DOCUMENT RESUME - ERIC · DOCUMENT RESUME ED 293 796 SP 030 071 AUTHOR Ratsoy, Eugene; And Others TITLE Evaluation of the Initiation to Teaching Project.. Summary Report. INSTITUTION

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 293 796 SP 030 071

AUTHOR Ratsoy, Eugene; And OthersTITLE Evaluation of the Initiation to Teaching Project.

Summary Report.INSTITUTION Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.PUB DATE May 87NOTE 56p.; For related documents, see SP 030 072 and ED

292 789.PUB TYPE Reports - Research/Technical (143)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Beginning Teachers; Elementary Secondary Education;

Foreign Countries; Higher Education; *InternshipPrograms; *Professional Development; ProgramAttitudes; *Program Evaluation; *Teacher Employment;Teacher Orientation

IDENTIFIERS *Alberta Initiation to Teaching Project; *BeginningTeacher Induction

ABSTRACTA large-scale teacher internship project, the

Initiation to Teaching Project, was implemented in the schools inAlberta, Canada, in September, 1985. The general purposes of the2-year project were to provide employment in teaching for recentlygraduated teachers, and to assess the utility of a year-long programin which the transition from university student to full-time teacherwas undertaken more gradually, and with more professional assistance,than is usually the case with beginning teachers. The project wasevaluated extensively by education professionals. The purposes,methodology, findings and conclusions of this evaluation aresummarized in this report. These are followed by specificrecommendations and associated comments. (JD)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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ti

Eugene RatsoyDavid FriesenEdward Holdaway

:3

and Others

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS

MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

it

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice M Educational Research

and ImprovementEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CENTER (ERIC)0 This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organization

originating iLO Minor changes have been made to improvereproduction Quality

Pointe of view or op.monsstated in this docu-ment do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy

TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES ,

INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Alberta.% EDUCATION

Summary deport

PLEASE NOTE

THE VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS REPORTARE THOSE OF THE RESEARCHERS AND NOT NECESSARILY

THOSE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EVALUATION OF THE INITIATION TO TEACHING PROJECT

Eugene Ratsoy

David Friesen

Edward Holdaway

SUMMARY REPORT

Principal Investigators

Project DirectorUniversity of Alberta

University of Alberta

University of Alberta

Associate Investigators

Chester BumbargerFrance Levasseur-OuimetAllister MacKayClaudette Tardif

Alice BobergTaylor JohnsonWally Unruh

Myrna GreeneFrank Sovka

University of AlbertaUniversity of AlbertaUniversity of AlbertaUniversity of Alberta

University of CalgaryUniversity of CalgaryUniversity of Calgary

University of LethbridgeUniversity of Lethbridge

Under Contract to Alberta Education, Edmonton, Alberta

May 1987

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Members of the research team are grateful for thecooperation they received from numerous individuals andorganizations throughout the two-year period of theevaluation of Alberta's initiation to Teaching Project.

In particular, some 6,000 educators in Albertaparticipated in the evaluation by completingquestionnaires, participating in interviews, offeringhelpful suggestions or being involved in classroomobservations. Among the respondents were deans,professors and students in Faculties of Education andFaculte Saint-Jean at the Universities of Alberta,Calgary, and Lethbridge; Alberta school superintendents;principals, teachers, supervising teachers and interns atparticipating Alberta public, separate, private and EarlyChildhood Services schools; executive officers andelected officials of the Alberta Catholic SchoolTrustees' Association, the Alberta Teachers' Association,the Alberta School Trustees' Association, the Conferenceof Alberta School Superintendents, the Council ofCatholic School Superintendents of Alberta and theFederation of Alberta Home and School Associations;selected representatives of professional associations inAlberta; and members of Regional Offices of AlbertaEducation.

Several individuals merit mention for their centralinvolvement in the project and its evaluation. Theseinclude Dr. Reno Bosetti, Deputy Minister, AlbertaEducation; Dr. Al Craig, Deputy Minister, Alberta CareerDevelopment and Employment; Dr. Henry Kolesar, formerDeputy Minister, Alberta Advanced Education; Mr. DavidKing, former Alberta Minister of Education; and Dr. MyerHorowitz, President, University of Alberta.

Among those whom we wish to acknowledge are themembers of the Steering Committee of the Initiation toTeaching Project as well as the alternates whorepresented them at some of the meetings. We thank themfor their helpful suggestions. The members and theassociations they represent are as follows:

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Dr. Melvin Fenske, Steering Committee Chairman, AlbertaEducation

Ms. Jenny Bain, Alberta Career Development and EmploymentDr. Jeanfmtoine Bour, University of AlbertaDr. Julius Buski, Alberta Teachers' AssociationMr. Dale Erickson, Alberta School Trustees' AssociationMr. Gary Kiernan, Conference of Alberta School

SuperintendentsDr. John Oster, University of AlbertaMr. Ken Penner, Association of Independent Schools and

CollegesMs. Victoria Powluk, Student Representative, University

of AlbertaDr. Nancy Sheehan and Dr. Frank Oliva, University of

CalgaryMr. Andy Stojak, Alberta Advanced Education.

Special mention is made of three individuals whowere centrally involved in the study. We express ourthanks for the sincere interest, helpful support andadvice provided by the members of the technical advisorycommittee: Dr. Tom Gee, Director of the Initiation toTeaching Project, Dr. Clarence Rhodes, 1985-86representative on the technical advisory committee, andDr. Melly McEwen, 1986-87 representative on thiscommittee.

Mr. Neil Johnson, Ph.D. student in EducationalAdministration at the University of Alberta, providedvaluable research assistance in preparing a draft of theliterature review about internships in education andother professions. In addition, he provided valuableeditorial assistance with the final reports. Theresearch team wishes to record its appreciation for thesecontributions.

For agreeing at short notice to participate in thetraining sessions and data collection associated with theclassroom observation phase, we are grateful to Mrs.Barbara Baer Pillay, Mr. Carl Berdahl, Dr. CathyCampbell, Mrs. Lois Duke, Dr. Darlene Elliott, Mrs. LindaElliott, Mr. John Fisher, Dr. Mel Fisher, Mr. PaulHawryluk, Mrs. Wenda Fraser-Housego, Mrs. Susan Hancock,Mr. Blair Hanna, Mr. Ed Mickelson, Dr. Allan Montgomery,Mr. Jack Ricord, Dr. Ottolene Ricord and Dr. LloydSteier.

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For assistance with data transfer and analysis weexpress sincere thanks to Mrs. Christiane Prokop,Programmer/Analyst in the Department of EducationalAdministration at the University of Alberta. Finally,for administering detailed aspects of the study over thetwo-year period at the University of Alberta's Departmentof Educational Administration, including financialmanagement and word processing, we are extremely gratefulto Mrs. Margaret Voice.

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ABSTRACT

In September 1985 a large-scale teacher internshipproject was implemented in schools in Alberta. Duringeach of the 1985-86 and 1986-87 school years, thisInitiation to Teaching Project provided nearly 900 recentgraduates of university teacher preparation programs withemployment as interns. Funding was provided by AlbertaEducation, Alberta Career Development and Employment, andschool systems. The general purposes of this two-yearprogram were to provide employment in teaching forrecently graduated teachers who might otherwise beunemployed or underemployed, and to assess the utility ofa year-long program in which the transition fromuniversity student to full-time teacher was undertakenmore gradually and with more professional assistance thanis usually the case with beginning teachers.

The Alberta Initiation to Teaching Project wasevaluated extensively by a research team of 12 professorsfrom the Universities of Alberta, Calgary and Lethbridge.This evaluation consisted of many elements: a literaturereview; the collection of information about internshipsin other professions; interviews with professors,in-school staff members and representatives of majoreducational organizations; questionnaires completed byprofessors, senior education students, beginningteachers, interns, supervising teachers, principals andsuperintendents; observation and coding of the teachingbehavior of beginning teachers and interns; reports bysuperintendents and by consultants in regional offices ofeducation; and analysis and assessment of this largevolume of information. Recommendations for improving theprogram in its second year were made in June 1986;recommendations for future development of the teacherinternship are made in the final evaluation report.

The evaluation revealed that the internship yearfacilitates the student-to-teacher transition, Thenumerous positive features and the strong support for thecontinuation of an internship program by virtually allmajor educational groups far outweighed the severalnegative features. Direct benefits, usually notavailable to beginning teachers, were experienced byinterns. Benefits also accrued to supervising teachers,

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to students and to the schools in which the interns wereemployed.

The respondent groups expressed overall support forthe four specific purposes of the internship program: therefinement of teaching skills of interns, the assessmentof the interns' suitability for placement, thedevelopment of professional relationships by interns, andthe further development of professional skills ofsupervising teachers.

The review of practices in other countries and otherprofessions revealed strong support in many Westerncountries for the introduction of a structured andwell-planned entry year for beginning teachers to replacethe typical "quick-immersion, sink-or-swim" approach toinduction with its many negative consequences. Mostprofessions have an introductory period and have found itto be beneficial for their interns, their profession andtheir clients.

