pathways. These meetings took place
from September through December 2020.

Page 1

Currently, a handful of Los Angeles regional colleges such as Rio
Hondo College, Cerritos College and Long Beach College
(pending) offer an AA-T in Elementary Teacher Education.
Education Certificates available vary by college, with a heavy
concentration in Early Childhood Education. The Early Childhood
Education pathway requires students to complete coursework
at the community college level (it is optional to go beyond the
required CORE 24 ECE units), and the TK-12 Education pathway
requires coursework through graduate level (BA plus teaching
credential) to enter the workforce. It is essential to offer
certificate and degree opportunities in BOTH ECE and EDU
(TK-14) for future teachers.


Los Angeles consistently historically employs many under
qualified staff within their elementary, junior high and high
schools. When we look at the qualifications of STEM junior high
and high school faculty, we find an even smaller number of
qualified teachers. The Los Angeles Education Alignment Project
seeks to align teacher preparation coursework so community
college students can seamlessly navigate courses within the Los
Angeles Community College district that support them on their
pathway to the teaching workforce.















Page 2

Education leaders represented many of the Los Angeles
regional colleges including:
Cerritos College LA City College Rio Hondo College
Citrus College LA Trade Tech Santa Monica College
Compton College Long Beach City College LA Southwest College
East LA College LA Mission College LA Valley College

El Camino College Mt. SAC West LA College
LA Harbor College LA Pierce College

The findings contained in this report reflect the discussions that
took place from September – December 2020 and represent a
variety of voices from the field of Education in the Los Angeles
region.


At the beginning of our first meeting, participants were asked:
Why are we here?

Responses included:
Help, listen, collaborate
Want to see what other colleges are doing with the EDU AD-T
We share students and need to work together
Increase faculty involvement
Pathway to teaching
Raising awareness
Market to the community
Connect to TK-12 stronger
Create opportunities for future middle school teachers
Align classes and certificates
Find certificates to use as adapt and adopt
Explore a classroom aide certificate
Increase articulation with feeder colleges
Supporting LatinX students (HSI)
Connect with high schools that support ECE and EDU
Understand the end goals – a well-trained teacher workforce
Page 3

Central themes were brought up multiple times during our
conversations.

Areas of Interest/Possible Regional Development

1. Special Education
Refine what we are doing
Market opportunities including classes, certificates and degree
options for students
Disseminate to students and campus stakeholders, plus
community including TK-12 partner districts

2. Paraprofessional opportunities: certificates, degree
May increase Teaching Assistant pay scale placement
(agreement with partner districts)


3. STEM (single subject) Teacher pathways

4. CTE Teacher pathways

5. Bilingual Education Teacher Pathway


Many colleges in the region offer EDU Fieldwork classes,
though their names differ.
Cerritos EDEL 200 LA Mission EDUC01
Citrus CHILD 100 Mt. SAC EDUC10
East LA EDUC 203 LA Pierce EDUC01
El Camino Education 201 Santa Monica College Education 12
LA Harbor EDUC01 LA Southwest College EDUC01
LA City College EDUC01 LA Valley College EDUC 203
LA Trade Tech EDUC01 West LA EDUC01
Long Beach EDUC 20
Page 4

Other EDU courses available to students include:
Cerritos: EDEL 105, EDEL 100 Mt. SAC: EDUC 16
East LA: EDUC 01 LA Pierce: EDUC 010, EDUC 200,
El Camino: EDUC 101 EDUC 203
Long Beach: EDUC 10, EDUC 40, LA Southwest: EDUC 203
EDUC 130 LA Valley: EDUC02
LA Mission: EDUC 203 West LA: EDUC 211

Please refer to the LEAP Matrix for more details on EDU
courses, certificates and degrees
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mJ4Iuw3k-
QQGypPRLXp8QQRaC4ODkysY/edit#gid=727465471


Industry Needs
Special Education STEM Education
Bilingual Education CTE Education

Innovative EDU Course Examples
Santiago Canyon College Bakersfield College

One essential component of course alignment is agreements.


EDU Agreements are the components that all colleges in the
region feel should be included in the EDU 45 hour fieldwork
course description and course outline. Some of these are
required by CSU partners, while other have been determined
by the LEAP fall 2020 work group.








Page5

Key components to EDU Introduction to Teaching course
description·
Diverse learners– ALL EDU classes should include diversity
Contemporary Education issues
American Education System
TPEs and CSTPs
Structured Fieldwork with Public school/credentialed
teacher (no subs)
Introduces students to the concepts and issues related to
K-12 (Elementary fieldwork only on C-ID. No TK listed on
C-ID. Need to advocate to change these two things.)
All 3 levels of TK-12
45 hour fieldwork·
Prerequisites?
TB test and immunizations may be required
Fingerprinting may be required
Consistency with title would be helpful to students -
Introduction to (Elementary)Teaching?