Based on the evaluation of the 1985-87 AlbertaInitiation to Teaching Project, the literature andresearch on teacher induction, and the experience ofother professions, the following course of action isstrongly recommended:

That, by September 1990, every beginningteacher--that is, one who has completed theuniversity teacher preparation program and hasnever been employed on a regular, full-timecontract--be required to complete successfullyan approved internship, to be known as a"Teacher Residency Program" for "ResidentTeachers." The program would have thesecentral features:

1. length of residency to be an entire schoolyear;

2. programs for resident teachers to bedeveloped by each school jurisdiction inaccordance with provincial regulations andguidelines;

3. resident teachers to be employed only inschools which are approved on the basis of

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their ability to offer suitable programsfor resident teachers;

4. emphasis to be placed upon effectiveteaching and classroom management;

5. supplementary experiences to be organizedto allow the resident teacher to becomefamiliar with the teacher's role, theoperations of a school throughout theyear, and student development during aschool year;

6. teaching load to be substantially lessthan that of a full-time teacher at thebeginning of the school year but toincrease during the year;

7. supportive supervision with emphasis onformative evaluation and regular feedbackto be provided by a trnined team ofsupport teachers, one of whom should bedesignated "Residency Advisor";

8. privileges enjoyed by other teachers to beextended also to resident teachers withrespect to benefits, certification andre-employment, except that their salaryshould be in the order of four-fifths ofthat of beginning teachers; and

9. a "Teacher Residency Board" to beestablished as an independent authoritywith responsibility for designing theprogram, for developing regulations andguidelines, for approving schools in whichresident teachers may be employed, fordeveloping evaluation criteria andstandards for successful completion of theTeacher Residency Program, and for overalldirection and monitoring of the program;this board would be composed ofrepresentatives of the major educationalorganizations in the province.

In recognition of the need for extensiveconsultation and planning prior to the implementation ofthe proposed mandatory Teacher Residency Program in

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1 0

September 1990, the following interim measures arerecommended:

That, by September 1988, every beginningteacher be required to participate in a

year-long induction program that provides for areduced teaching load and appropriate, skilledsupervision; this would serve as a phasing-inperiod for the Teacher Residency Programdescribed in the major recommendation.

That, during the two-year period 1988-90,regulations and guidelines be developed for theTeacher Residency Program based on the findingsof this study and on the experience with thebeginning teacher induction program.

To implement the major recommendation and theproposed interim measures, additional resources would berequired to provide release time for resident teachers,support teachers and resource personnel, and to financein-service activities for these three categories ofpersonnel. In view- of the benefits to all partiesinvolved, the sources and amounts of these additionalresources should be jointly determined by the majoreducational organizations in the province.

Alberta has a history of leadership in educationalinnovation. Another initiative, this time in teacherpreparation, is now needed. The introduction of theTeacher Residency Program would enable teaching to joinother professions in requiring a properly organizedtransitional experience for the graduates of itsuniversity preparation programs, thereby facilitatingtheir entry into full-time professional practice.Adoption of the measures proposed would be in keepingwith current views on teacher preparation and shouldenhance the provision of education throughout Alberta.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Purposes of the Evaluation 1

Research Methodology

Summary of Findings

3

Findings from the First Year of the Evaluation 3

Recommendations Made at the End of thlt FirstYear of the Internship Project 8

Findings from the Second Year of the Evaluation . 18

Conclusions 25

Alternatives Explored 30

Specific Approaches Considered 32

Alternative 1: Mandatory Internship as Partof the University Teacher Education Program . 32

Alternative 2: Optional Internship as Partof the University Teacher Education Program . . 33

Alternative 3: Optional Internship forInterim-Certificated ::eginning Teachers 33

Alternative 4: Mandatory Internship forInterim-Certificated Beginning Teachers 34

Alternative 5: Mandatory Residency forInterim-Certificated Teachers

Recommendations

Concluding Comments

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12

34

36

41

EVALUATION OF THE INITIATION TO TEACHING PROJECT

SUMMARY REPORT

The purposes, methodology, findings andof the evaluation of Alberta's InitiationProject are summarized in this report.followed by specific recommendations andcomments.

Purposes of the Evaluation

conclusionsto TeachingThese areassociated

The terms of reference for the evaluation ofAlberta's two-year Initiation to Teaching Project calledfor the project to be assessed during each year of itsimplementation. Two foci were prescribed for theevaluation: (a) the project outcomes or ends sought inthe form of impacts or effects "on interns, participatingteachers and administrators as well as on various levelsof government and institutions throughout the province";and (b) the components which comprise the project, or themeans employed to accomplish the ends, that is, "thestructures and processes developed and employedprovincially and locally and the associated conditions,principles and guidelines."

The two primary purposes for evaluating the projectwere (a) to evaluate the project summatively, that is "tocontribute to the information required for a decision todiscontinue the project or to assign it program status onthe same basis or in modified form," by attending toproject outcomes; and (b) to evaluate the projectformatively, that is, "to provide one basix for decisionsto modify and improve specific components of the project"during each of the two years of the project, particularlyduring the first year.

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2 Purposes of the Evaluation

Four questions relating to each major purpose of theInitiation to Teaching Project were to be answered.

These questions concerned, first, identifying intentionsfor the project and recording observations of projectactivities, in order to provide descriptive informationabout the internship program; and, second, assessing theappropriateness of various elements of the project anddetermining their effectiveness in achieving theintentions, in order to provide judgemental information.

As originally formulated, the Initiation to TeachingProject was designed "to help graduates of approvedteacher education programs make the transition fromstudent to professional teacher." Five specific purposeswere outlined for the project:

1. refinement of teaching skills;2. development of professional relationships;3. assessment of the intern's suitability for

placement;4. assessment of the effectivetess of the

internship program as a means of improvingteaching competence; and

5. further development of the professional skillsof supervising teachers.

In addition, it was recognized at the outset thatthe $28,000,000 investment in this two-year project bytwo government departments and participating schooljurisdictions would provide employment each year for upto 900 prospective Alberta teachers who otherwise mighthave been either unemployed or employed outside the fieldof teaching.

Information on the degree of achievement of each ofthese purposes is provided in this summary report.

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3

The 1985-86 and 1986-87 evaluation phases used avariety of research methodologies, incorporating bothqualitative and quantitative research strategies. Theevaluation was a cooperative venture involving professorsfrom the three Alberta universities which grant degreesin education. Classroom observations, semi-structuredinterviews, questionnaires and a review of relevantdocuments and related literature were employed in thevarious components of the study. In all, about 6,000individuals provided evaluative information over the twoyears of the study. These evaluation activities resultedin interim reports which have been compiled in Evaluationof the Initiation to Teaching Project: Technical Report,Volumes 1 and 2.

Summary of Findings

The statements which follow summarize the findingsfrom the analyses of the data collected during the twoyears of the Initiation to Teaching Project. Thesefindings are taken primarily from the final report of thestudy entitled, Evaluation of the Initiation to TeachingProject: Final Report.

Findings from the First Year of the Evaluation

In the first year of he evaluation, information andopinions about the Initiation to Teaching Project werecollected by means of interviews, questionnaires anddirect observation of classroom performance. Thefindings from the interview and questionnaire datacollected from representatives of major educationalgroups, superintendents, principals, supervisingteachers, interns, beginning teachers, professors andsenior students in teacher preparation programs at threeAlberta universities are presented in this section.

4 Summary of Findings

1. Perceived reasons for introducing the Initiationto Teaching Project. In the first year of the

evaluation, representatives of major educationalorganizations, principals and supervising teachers wereasked to identify what they believed to be the reasonsbehind the introduction of the internship program inAlberta. The main reason put forward was to reduceunemployment and underemployment among teachers, whichwould thereby diminish discouragement and "save a cohortof teachers." Other reasons frequently mentionedincluded gaining political credit, restoringaccountability to the teaching profession, producingbetter teachers, providing new teachers with a variety ofexperiences, and facilitating the transition fromuniversity student to competent teacher.

2. Agreement with the stated purposes of the ITP.In the 1985-86 evaluation, representatives of majoreducational organizations, superintendents, principals,supervising teachers, interns, professors and senioreducation students were asked to state the extent oftheir agreement with four of the five stated purposes ofthe internship program. In many respects, this entirestudy, and particularly the classroom observationcomponent, was heavily focused on the fifth purpose:"assessment of the effectiveness of the internship as ameans of is .wing teaching competence." For this reasonthe fifth purpose is not addressed here.

In general, representatives of major educationalorganizations, superintendents, principals of schoolswith interns, and supervising teachers were in strongagreement with the other four stated purposes of theInitiation to Teaching Project, namely, that theinternship should provide for refinement of teachingskills of interns, development of professionalrelationships by interns, assessment of interns'suitability for placement, and further development of theprofessional skills of supervising teachers. Internswere in strong agreement with the first three of thesestated purposes but expressed only moderate agreementwith the fourth. Professors and senior educationstudents agreed strongly with the first and moderatelystrongly with the second stated intent. Professors alsoagreed moderately with the third and fourth purposes,

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Summary of Findings 5

whereas senior' education students were quite uncertainabout these two purposes.

Reactions by superintendents concerning whether theinternship program had achieved its stated purposesdisclosed that refinement of interns' teaching skills wasmost effectively fulfilled, that assessment of theinterns' suitability for placement was substantiallyachieved, that the development of professionalrelationships by interns was achieved to a lesser degree,and that the purpose concerning the development ofprofessional skills of supervising teachers was leasteffectively met.

3. Positive features of the internship program.Representatives of major educational organizations,in-school staff members, professors and senior educationstudents were asked in the 1985-86 evaluation to identifywhat they considered to be the most positive features ofthe internship program. The program was seen as havingbenefits relating to present and future employment:assessment of interns for placement, assistance in makingcareer decisions, and provision of a preferablealternative to unemployment and substitute teaching.

A second set of benefits related to improving theinterns' competence as teachers. For example, it wasthought to offer a variety of experiences, to provide fora gradual transition with "back-up" support, to enablethe interns to become familiar with curricula andteaching materials, to provide opportunities to learnabout teaching from experts, and to aid the interns inassessing personal strengths and weaknesses beforeassuming full-time teaching positions.

The third set of benefits related to schools andstudents. For example, the program was seen to provideadditional educators in the schools, thereby increasingflexibility for various activities involving staff; itstimulated schools to evaluate their operations,facilitating team teaching and other team projects; and,by bringing in the special expertise of interns, theprogram k.,:fered extra enrichment to the students.

The fourth set of benefits related to supervisingteachers: the program caused them to be reflective about

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their own practices; it provided them with preparationtime; it exposed them to new ideas and techniques; and itprovided the intrinsic rewards that are associated withassisting new teachers to become more competent.

4. Shortcomings of the internship program. Therespondents identified in point 3 were also asked in1985-86 to identify program weaknesses. Those mostcommonly mentioned were the misassignment of interns, thelack of clarity about the roles of both interns andsupervising teachers, the insufficient lead time andplanning prior to the introduction of the internshipprogram, the inadequacy of the salary paid to interns,the failure to award credit for internship on the salarygrid for teachers, the lack of credit for the internshiptoward teacher certification requirements, the need forbetter training of supervising teachers, the unclearlinkage between internship and future employment, theambiguous status of interns compared with that of regularteachers, and the absence of clearly specified proceduresfor supervising and evaluating interns.

5. Effects of the internship program. Followingthe 1985-86 year of the internship program,superintendents of school jurisdictions were asked toindicate the effects of the program. The effects wereseen as being primarily positive for students in theschools, for school-based personnel, and for parents andthe community as a whole. The effects were seen as beingeither mixed or neutral for superintendents, deputysuperintendents and other central office personnel. Theeffects were also seen as being either mixed orinconsequential in relation to the matter of allocatingresources.

6. Major suggestions for improvement. Allrespondents in the 1985-86 evaluation phase were asked tosuggest means for improving the internship program. Thesuggestions for improvement related primarily to thenegative features identified. The following were themost frequently stated suggestions:

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a. Select supervising teachers more carefully andprovide better in-service education for them.

b. Prepare more specific guidelines concerning therole of interns, tha role of supervisingteachers and the placement and activities ofinterns.

c. Monitor more extensively the activities ofinterns and provide clearer guidelines for theirevaluation.

d. Increase the salary of interns and provideliving allowances for those in remote areas.

e. Allow certification and salary grid credit forinternship experience.

f. Examine the role that universities could playin the internship program.

7. Post-internship examination. The matter of anexamination following the internship, such as isassociated with entry to other professions, was raisedwith superintendents, and samples of principals,supervising teachers, interns, beginning teachers andprofessors of education. In general respondent groupswere not in favor of such an examination.

8. Compulsory internship. The question ofcompulsory internship was raised with all respondentgroups in 1985-86. Compulsory internship for beginningteachers was favored by large majorities of principalsand representatives of major educational organizations,and by about half of the supervising teachers, internsand professors of education. However, the beginningteachers and senior education students who supported thisstrategy were in the minority.

9. Length of internship. In the 1985-86 evaluationthere was, among those who supported a compulsoryapproach to internship, strong support for a full year ofinternship. This was true for representatives of the

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F8 Summary of Findings

major educational organizations, principals, supervisingteachers, interns and education professors.

10. Permanent certiii&an. Only r'o groups- -

samples of principals and supervising teachers--wereasked during the course of the 1985-86 evaluationinterviews to comment on whether permanent teachingcertification should follow successful completion of theinternship year. A large majority of principals and asomewhat smaller majority of supervising teachersdisagreed with this alternative course of action.

11. Overall ratings of the internship program. In

the first year of operation, overall ratings for the

internship program (on a ten-point scale where 1 was"Poor" and 10 was "Excellent") typically ranged from 7.5to 8.5 for the various groups of interns, supervisingteachers and principals--although the professors' ratingwas 7.1 and the senior education students' rating was5.7. Representatives of the major educationalorganizations and superintendents rated the"administrative and policy aspects" of the program 6.1and 6.9, whereas their ratings on the "professionaldevelopment aspects" were both 7.9.

Recommendations Made at the End of theFirst Year of the Evaluation

Based on the general findings from the first year,and in keeping with the formative purposes of the firstyear of evaluation, 17 recommendations were made forchanging either the practices or the provincialguidelines for the internship program. These werepresented for consideration by the Initiation to TeachingProject's Director and Steering Committee. Each of theserecommended modifications is stated below in italics,followed by a brief statement of the action(s) taken byAlberta Education in response to the recommendation. TheDirector of the project was the primary source ofinformation concerning ensuing action.

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1. The majority of respondents were very positiveabout the Initiation to Teaching Project. Many internswere provided with quality experiences, therebyfulfilling the expectations associated with aprofessional induction program. In some schools,however, interns were treated as an extra resource to beshared among many staff members or to help ease the loadfor teachers. In these schools, which were admittedly inthe minority, provincial guidelines concerning placement,assignment, supervision and/or evaluation of interns werenot being followed. As a result, at the end of the firstyear, the researchers recommended:

The provincial program should be more closelymonitored in order to ensure that theinternship project provides quality experiencesfor all interns.

Subsequently, the Director of the Initiation toTeaching Project advised that Alberta Education hadmonitored the Initiation to Teaching Project more closelyin the second year and that, in the case of perceivedinfractions, a closer liaison had been maintained betweenthe Director of the Initiation to Teaching Project andthe Alberta Teachers' Association. However, as in thefirst year, monitoring by Alberta's Regional Offices ofEducation was limited to a 10% sample (90) of theinterns.

2. Although provincial guidelines implied thatthere should be a gradual transition to and immersion inteaching, this did not always occur. Some interns wereassigned teaching responsibilities equivalent to a fullteaching load at the beginning of the year or very earlyin the year. Some were assigned almost no teaching forextended periods of time. The researchers thereforerecommended:

The provincial guidelines should clearlyindicate that the main purpose of theinternship is to provide a gradual transitionfrom the role of initiate to that of fullprofessional.

In response, Alberta Education re-emphasized thetransitional function of the Initiation to Teaching

+


Project in the provincial guidelines by specifying ateaching load of "30-40% of a normal teaching assignmentnear the beginning of the year progressing to 80-90% of anormal teaching assignment near the end of the year."

3. The roles of intern and supervising teacher werefound to be vaguely defined, resulting in a diversity ofpractices and sometimes a "political tug-of-war" betweeninterns and supervising teachers. There were nobrochures or other publications available for school- andsystem-based personnel to consult about these roles. Theresearchers recommended:

The guidelines should be revised and made morespecific in light of the first year'sexperLence, and attractive brochures outliningthe roles of interns and supervising teachers,in particular, should be prepared for use byprincipals, supervising teachers, interns andothers.

Alberta Education subsequently distributed brochureswhich included more specific guidelines on the intern'srole and the supervising teacher's role. The Initiationto Teaching Project Information Bulletin elaborated onwhat interns could and should be doing and, to a lesserextent, on the role of supervisors. In addition, anadvisory bulletin, Intern Teachers: Our School Has One!was prepared for distribution through the schools.

4. Although some principals and supervisingteachers were well prepared to assume their new rolesrelating to the interns in their schools, the majoritywere not. Many had had some experience in supervisingstudent teachers, but this was not considered to be asufficient background for supervising interns. Theresearchers recommended:

Workshops for principals and supervisingteachers should be provided before the schoolyear begins and early in the school year, toequip them for their roles in the program;also, additional seminars during the year wouldbe helpful in providing for an exchange ofinformation and fcr refinement of supervisoryskills.

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No specific supervisory in-service experiences weredeveloped by Alberta Education, although some generalin-service sessions on the Initiation to Teaching Projectwere conducted during the year in various schooljurisdictions and at teachers' conventions. Primaryresponsibility for such workshops and seminars remainedwith individual jurisdictions. A change was, however,made in the project guidelines which indicated thatsupervising teachers were required to hold a degree, havea minimum of three years of teaching experience andpossess a permanent teaching certificate.

5. Many interns were hired and placed well afterthe beginning of the 1985-1986 school year. This wasunderstandable in view of the sLort lead time for theproject. However, these interns missed the fallorientation programs provided in a number of schools andjurisdictions and they also missed the schools' openingactivities. The research team's recommendation was:

Interns should be placed early--ideally, beforethe beginning of the school term--and eachintern should participate in a schoolorientation program.

Because placement and orientation of internsremained the responsibility of each jurisdiction, AlbertaEducation took no action on this recommendation.Consequently, as in the previous year, many interns werehired after schools opened in September 1986.Information provided by the Project Director revealedthat, in 1985-86, 513 of the 899 interns completed fullten-month internships, 295 served as interns for fivemonths or more but less than the full school year, andthe remainder, 91, served for less than five months.