C-ID Course Content (Must include but are not limited to)
1. Elements of effective classroom environments consistent with
the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) and
state adopted Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs)
2. Examination of one’s beliefs and assumptions about and
experiences with teachers and teaching
3. The teaching profession, including an emphasis on
professional standards, ethics, and professionalism
4. The history, governance and finance of public schooling
5. Purposes and roles of schooling and their community
contexts
6. Overview of contemporary issues in schools: e.g., standards,
inclusion, high stakes testing, bilingual education, social issues,
standardized curriculum; standards and frameworks
Page 6

7. Roles and functions of teachers and other school personnel
both in general and special education
8. Protocols for visiting schools and entering classrooms
9. Methods and ethics of conducting and reporting classroom
observations
10. Overview of the CSTPs and the TPEs
11. Introduction to California Academic Content and
Performance Standards
12. Basic strategies for accommodating diverse learning needs

EDU 200 Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Identify personal meanings related to teaching, reflecting
upon why they want to become a teacher, examining personal
characteristics, assumptions and beliefs, subject matter
knowledge, experiences and goals which could affect their
development as a teacher;
2. Articulate basic purposes of schooling and trace the history of
their development;
3. Describe the multiple roles and functions of teachers and
other school personnel in meeting the diverse needs of
students;
4. Demonstrate knowledge of professional standards, ethics,
and professionalism in classroom and school visits;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of educational issues in a
global context;
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of cultural contexts on
learning;
7. Analyze ecological challenges outside the classroom that
impact student learning and identify school and community
resources that address these challenges;
8. Demonstrate skill in implementing established protocols for
visiting schools and classrooms;
9. Demonstrate skill in implementing observation protocols; Page 7

10. Relate course content to real classrooms through
satisfactory completion of a minimum of 45 hours of approved
fieldwork including structured assignments, observations, and
reflections that demonstrate the observer’s ability to
a. Recognize and describe examples of teaching events that
implement some elements of the CSTP and TPEs;
b. Observe the use of state adopted academic content and
performance standards;
c. Compare and contrast classroom environments;
d. Recognize and describe individual differences among
students and identify strategies and accommodations used to
address these differences;
EDU 200 C-ID can be found at
https://c-id.net/descriptors/final/show/359

Through our LEAP work group we discovered that the
fieldwork placement process varies campus by campus. This
is an area of alignment opportunity for the region.

EDU Fieldwork Placements
Student-placed or
Program-placed or
Given a list of participating schools
Who is responsible for students getting their fieldwork
placements?
Custodian of record – makes a decision usually made by a
legal team – why do some faculty have to take on this role?
Self-agency exercise with students
Some campuses give students options (Ex. Are you currently
working in a classroom? Are you a parent? Try to reach out to
a local school. If not, reach out to local partners.)
Document/statement is needed – What can I show my school?
This will encourage schools to allow entry.
Page 8

LiveScan clearance requirements vary by college. LiveScan is
costly and not always easily accessible. This is a barrier for
our EDU fieldwork students.

Another possibility is requiring a Certificate of Clearance.
LEAP work group members would like to require a Certificate
of Clearance if consistent funding can be secured to support
students with this cost.

LiveScan
$70-100 per LiveScan
LAUSD requires mandatory LiveScan for Practicum class
LAUSD will pick up LiveScan fee for first 30 students (from a
college site)
Site specific, but can get LiveScan through the college (SMC)
Consistency with where to get LiveScan
Equity issue (LiveScan - student equity funds? Perkins? Where
else can the COC be funded? Do we have something like CDTC
for EDU?)
How are TPP students being supported? Can we leverage this?
Some LiveScans are more comprehensive than others: Some
are FBI/DOJ some are only FBI
Long time ago- campus would hire students who were
completing fieldwork and campus would LiveScan students.
LiveScan fee waivers are needed – CDTC for EDU


Certificate of Clearance
$50 cost to students


Maybe something we consider recommending/requiring
for our fieldwork students
lasts 5 years so they will transfer with it to 4 year

Page 9

EDU teacher preparation students will face many challenges
along the path.

Identifying the choke points/barriers
LiveScan cost/access
Certificate of Clearance cost/paperwork
Cost of tests
Passing tests
Other expectations within teaching
Financial assistance may be needed for many students

There is much discussion still desired in the area of EDU
Fieldwork. Topics include:
Should every campus offer a 3 unit Introduction to Teaching
fieldwork course?
What do we want this class to be? A survey course?
How do we cover everything?
Fieldwork should be TK-12 including Special Education
CID Education 200 – focus on Elementary school
Qualities of effective teacher or school admin
Response to Intervention (RTI)
Children with disabilities
Maybe consider a part 1 and a part 2 class? A deeper dive?
Expose students to the profession. Cast a wide net? Which
approach?
Fieldwork hours – midterm check in needed for all students
Simulation labs – explore this possibility more
What did we learn to enhance the 45 hour EDU fieldwork
experience?