Corresponding figures for 1986-87, provided onJune 9, 1987, were 665 for the full ten months, 178 forat least five but less than ten months, and 49 servingfor less than five months, making a total of 892. Basedon the assumption that those employed as interns on thatdate would remain in these positions until the end ofJune, this represented an increase in the percentage ofinterns who completed a full year of internship from 54%in 1985-86 to just over 74% in 1986-87.

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Summary of Findings

6. In some schools interns were assigned to workwith, perhaps, too many teachers. In other schools theywere assigned to and worked with only one supervisingteacher each; other teachers and other resources were notalways made available. The researchers recommended:

All principals should be informed of the needto ensure that every intern is exposed to morethan one supervising teacher, although onesupervising teacher might hold the primeresponsibility for directing the internship.

A guideline revision was included encouraging schooljurisdictions to allow interns to have opportunities towork with outstanding teachers. In general, interns wereencouraged to work with a number of teachers. Astatement to this effect was also published in an issueof the Initiation to Teaching Project InformationBulletin. Even so, interns in the second year of theproject expressed less satisfaction--not more--with thevariety of experiences offered.

7. Great differences in the nature and frequency offeedback provided to interns were evident in 1985-86. Insome instances, feedback was provided by only one person;in other instances, it was provided by many. Thecriteria for evaluating performance and the degree offormality differed. There was no uniform set of "exitevaluation" standards. The researchers recommended thefollowing:

Each intern should be provided with frequentfeedback on work accomplished; this feedbackshould begin early in the year and continuethroughout the year. The individual who isbest situated to provide such frequent feedbackis the supervising teacher. Feedback should beprovided about skills of instruction, skills ofclassroom management, communication skills,knowledge of content, relationships withstudents, ability to motivate students, skillsof evaluation (including self-evaluation) andgrowth in self-confidence. In addition, theresearchers recommended that three or fourformal visits should be made and a formalreport provided by someone holding an

24


administrative or supervisory role in theschool or jurisdiction.

This issue was already addressed in a very generalway in the 1985-86 Initiation to Teaching ProjectGuidelines. For example, the guidelines placedresponsibility for the monitoring and evaluation ofinterns with the school jurisdictions, private schoolsand private ECS operators and they called for "guidanceand supervision by certified teachers, selected by theprincipal subject to approval by the superintendent."Specific areas for feedback to interns were indicated inthe 1985-86 guidelines and these were extended in 1986-87to include classroom management, preparation of lessonsand motivation of students.

8. Participation by interns in planned in-serviceexperiences differed greatly in terms of the number andnature of such activities. In some cases, the types ofin-service activities provided depended on what wasavailable. For example, in small jurisdictions theseactivities typically were conferences; an intern mightattend the annual conference of an ATA specialistcouncil. Some jurisdictions provided their interns withregular workshops on effective teaching strategies, butthese jurisdictions were not in the majority. Theresearchers recommended:

The larger school jurisdictions should beencouraged to develop quality workshops oneffective teaching for interns and theirsupervisors, and Alberta Education shouldconsider providing "workshops on call" for thesmaller jurisdictions and private schools.

To a great extent, the larger school jurisdictionswere already sponsoring workshops directed spe-ificallyat the needs of interns. Such workshops remained aresponsibility of the jurisdictions. No further actionwas taken by Alberta Education except to sponsor generalin-service sessions on the Initiation to Teaching Projectas described under point 4.

9. Some interns worked at many grade levels and inseveral subiect fields, whereas others were confined

25

Summery of Findings

primarily to one or two subject fields and often to asingle classroom. The researchers recommended:

Each school should require participation :1, theintern in a variety of profession-relatedexperier., as including work at several gradelevels and in a number of subject areas.

The need for a diversity of experiences wasreiterated in the Initiation to Teaching ProjectInformation Bulletin with the statement that the schoolprogram should include "a full range of teachingexperiences relative to the interests and abilities ofindividual interns." However, no change was made in theguidelines.

10. The degree to which interns were allowed totake total charge of classes varied greatly. Some wp-,teaching full-time without other teachers being in the-rclasses for most or, in a small number of instances,virtually all of the time; in other cases, thesupervising teachers were almost always present and theinterns were never completely in charge of classes. Theresearchers recommended:

The intern should be put in charge of a classfor about one-third of the time at thebeginning of the year, and the teachingresponsibility should be gradually increased tothe load of full-time teachers for periodsduring the year although, even in the last halfxe the year, the average teaching load shouldremain about two-thirds of that of full-timeteachers.

As stated under point 2, the guidelines for theInitiation to Teaching Project were rewritten toemphasize 30-40% of a normal teaching assignment near thebeginning of the year to 80-90% near the end. Thischange was also published in a subsequent issue of theInformation Bulletin.

11. The length of internship differed from internto intern. In some cases internships lasted a full tenmonths and in others only a few weeks. It was recognized

26


that interns differed in their readiness to assumefull-time teaching responsibilities at any given timeduring the year, and that the need for a teacher orteachers during the course of the school year differed inthe various employing school jurisdictions.Nevertheless, the advantages of an internship lasting afull school year were generally recognized. Theresearchers recommended:

The length of each internship should be thefull ten-month school year.

No action could be taken on this matter during thepilot stage of the project. Provisions for hiringinterns continued during the year, not just in earlySeptember, and many interns who were offered full-timeteaching positions resigned from their internshippositions in order to accept such offers. Nevertheless,as mentioned under point 5, it was interesting thatapproximately 74% of interns completed full-yearinternships in 1986-87 whereas the corresponding figurefor 1985-86 was 54%.

12. Interns were treated in a variety of ways inthe schools, sometimes as fully certificated members ofstaff and occasionally as no more than student teachers.In some cases, interns did not have regular locations todo their work or places to store books and otherbelongings. The researchers recommended:

The provincial guidelines for the Initiation toTeaching Project should specify the need forinterns to have places of their own, similar tothose provided for other teachers in theschool.

No action was taken on this recommendation.

13. Some dissatisfaction was expressed about threematters in particular: (a) the pay differences betweeninterns and beginning teachers, (b) the fact that theexperience as an intern did not carry credit on thesalary grid and (c) the regulation that time as an interndid not count as part of the two-year probationary periodfor permanent teaching certification in Alberta. Areview of practices in ocher professions revealed pay

) r

27


differences between interns and beginning professionals,but full certification usually followed a successful

internship experience. The researchers recommended:

A pay differential between interns and

beginning teachers should be maintained; the

experience as an intern should not be creditedas teaching experience for salary purposes; butsuccessful performance as an intern should becredited toward the requirements associated

with permanent certification.

Although the Steering Committee deliberated at

length on these issues, no action was taken during thepilot stage of the Initiation to Teaching Project.

(After the second year's evaluation, based on widely heldopinion, the research team changed this recommendationwith respect to credit for internship on the salary gridfor teachers.)

14. Some jurisdictions which were desirous of

engaging interns were unable to attract applicants. The

question arose as to whether or not all jurisdictions,including private schools, should be permitted to hireinterns. It was noted that, in the field of medicine,not all hospitals are approved for medical internships.A second question concerned a possible need to providespecial financial allowances for interns who were willingto accept assignments with employing jurisdictions whereliving costs were high. The researchers recommended:

The quality of the supervision and professionaldevelopment activities available for internsshould be the determining factors in decidingwhich jurisdictions are permitted to hire andplace interns, and cost-of-living allowancesshould be made available and transportationexpenses covered for interns hired foremployment in jurisdictions located in the moreremote areas of the province.

All approved jurisdictions were eligible to hire andplace interns during the Initiation to Teaching Project.This meant that interns placed in some schools,

particularly some of the small schools, did notexperience variety in their activities, and occasionally

28


their supervision was provided by untrained supervisingteachers. Regarding special financial allowances,jurisdictions were not prevented from supplementing theincomes of interns where teachers received cost of livingallowances or other supplements. One jurisdiction didsupplement the housing expenses of its interns.

15. There were great differences in the degree towhich interns were treated as full-fledged teachers.Parents often did not know that interns held teachingcertificates equivalent to those of beginning teachers.Some parents were concerned about their children being inthe classrooms of interns. The researchers recommended:

Members of the profession and the public atlarge should be clearly apprised of the factthat all interns hold interim teachingcertification and are eligible to teach asbeginning teachers.

In order to promote public confidence in the internsinvolved in this project, Alberta Education prepared furwide distribution the literature referred to followingRecommendation 3.

16. There was considerable concern among internsand school staffs generally about whether all internswould have teaching positions in the following year. Notall schools and employing jurisdictions expected to havesufficient openings to accommodate all of their interns.Opinions were expressed that if successful interns didnot obtain teaching positions, the Initiation to TeachingProject would be discredited to some degree. Theresearchers recommended:

The matter of placing interns in teachingpositions following internship should not beleft totally to chance; and continued publicityshould be given to indicate that teachingpositions could not be guaranteed followingsuccessful performance as an intern.

No action was taken regarding this recommendation. Afollow-up study of a sample of 151 interns during themonth of September 1986 revealed that, among the 135

29OM


actively seeking full-time teaching positions in Alberta,96 (71%) had secured such positions and an additional 27(20%) had accepted substitute teaching positions.

17. Interns with handicaps or with highlyspecialized training were not always placed in situationswhere they could benefit maximally or, indeed, where fulladvantage could be taken of their special competencies.The researchers recommended:

Special cases, particularly interns withhandicaps, should be given special attention inplacement decisions.

No action was taken regarding this recommendation.There was some indication that interns with handicapswere placed in situations that allowed for maximumbenefits to be gained from their special competencies.

The 17 recommendations for change made at the end ofthe 1985-86 year of the Initiation to Teaching Projectshould not be considered as an indication that theprogram was seriously flawed. On the contrary, based onthe findings presented in the preceding section, thefirst year of the project was generally well conductedand well received despite the short lead time forimplementation. The recommended adjustments in somecases were associated with isolated difficulties--thesort that one might anticipate in the initial year of anyprogram of this magnitude. Another strength of theproject is evident in the comments following each of the17 recommendations. These reveal that the SteeringCommittee and the Director of the Initiation to TeachingProject were, on the whole, very responsive with respectto these recommendations.

Findings from the Second Year of the Evaluation

As outlined above, the first year of the evaluationserved primarily formative purposes and resulted in anumber of recommendations for change in the second year.However, the first-year evaluation also provided findingswhich helped to focus the second-year evaluation on

30


various policy matters about which recommendations couldbe made relating to an internship program for teachers.The findings of the two-year classroom observation studyare summarized here along with the findings relating topolicy concerns.

1. Improvement in teaching skills. The results ofthe various components of the classroom observationstudy, which involved collection of observations on 26teaching strategies, revealed that the Initiation to

Teaching Project was effective in improving the classroomteaching skills of interns. In other words, beginningteachers with internship experience had made significantgains and were rated higher on these research-basedskills than were beginning teachers without internshipexperience.

2. Comparison of interns and beginning teachers.Longitudinal comparisons of gains in teaching skills byboth groups revealed that a year of teaching experienceas either an intern or a beginning teacher was effectivein improving classroom performance.

3. Continuation of the internship program. Therewas a clear preference by all 19 categories ofrespondents that the program of optional post-B.Ed.internship in Alberta should be continued. Fairly strongsupport was also shown for a compulsory internship,either following initial teacher preparation atuniversity or as part of the university teacherpreparation program. Senior education students andbeginning teachers who had not served as interns wereinclined to favor optional rather than compulsoryinternship.

4. Developing internship policies and guidelines.There was clear support for involving the five proposedcategories of organizations--Alberta Education, theschool systems, the Alberta Teachers' Association, theuniversities, and the Alberta School Trustees'Association (in approximately that order ofpreference)--in the process of developing internshippolicies and guidelines. Alberta Education was clearlyfavored to assume major responsibility in this area.

3.1


5. Administering the internship program. There wasstrong support within all respondent groups for the

"major responsibility" for day-to-day administration ofthe internship program to reside with school systems, andfor Alberta Education, the Alberta Teachers' Associationand the universities to have "some involvement" in thistask.

6. Supervision of beginning teachers. Moderatelystrong support was obtained from the respondent groupsfor assignment of beginning teachers to highly competentsupervising teachers. Opinions were somewhat divided onthe matter of reducing the teaching loads of beginningteachers--assuming that these were beginning teacherswithout internship experience.

7. Permanent certification. Respondents stronglysupported the proposal of permanent certificationfollowing satisfactory completion of internship and oneyear of satisfactory teaching. This represented a changefrom the attitude in 1985-86 when the status quo wasfavored. The guidelines for the internship program madeno allowance for experience as an intern and required twoyears of successful teaching for all beginning teacherswhether or not they had had internship experience.

8. Salary of interns. When offered thealternatives of one-quarter, one-half, three-quarters andfull salary of beginning teachers, strong support wasadvanced for a salary for interns of three-quarters ofthat of beginning teachers. Strong support was alsooffered for awarding at least partial credit on theteaching salary grid for the internship experience. Theguidelines provided for an intern's salary ($15,600 over10 months) to be approximately 62% of that of a beginningteacher and that there be no recognition on the teachingsalary grid for experience obtained during service as anintern.

9. Length of the internship. The respondentsclearly favored an internship of one year in length.During each of the two years, the majority of internscompleted a full school year of internship. However,

32


particularly in the first year of the project, somestarted their programs well after the beginning ofSeptember, some assumed full-time teaching positionsduring the year and others accepted half-year internshipsbeginning in January or February.

10. Teaching load. According to the respondents inthis study, an intern should assume approximately half ofthe teaching load of a full-time teacher at the beginningof the internship, about two-thirds to three-quartersmid-way through the internship, and about the load of afull-time teacher when approaching the end of theinternship. Practices varied widely in relation toteaching loads assigned to interns. Some were assignedvirtually no teaching early in their internships and theyexperienced gradual increases in workloads over time. Asignificant number of others were assigned to full-timeteaching as early as September. When compared withbeginning teachers, most interns had lighter teachingloads, particularly early in the year, and thesetypically increased over the course of the year.Beginning teachers were usually assigned full teachingloads early in the year which they maintained throughoutthe year.

11. Internship activities. From a list of 15possible internshir activities, respondents expressedvery strong support for including the following fiveactivities in provincial guidelines: (a) "teachingthe same class or classes for a period of severalmonths," (b) "professional development activities at thesystem and/or provincial level," (c) "in-schoolprofessional development activities," (d) "interviewswith parents about progress of students," and (e)"interacting with other interns in formal workshopsfocusing on internship." Since the nature and quality ofthe interns' experiences differed so greatly from schoolto school, it was not surprising to find strong supportfor a clearer role description for the internshipexperience which would separate it from both studentteaching and full-time beginning teaching and yet providesubstantial variety.

33


12. Supervision of interns. Respondents consideredthat interns should be directly accountable to

principals. However, there was strong support for eachintern working on a day-to-day basis under thesupervision of a supervising teacher or teachers. Thenature and quality of supervision provided to internsvaried greatly, as did the number of supervising teachersassociated with a given intern. Although the helpprovided was generally rated highly, a substantial numberof interns--and of beginning teachers--received less helpthan they had expect:1d. The main source of supervisionfor beginning teachers was principals, whereas, forinterns it was supervising teachers.

13. Feedback and evaluation. Very strong supportwas provided for the development of provincial guidelinesspecifying that (a) feedback be provided to interns alongwith discussions on how to improve performance and(b) standard criteria be created for evaluation ofinterns throughout Alberta. As with supervisiongenerally, feedback and evaluation for interns andbeginning teachers varied greatly in frequency and inquality. In several of the larger jurisdictions,principals and supervising teachers had participated inworkshops on effective teaching. Feedback in these caseswas generally frequent and helpful. In other instancesit was infrequent and was judged to be ineffective. In afew cases there was more frequent evaluation than wasconsidered either v..lcessary or desirable.

14. Formal evaluation of interns. There was verystrong support for supervising teachers performing formalevaluations of interns and acting as the final authorityfor formal (written) evaluations, and considerablesupport for principals carrying out these functions. Thesuggestion that formal evaluation of interns be performedby a central office supervisor or administrator, orindeed by anyone else from outside the school such as asupervisor from an Alberta Regional Office of Education,met with little favor.

15. Qualifications of supervising teachers.Respondents very strongly supported the development ofprovincial guidelines specifying minimum competency

3 4


criteria for supervising teachers. They also stronglysupported guidelines specifying minimum academicqualifications for supervising teachers. Few explicitlystated criteria were used for selecting supervisingteachers. Selection was usually based primarily on theadministrator's decision or on interests expressed byteachers.

16. Supervisory training for supervising teachers.A large majority of supervising teachers had had notraining in the supervision of teaching. There wasgenerally strong support for provincial guidelinesrequiring that "school systems should be responsible forproviding supervisory training for supervising teachers,"and strong support in some circles, but only moderatesupport in others, that provincial guidelines shouldspecify that "training in the form of short courses oruniversity classes in supervision and effective teachingshould be required for all supervising teachers." Ingeneral, and particularly in rural areas, there waslittle evidence of regular programs of in-serviceeducation having been provided for supervising teachers.

17. Teaching loads of supervising teachers.Opinion was divided about whether or not the teachingloads of supervising teachers should be reduced tocompensate for their assumption of responsibility forsupervision of interns.

18. Selection of supervising teachers. Therespondents strongly supported involvement of principalsin the selection of supervising teachers. There was verylittle support for out-of-school administrative andsupervisory personnel being involved in this process.

19. Assignments for interns. Assignments forinterns within schools were determined primarily byschool administrators in consultation with the internsconcerned.developmentexperiencesactivities.teachers'

Few schools had well-articulated professionalplans. This resulted in a wide variety ofacross subject areas, grade levels andSome interns functioned primarily as

aides and others as regular classroom


teachers--both alternatives contravened the provincialguideliLes.

20. Selection of schools for placement of interns.Schools to which interns were assigned were selectedprimarily on the basis of school needs and staffinterests. In rural areas, schools were frequentlyselected on the basis of needs of the jurisdictions.Thus, in many cases, interns stated that' the placementswere not suited to their interests and needs, especiallywith respect to grade levels of placements and variety ofexperiences available. In addition, opportunities forin-service education in small schools were rarelyavailable.