Page 10

Long Beach City College Example: ECE/EDUC cross listed 1 unit
(low investment) exploration course as an introduction to the
guided pathway – not a prerequisite, but an exploratory class

Overlap between CSTPs and TPEs
TPE 1.1 is all about knowledge of students: their language, culture,
and socio-economic status
TPEs should be discussed and applied throughout all they do in
EDU

Need for more Child Development courses
Combo class of SPED and Child Dev milestones is needed
Need for more Special Education courses: teacher
candidates (PK-14) should be required to have at least an
introduction course to Children with Special Needs, given the high
frequency with which these children are placed in a General
Education classrooms.

Articulation with CSU is essential

CTC requirement of which types of teaching experiences should
be included in course description

In addition to meeting about the EDU classes offered in the
region, the team also met about certificates and degrees in
EDU. Education (not including Early Childhood Education)
Certificates are offered at 4 of the 17 campuses involved in
the LEAP project including:
Long Beach City College: Certificate of Achievement, Educational
Aide I and II
Pierce College: Teacher Assistant Paraprofessional
Rio Hondo College: Elementary Education
LA Southwest College: Teacher Assistant Skill Certificate

Page 11

The majority of campuses within the LEAP work group
offer an AA-T or AD-T:

Cerritos: Elementary Teacher Education Associate in Arts For
Transfer Degree
Citrus College: ADT in Elementary Teacher Education
Compton College: Elementary Teacher Education AA-T, Teacher
Preparation Option AA
East Los Angeles College: AA-T Elementary Teacher Education
for Transfer
El Camino College: Elementary Teacher Education AA-T
Long Beach City College: Associate in Arts Elementary Teacher
Education for Transfer Degree
Mt. SAC: EDU Paraprofessional, AS
LA Pierce College: Associate Degree for Transfer in Elementary
Teacher Education
Rio Hondo College: Elementary Teacher Education for Transfer
AA-T
Santa Monica College: Elementary Teacher Education AA-T
LA Southwest College: AA Liberal Studies Teacher Preparation
LA Valley College: Elementary Teacher AAT
West Los Angeles College: Elementary Teacher Education AAT

The LEAP work group discussions also shown light on
additional student and program needs.
Workshops Needed
Maximize your teacher salary (Disparity of Salaries/ Wage
comparison chart)
Induction Models: District Induction Programs vs. Districts w/o
Induction – costs, facts
Cultural Bias/Anti-bias
Social Justice/Anti-Racism Education
Special Education
Page 12

Special Education Paraeducators
Child Development to Credential Program
Social Emotional Learning
The Changing Roles of Extended Care Workers
Need more opportunities for students who plan to teach secondary
Simulation Labs
Workshop for EDU faculty – TPP content while bringing the group
together
The role TPE and CSTPs play in Education
EDU movie nights – place to create community
Workshops that focus on junior high and high school

Guest Speaker Suggestions
TK-12 HR department lead: Salary schedules, ITEP and traditional
credential programs
Robert Kaplinsky: Math Confidence
Student Panels
Janis Perry: Speak to LEAP group on her work with the EDU CID
(timeline, deeper issues, need to align with CSU)


Video Needs
Long Beach City College needs an EDU promo video (develop a
region-wide video?)

The LEAP work group discussions also brought out
suggestions and topics to discuss in the future.

Suggestions
Mt SAC Paraprofessional degree: consider creation/adoption
Marketing EDU Courses/discipline
TEACH LARC EDU social media campaign
Work with CSU partners – which EDU classes are not articulated?
Work with CSU to offer additional EDU classes at the CC level
Develop regional courses
Page 13

Utilize the matrix for counselors, students and faculty
CID – https://c-id.net/about.us
https://asccc.org

Future Discussions
How do we ensure continuity for our students?
History of TPP in LA Region: TRDP 1998 to SWP 2020
ITEP prescriptive outline, ADT model of ITEP, ITEP and salary
disparity Ethnic Studies
What is articulated?
EDU pathways need to be specific
How do we know our students are safe?
EDU fieldwork placement - Should we try to align this through
the region? (with exceptions)
Dispel MYTH of Masters degree in TK-12

Through this work, recommendations and next steps have
surfaced for the group to consider.

Future Projects
Practicum alignment
Extended Care Support Group (non-unionized)

Next Steps
Jill Biden letter- welcome and introduction – difference in new
administration
Page 14

CSU EDU and CC EDU- cross meeting (CSU what are they doing?
How do we move forward?)
Academic Senate: LEAP presentation with recommendations to
CID (consult with Janis Perry) and/or resolution (draft resolution)
Fieldwork: mirror what is being done at CSU
Department of Education teacher workforce group – what is
happening? How can we get involved?
Present at CCTE? CCCAOE?
ACCCTEP webinar?