21. Inservice education for interns. Inserviceeducation for interns was frequently the same as that forbeginning and other teachers. Although activities forinterns often centered on improvement of teaching skills,interns identified a number of other in-service needs:classroom management and control, planning andorganization, evaluation of students, andself-evaluation.

22. Employment prospects. Many jurisdictions whichhired interns did not have full-time teaching positionsavailable for these individuals following theirsuccessful completion of the internship year. This wasseen by many as a negative feature of the program. Asindicated earlier, the September 1986 follow-up study of151 former interns revealed that, of 135 actively seekingfull-time teaching positions in Alberta' 96 (71%) hadsecured such positions and an additional 27 (20%) weresubstitute teaching.

23. Overall value of the internship program.Individuals who were or had been directly involved in theinternship program as interns, supervising teachers,principals or superintendents provided very high ratingsof the Alberta internship scheme as a means offacilitating the transition from student to professionalteacher. Their average ratings ranged from 7.9 to 9.1 ona ten-point scale. Other respondents, such as beginning

36

Conclusions 25

teachers, second-year teachers with no internshipexperience, and senior education students were much lessconvinced about the capacity of an internship to fulfilthis role; their average ratings ranged from 4.5 to 6.9.Professors and senior students at one of theuniversities, which has a longer practicum as part of itsteacher preparation program, were also much lessfavorably disposed in this respect than were theircounterparts at the other two universities, where thepracticums are shorter. Students enrolled in certaintypes of specialized programs anticipated no difficultyin finding positions as beginning teachers: thesestudents also tended to assign a low rating to the

internship program.

Conclusions

From the results of the two-year evaluation of theInitiation to Teaching Project, a set of twentyconclusions was formulated as follows:

1. Support for a transition program for beginningteachers. Very strong support was found both for someform of transition program similar to Alberta's pilotinternship project for teachers and for this transitionprogram to extend over a full school year.

2. Comparison of beginning teachers who hadcompleted internships with beginning teachers having nosuch experience. In skill areas which research has shownto be important, beginning teachers who had completedinternships performed significantly better than didbeginning teachers without internship experience.

3. Activities for interns. The role of the internwas found to be vaguely defined, resulting in a diversityof practices in the schools. Some interns worked at manygrade levels and in several subject fields, whereasothers were confined primarily to one or two subjectfields and often to one classroom each. The findings ofthe study strongly supported the provision of internshipexperience in different subject matter fields, atdifferent grade levels, and in different activities. At

37

26 Conclusions

the same time, respondents indicated that the internshipshould also allow for extended contact of several monthswith the same class or classes. (By way of comparison,medical internships in Alberta require rotations in thefive major fields of medicine, each for a minimum of sixweeks.)

4. Status of interns. Interns were treated in avariety of ways by staff and students in schools and bymembers of the public. Sometimes they were viewed asfully certificated members of staff and sometimes asstudent teachers. Differences in treatment weremanifested in these ways: some interns had no spaceassigned in which they could do their work; some parentstreated interns as if they were teacher assistants; someteachers treated interns as if they were teacher aides;some interns were required to serve as substituteteachers; some teachers and students treated interns asif they were student teachers; and some interns were putin charge of classes with little provision forsupervision or feedback. Thus, the status of interns wasfrequently vague and ambiguous, tending to be subordinaterather than collegial in relation to other teachers inthe school.

5. Placement of interns in schools. Schoolsfrequently chose "to hire" interns on the basis of schoolneeds. In many cases the desirable features of aneffective internship program were either missing orminimally present. For example, interns were not alwaysprovided with a variety of activities, experience atseveral grade levels, access to competent supervisorystaff or experience to take advantage of their specialcompetencies. Interns were not always placed in schoolsor classrooms best suited to their preparation or skills.Some claimed that their placements did not take intoaccount their handicaps or other special circumstances.

6. Teaching loads for interns. Although practicesvaried widely, there was a clear consensus that internsshould be given about half of the teaching load of afull-time teacher at the beginning of their internships,but that the teaching loads should be closer to those offull-time teachers by the end of the internships.

38

Conclusions 27

Scheduled time during the school day for preparation, fordiscussion of performance and for in-service education,particularly during the first half of the internship, wasseen to be warranted.

7. Teaching loadsRespondents advocatedparticularly early in theteachers without internship

for beginning teachers.reduced teaching loads,school year, for beginningexperience.

8. Feedback to interns and beginning teachers.Great differences were evident in the nature andfrequency of feedback provided to interns and beginningteachers. Both interns and beginning teachers identifiedthe availability of feedback on specific aspects ofteaching as their highest concern. In relation tointerns, there was very strong support among all of therespondents that feedback on performance should beprovided regularly, primarily from supervising teachers.

9. In- service programs for interns. The number andnature of planned in-service experiences for internsdiffered greatly from school to school. Frequently,in-service education for interns centered on improvementof teaching skills and was the same as that for otherteachers. However, interns identified a number ofspecific in-service needs, especially classroommanagement and control, planning and organization,evaluation of students, and self-evaluation.

10. Evaluation of interns. There was generalagreement that interns, like other teachers in theschool, should be accountable to the principal--as wasthe typical practice. Day-to-day supervision andevaluation of interns were generally seen to be theresponsibility of supervising teachers. Administrativeand supervisory personnel tended to favor principalshaving the final authority for the evaluation of interns,whereas the other groups tended to favor supervisingteachers having this authority.

28 Conclusions

11. Supervisors of beginning teachers and interns.Respondents strongly supported the idea that beginningteachers and interns -should have highly competentsupervisors assigned to them. They also supported theprovision of professional development activities forsupervising teachers, with a focus cn the skills ofobservation and coaching, and on the strategiesassociated with effective teaching.

12. Role of supervising teachers. 'ft,- role ofsupervising teachers was vaguely defined, resulting in adiversity of practices. Some staff members assumed therole to be primarily that of mentor, confidant,colleague, role model or support teacher. Others tendedto treat it as director, supervisor or evaluator, therebyemphasizing a status difference between supervisingteacher and intern. This role ambiguity was compoundedby the fact that in some schools one teacher assumed fullresponsibility in relation to a given intern, while inothers several teachers shared the supervisory duties.Sometimes principals or assistant principals assumed therole of supervising teacher.

13. Teaching loads of supervising teachers.Opinions were divided on whether teachers who superviseinterns should have reduced teaching loads. Ou the onehand, their workloads increased because of theirsupervisory responsibilities; but on the other band,their actual teaching loads decreased, particularly asinterns gained more competence during the year.

14. Salary of interns. Strong suppoi was obtainedfor the salary of interns being less than that ofbeginning teachers. When offered the alternatives ofone-quarter, one-half, three-quarters or full first-yearsalary, most respondents deemed three-quarters of abeginning teacher's salary to be reasonable. (Teacheraides earned about the same amount as did interns in1986-87, that is, approximately 62% of a beginningteacher's salary.)

15. Credit for internship experience. There wasstrong support for the time spent in an internship being

. 40

Conclusions 29

recognized in two ways: (a) permanent certificationafter one year rather than two years of successfulteaching following satisfactory completion of a year-longinternship, and (b) partial credit, such as half of anexperience increment, on the salary grid for teachers.

16. Employment after internship. Successfulcompletion of an internship did not necessarily lead to afull-time teaching position. Many employingjurisdictions did not have sufficient full-time positionsfor their interns in the following year. This resultedin the interns spending considerable time and energythroughout their internships exploring job opportunities.

17. Certification examinations for teachers. Mostof the respondents disagreed with the introduction ofcertification examinations for teachers in Alberta.(Most professions require certification examinations tobe passed before completion of induction intoprofessional practice. Moreover, a number of states inthe U.S.A. have begun to implement certificationexaminations for teachers.)

18. Policies and guidelines governing neophyteteachers. There was strong support for Alberta Educationhaving major responsibility for developing internshippolicies and guidelines. There was also support forschool systems, the Alberta Teachers' Association, theuniversities and the Alberta School Trustees' Associationhaving some involvement in this process.

19. Administration of the internship program. Allrespondent groups strongly supported the view thatprimary responsibility for the day-to-day administrationof the internship program should reside with the schooljurisdictions, but that Alberta Education, the AlbertaTeachers' Association and the universities should havesome involvement in this task.

20. Impact on existing teacher preparationprograms. No clear indication was obtained concerninghow a continuing internship program would affect existing

30 Alternatives Explored

teacher preparation programs. However, the likelihoodthat courses and practicums would need to be modified wasraised. Some respondents considered that programs forpreparing teachers would need major revisions.

Alternatives Explored

Problems associated with easing the transition fromuniversity student to confident practitioner areencountered in all professions. Different procedures forcoping with these problems have been adopted by thevarious professions. In the field of teacher preparationconsiderable attention has been given to two relatedapproaches for bridging the gap between universitystudent and practicing teacher: (a) beginning teacherinduction programs and (b) programs of internship inteaching.

Although designed to serve substantially the samepurpose--that of orienting novice teachers to the worldof practice--these two types of programs operate indifferent ways. Induction programs for beginningteachers are designed--at least theoretically--to serve amultiplicity of purposes such as orienting the novice toa particular school and classroom, employingjurisdiction, specific community, the profession ingeneral, as well as the particular subject-matter areasand technology of teaching at given grade levels.Internship programs tend to focus primarily on the lattertwo areas, usually addressing problems relating to thetheory-practice dichotomy. The assumption made intypical beginning teacher induction programs is that thenovice is reasonably well prepared to assume a full-timeteaching position but may need assistance withorientation to the local situation. The assumption madein internship programs is that the novice is not yet a

fully prepared teacher and needs to acquire additionalknowledge and skills related to teaching.

In view of the positive reactions to the Initiationto Teaching Project by those who were directly involvedin its design and operation, and recognizing thatvirtually every employing authority in the province hassome form of induction experience for its new teachers,the researchers realized that the primary need in Alberta

42


at present is not for induction programs, narrowlydefined. Instead, what is required is an approach withmany of the features of a well-designed internshipprogram. The researchers recognized, nevertheless, thatinduction programs would still have their place and couldserve as temporary measures pending the implementation ofa well-planned and carefully articulated transitionprogram for beginning teachers.

As stated earlier, the two primary purposes of theevaluation of Alberta's Initiation to Teaching Projectwere (a) to evaluate the project summatively, that is "tocontribute to the information required for a decision todiscontinue the project or to assign it program status onthe same basis or in modified form," by attending toproject outcomes; and CO to evaluate the projectformatively, that is "to provide one basis for decisionsto modify and improve specific components of the project"during each of the two years of the project, particularlyduring the first year.

Based on the review of entry programs in otherprofessions, on recent practices and research on entryprograms in teaching, and especially on the findings ofthe two-year evaluation, the members of the research teamrecommind the introduction of a full-year transitionprogram for all beginning teachers in Alberta. Verylittle support was evident in this study for a return tothe 1984-85 situation in which beginning teachers wereexpected to assume virtually the same teachingresponsibilities as those of experienced teachers.Therefore, in keeping with the first purpose of theevaluation study, the research team arrived at thefollowing major conclusion:

That the Initiation to Teaching Project begiven program status but in modified form.

In considering Ithe form of this program, variousentry practices used in teaching and other professions,in North America as well as elsewhere, were examined.From this review, several possible alternatives weredeveloped, four of which have been explored in the studybecause of their potential relevance for the Albertasituation. The research team reviewed the findingsassociated with these four alternatives; in addition, theresearchers developed a fifth approach that combinesdesirable features of the other four alternatives.

43


Specific Approaches Considered

The five alternatives considered are listed anddiscussed below, including the alternative on which theInitiation to Teaching Project was based, namely,"optional internship for interim-certificated beginningteachers." Because this alternative is referred toelsewhere as "optional post-B.Ed. internship," anexplanation is warranted. Since there are two majorprograms leading to interim teaching certification inAlberta, only one of which requires completion of theB.Ed. degree, technically speaking the label "optionalpost-B.Ed. internship" is relevant as a potentialdesignation only for those beginning teachers who havecompleted this so-called regular B.Ed. program. Anotherprogram exists for the holders of approved degreeswishing to obtain interim certification as teachers. Toqualify for interim certification, the holders ofapproved degrees (other than the B.Ed.) are required tocomplete certain designated university courses which donot necessarily lead to completion of the B.Ed. degree.Thus, interim certification is contingent upon holdingthe B.Ed. or, for holders of approved degrees, uponcompleting a number of prescribed university courses.For both types of these interim-certificatedteachers--individuals of neither type having previouslyheld employment as teachers--the inclusive label"interim-certificated beginning teachers" has beenchosen.

Alternative 1: Mandatory Internship as Partof the University Teacher Education Program

This alternative and Alternative 4 described belowreceived about equal support--but somewhat less than fo,.Alternative 3--among the four alternatives presented forconsideration by the various respondent groups in thestudy. This option at least partially resembles a numberof Master of Arts in Teaching programs offered in theUnited States--programs which are university-controlledand are often patterned after the MBA in that entrantsrequire a baccalaureate degree for entry and obtain aMaster's degree upon completion. To recommend that asimilar program be made compulsory, particularly withoutthe added incentive of a Master's degree credential as

,44


in the U.S.A.--even if it were part of a B.Ed.program--did not seem appropriate for Alberta.Considerable change to teacher preparation at theuniversities would be needed and it does not seemfeasible that the universities would be able to effectchanges of this magnitude at this time.

Alternative 2: Optional Internship as Partof the University Teacher Education Program

This alternative would add a significantly differentprogram route to the existing teacher preparationprograms at Alberta universities. Tne ?dation would bethat described in Alternative 1 above, and educationstudents would be permitted to choose whether or not toinclude an internship as part of their universityprogram. For the respondents this was the least favoredof the four alternatives, perhaps because of the manyadministrative problems it could be expected to create.The research team agreed with the respondents that thisalternative was inappropriate for Alberta.

Alternative 3: Optional Internship forInterim-Certificated Beginning Teachers

The Initiation to Teaching Project approach, ofoptional internship for interim-certificated beginningteachers, received the strongest support from themajority of respondent groups in the study. Thefollowing positive features of the optional internshipprogram were identified: that beginning teachers wereprovided with two alternatives from which to choose(beginning teacher or intern position) as were theiremploying jurisdictions; that interns developed teachingskills and professional competencies; that, in most ofthe facets researched, greater satisfaction wasexperienced by the interns than by the beginning teacherswho had not had internship experience; and that theschools as well as the interns benefited from theprogram. Negative features encountered anddissatisfaction expressed by the interns and schooljurisdictions related to tne low salary paid to interns;lack of provision for credit toward permanent teacher

45


certification; lack of formal recognition for internshipexperience on the salary grid for teachers; problems withthe placement, supervision and continuity of employmentof interns; and the wide variation among internshippractices. The desire by many interns to be recognizedas fully certificated teachers and to be employed as suchwas also noted. Although the optional one-yearinternship for teachers was received very favorably, inpractice it was in large measure an experimental program.The two-year project revealed a number of problem areasthat needed to be addressed. It was, therefore, notaccepted by the researchers as the approach that meritedhighest priority among the five alternatives considered.

Alternative 4: Mandatory Internship forInterim-Certificated Beginning Teachers

As indicated above, this alternative and Alternative1 were supported about equally as the second choice ofthe respondent groups. By providing generally equitabletreatment for all beginning teachers, this alternativewould resolve several of the perceived difficultiesassociated with an optional internship program. Some ofthe issues associated with the 1985-87 internship programmight still need to be resolved, such as salary forinterns, supervision of interns and employment followingthe internship. The problem of interns and theirbeginning teacher colleagues being treated differently,as was the case in the 1985-87 project, would be resolvedwith a mandatory internship because all novice teacherswould be required to serve an internship year. Despiteits potential drawbacks. the researchers recognized themany advantages of this alternative. It thereforeprovided the basis for Alternative 5 below, which is therecommended approach.

Alternative 5: Mandatory Residency forInterim-Certificated Teachers

In order to resolve many of the problems associatedwith Alberta's experimental internship for teachers, theresearch team developed an approach, that the researchershave labeled the "Teacher Residency Program," to build on

46


the experience gained from the Initiation to TeachingProject. This approach bears a strong resemblance toAlternative 4 and is considered to be more appropriatethan the other three alternatives reviewed because itmakes provision for meeting more of the needs associatedwith transition programs. Hence, this alternativecombines a number of features from the precedingalternatives that are appropriate for an entry programfor neophyte teachers in Alberta. It also draws onexperience and developments elsewhere and on practices inother professions. The main characteristics of thisapproach are described in the recommendations section.

Recognizing the problems that were associated withthe short lead time from initial announcement to

implementation of the Initiation to TeachingProject--approximately four months--the research teamdeveloped a two-stage proposal for putting its preferredapproach for teacher induction in place in Alberta over athree-year period. The first set of recommendationsdraws on the writings, research and practices associatedwith well-planned teacher induction programs. To allowsufficient time for implementation of the recommendedmandatory residency program for neophyte teachers, thefirst stage, to be put in place in September 1988,involves an induction year for beginning teachers.Details of this proposed induction year follow therecommendation concerning the Teacher Residency Program.

During the next three years detailed planning shouldbe undertaken for the purpose of installing the mandatoryTeacher Residency Program that is described in the nextsection. Implement cion in Alberta could be completed bySeptember 1990. This three-year period would allow allmajor educational organizations in the province to

participate in the discussions and planning, and to makethe necessary modifications in their own operations.With a mandatory residency program in place, someadjustments would have to be made to teacer preparationprograms at the universities; this intermediate phasewould permit the necessary program revisions be made.Furthermore, supervisory and monitoring personr 1 wouldneed to be prepared, and schools approved to provideprograms for resident teachers, and for this considerablelead time would be necessary.