Advocacy needs were identified and a suggested next step is
to create a regional advocacy plan.

Advocacy Needed
CTC and CDE: Special Education task force (we need CC
representation)
Child development is needed in credential programs
SWP and Perkins funding: How do we advocate for low-wage
entry level positions that lead to middle to high wage
opportunities
EDU moving forward – this is an equity issue
Life experience – foundational as a teacher
The LEAP work team also identified the need for EDU faculty to
be trained in TPE. Could this be something that LARC can team
up with CTC to provide?
AB540 DACA students – have BA but do not have the
documents needed to be hired
Elementary fieldwork only on C-ID. No TK listed on C-ID. Need to
advocate to change this.

Training Needed
TPEs for EDU faculty
Page 15

Partnerships are essential to a robust EDU program.
Throughout LEAP meetings we have discussed potential
partnerships, and met with Julee Brooks from the Woodcraft
Rangers. Partnerships are encouraged.


Possible Partnerships

Woodcraft Rangers https://woodcraftrangers.org Julee Brooks –
Homeless and Foster Care Youth get priority in program - Which
colleges are closest to the ‘Gateway Cities’?- 6 identified pathways
such as Arts/Entertainment and STEM


CAN https://www.afterschoolnetwork.org CA Afterschool Network

Teaching Academies – Kennedy High School
https://www.jfkcougars.org/apps/pages/index.jspuREC_ID=15195
0&type=d&pREC_ID=833937

Los Angeles consistently has a need for qualified TK-12 teachers
and historically employs many under qualified staff within their
elementary, junior high and high schools. The Los Angeles
Education Alignment Project seeks to create a system where
community college teacher preparation students seamlessly take
courses within the Los Angeles Community College district that
support them on their pathway to the teaching workforce. The
reflections, comments and suggestions in this document are
based on the LEAP fall 2020 work group meetings. This is the
beginning of the conversation and we look forward to continuing
the synergy of the Los Angeles Education Alignment Project
work group.





Page 16

Campus Discussion Notes


Citrus
2014 CSUN need Citrus to start up TPP again


Harbor
1st EDU class offered in years
Harbor teacher preparation academy – high school
Why only off 1 teacher prep class at Harbor?
Dual enrollment opportunities?


Long Beach
Had a TEACH program, but it went away
Teacher preparation was shopped around campus for years
and no one wanted it
Needs resources for new EDU classes to run
Advice on how to reach students who are starting EDU in
college

Mission College
Liberal Studies was archived in 2016 in order to give EDU ADT
an opportunity to grow
Child Development AD-T does not lead into Elementary
Education AD-T
Child Development AD-T leads to Child Adolescent Development
pathway
EDU 203 – not in CID. No hour requirements since it wasn’t in
CID
Do not plan to create more EDU courses
Nothing extra to AD-T
Have Child Development classes in AD-T path.
School age certificate in child development (move into EDU?)
Page 17

Mt SAC
Inherited EDU from Psychology department
As a department they wanted EDU but senior Psychology faculty
would not give up EDU classes
When the faculty retired, they moved the EDU classes
20+ years of EDU classes, not articulated at first
Adding some new classes
Math requirement is a challenge
ED 16 was originally ED 10 – some students took both classes
(not realizing)


Pierce
Had TRDP funding, over 1000 student tutors.
Program stopped after funding subsided.
EDU not a part of ECE
Paraprofessional Skills Certificate = higher pay scale for
paraeducators


Rio Hondo
EDU an area of concentration with guided pathways
Work with CSU to align and streamline for students

Santa Monica
EDU degree 4 years in the making
Needed to wait for 2 departments to update and align the 2
courses

Southwest
Created an AA in EDU (back in the day) – involved in the Urban
Teacher Fellowship (What is happening now at Southwest?)




Page 18

__________________________________________
1Prerequisite or co-requisite course need to be validated at the CCC level in accordance
with Title 5 regulations; co-requisites for CCCs are the linked courses that must be
taken at the same time as the primary or target course.
2 Advisories or recommended preparation will not require validation but are
recommendations to be considered by the student prior to enrolling.

Page 19

Page 20

Page 21

The findings contained in this report reflect the
discussions that took place from September – December
2020 and represent a variety of voices from the field of
Education in the Los Angeles region.


Education leaders represented many of the Los Angeles
regional colleges including:

Cerritos College Los Angeles City College
Citrus College Los Angeles Trade Tech
Compton College Long Beach City College
East Los Angeles College Los Angeles Mission College
Harbor College Pierce College
Rio Hondo College
Santa Monica College
Southwest College
Valley College
West Los Angeles College
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E-mail: [email protected]

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