47

36

Recommendations

Recommendations

Eased upon the evaluation of the 1985-87 AlbertaInitiation to Teaching Project, the literature andresearch on teacher induction, and the experience ofother professions, the following course of action isstrongly recommended:

That, by September 1990, every beginningteacher--that is, one who has completed theuniversity teacher preparation program and hasnever been employed on a regular, full-timecontract--be required to complete successfullyan approved internship, to be known as a"Teacher Residency Program" for "ResidentTeachers." The program would have thesecentral features:

1. length of residency to be an entire schoolyear;

2. programs for resident teachers to bedeveloped by each school jurisdiction inaccordance with provincial regulations andguidelines;

3. resident teachers to be employed only ingchools which are approved on the basis oftheir ability to offer suitable programsfor resident teachers;

4. emphasis to be placed upon effectiveteaching and classroom management;

5. supplementary experiences to be organizedto allow the resident teacher to becomefamiliar with the teacher's role, theoperations of a school throughout theyear, and student development during aschool year;

6. teaching load to be substantially lessthan that of a full-time teacher at thebeginning of the school year but toiLcrease during the year;

48

Recommendations 37

7. supportive supervision with emphasis onformative evaluation and regular feedbackto be provided by a trained team ofsupport teachers, one of whom should bedesignated "Residency Advisor";

8. privileges enjoyed by other teachers to beextended also to resident teachers withrespect to benefits, certification andre-employment, except that their salaryshould be in the order of four-fifths ofthat of beginning teachers; and

9. a "Teacher Residency Board" to beestablished as an independent authoritywith responsibility for designing theprogram, for developing regulations andguidelines, for approving schools in whichresident teachers may be employed, fordeveloping evaluation criteria andstandards for successful completion of theTeacher Residency Program, and for overalldirection and monitoring of the program;this board would be composed ofrepresentatives of the major educationalorganizations in the province.

Individuals who currently complete universityteacher preparation programs in Alberta are eligible toreceive interim teaching certificates, allowing them toassume full-time assignments as beginning teachers. Theterm "intern" has led to some confusion among members ofthe public and among some teachers who have assumed thatthe certification status of interns was less than that offull-fledged teachers. There was also a need to separatethe proposed Teacher Residency Program from theInitiation to Teaching Project and to distinguish thisproposal from other "internship" programs, such as thosein Saskatchewan, which are part of the universitypre-service teacher education program and which are inessence extended practicums.

The teems "resident teacher" and "residency" havebeen selected in preference to "intern" and "internship"to give recognition to the qualifications held by thosewho complete their teacher preparation programs atAlberta universities and to acknowledge the importance of

4 49

38 Recommendations

the language used and the labels chosen. Other terms maybe proposed but, for the sake of convenience, "residentteacher" and "residency" are used throughout the

recommendations section of this report. Under this

proposal, a resident teacher would be an

interim-certificated teacher in the first year offull-time continuous employment, and a residency wouldrefer to a full-year program incorporating the elementsdescribed above.

The term "Residency Advisor" is used here as a

replacement for "supervising teacher," which was the

specific label used to designate the teacher responsiblefor the supervision of the intern during the period ofthe pilot project. Residency advisors would be fullyqualified Alberta teachers meeting certain additionalcompetency criteria including specialized training in

effective teaching practices and in the supervision ofteaching. They would be selected by principals of theapproved schools to act as advisors to resident teachers.Training programs for resident advisors would be providedby means of university credit courses and/or specialin-service programs.

Based on the findings associated with the evaluationof the Initiation to Teaching Project, it is evident thatprovision should be made for frequent feedback to eachresident teacher concerning skills of instruction, skillsof classroom management, communications skills, knowledgeof content, relationships with students, ability to

motivate students, evaluativ- skills (includingreflective practice) and growth in self-confidence. Theresearchers considered that this function should beperformed by the residency advisor.

Although continuity in one situation was viewed asimportant by respondents in the evaluation study, so wasthe need for some variety of experiences. The lattermight be provided by a range of classroom-relatedactivities as well as the assignment of one or more"support teachers" in addition to the resident advisor.Support teachers would differ from resident advisors inthat they would hold no formal responsibilities forevaluating the resident teacher. Instead, they would actin a primarily collegial role as mentor/coach/confidantand would provide alternative experiences andperspectives. As with the evaluation of the Initiation

5O

Recommendations 39

to Teaching Project, there arises a concern thatassignment to one residency advisor for the entireresidency would not maximize the potential that could berealized in the program. In other professions, rotationsacross a variety of specialized fields are common and arefrequently mandated components of entry programs, andthis is recommended for the proposed program forbeginning teachers in Alberta. Such varied experiencewould be beneficial also to beginning teachers during theinterim period prior to full implementation of theTeacher Residency Program.

Resident teachers, like many of the interns duringthe 1985-87 internship program, would make a worthwhilecontribution to the schools to which they are assigned.However, the training component must also be recognized.The possibilities for misas,ignment and non-adherence toregulations and guidelines suggest that each residentteacher should have recourse to an "Advocate" who,ideally, would not be employed in the same jurisdiction.Each resident teacher should be monitored from time totime by this external advocate. This individual might bea professor, a consultant with one of Alberta's RegionalOffices of Education, or a professional developmentconsultant with the Alberta Teachers' Association.

A place for the university is also apparent. Withsome 1,600 new graduates of teacher preparation programsbecoming eligible for interim certification each year inAlberta, and assuming an average of two support teachersfor every beginning teacher, this means a large cadre ofsupport personnel would be needed, many of whom wouldrequire training in the areas identified above.University short courses and other university - sponsoredin-service activities and regular credit courses onsupervision of instruction and effective teaching mightbe made available on call to school jurisdictions andsupport teachers.

Under the proposed residency program, beginningteachers who complete their pre-service teacherpreparation outside Alberta should also be eligible forthe Alberta Teacher Residency Program provided that theyqualify for interim certification in this province.

51

40 Recommendations

A number of states in the U.S.A. which haveintroduced internship programs have recognized the needfor a state bureau of teacher internship. Theestablishment of a similar autonomous bureau, labeledthe Teacher Residency Board, is recommended for Alberta.This board would be responsible for establishing policiesand guidelines, for specifying the minimum standardsexpected in residency programs, for developing theprocess for approving schools in accordance with thesestandards, for developing criteria for evaluation andstandards for successful completion of the program, andfor overall direction and monitoring of the program.

In recognition of the need for extensiveconsultation and planning prior to the implementation ofthe proposed mandatory Teacher Residency Program inSeptember 1990, the following interim measures arerecommended:

That, by September 1988, every beginningteacher be required to participate in a

year-long induction program that provides for areduced teaching load and appropriate, skilledsupervision; this would serve as a phasing-inperiod for the Teacher Residency Programdescribed in the major recommendation.

That, during the two-year period 1988-90,regulations and guidelines be developed for theTeacher Residency Program based on the findingsof this study and on the experience with thebeginning teacher induction program.

Currently, many purposes, programs, structures andevaluation procedures exist for inducting beginningteachers into professional practice. Most inductionefforts are short-term, being designed primarily toirerrduce the beginning teacher to a specific school andte..lching position rather than focusing on the technologyot teaching, that is, on skills, knowledge and attitudesappropriate for given subject-matter fields andparticular student needs. A full-year induction periodwith the above-mentioned characteristics would shift thefocus to the developmental nature of teaching practice,particularly in the teacher's initial year of teaching.A reduced teaching load is almost universally recommended

Concluding Comments 41

in current reports on reforming teacher preparation, asis the provision of some type of advisor, preceptor,mentor, coach or support teacher. The need for theseindividuals to be trained in observation and coachingskills is also widely recommended.

The year-long induction program proposed forimplementation in the school years 1988-89 and 1989-90should be viewed as a preparatory stage for introductionof the mandatory one-year Teacher Residency Programoutlined above.

Concluding Comments

The evaluation of Alberta's large-scale experimentwith internships for teachers revealed that this type ofentry year for beginning teachers has definite advantagesin facilitating the transition from university studentengaged in teacher preparation experiences tofull-fledged practicing professional. Although theInitiation to Teaching Project had several shortcomings,these were outweighed by numerous positive attributes andby the strong support for the program from virtually allmajor educational groups. In addition to direct benefitsfor the neophyte teachers themselves, there werespillover benefits for supervising teachers, for studentsand for the schools.

There was general agreement with the stated purposesof the Initiation to Teaching Project, particularly amongthose directly involved in internships or in supervisingthem. All four specific purposes were accomplished inlarge measure. in the following order of attainment:(1) refinement of the teaching skills of interns,(2) assessment of the interns' suitability for placement,(3) development of professional relationships by interns,and (4) further development of professional skills ofsupervising teachers. A fifth, more general purpose ofthe project was assessment of the effectiveness of theinternship program as a means of improving teachingcompetence. The fifth purpose provided the primary focusfor the evaluation. The study revealed that this generalpurpose was also substantially achieved.

42 Concluding Comments

The call has been widespread for a structured andwell-planned entry year or years for new teachers toreplace the typical quick-immersion approaches to theinduction of teachers. Inherent in Juch "sink or swim"approaches is the overwhellOsig tendency for them to beassociated with a wide range of negative consequences forboth students and beginning tea:.hers. Other professionshave made special pr -ions for such a transitionexperience for their r _es, and the trend has been tolengthen rather than shorten these entry programs.

Based on extensive writings and research on teacherinduction practices elsewhere (particularly those inseveral states in the U.S.A., which have already mandatedinternship experience for their beginning teachers), onexperience in other professions, and especially on thefindings from this study, the researchers stronglyrecommend the implementation of a mandatory year-longresidency period for new teachers which would have thecharacteristics and implementation strategies outlined inthis report. In order to facilitate implementation ofthe teacher residency program, the researchers alsorecommend the irtroduction of an intermediate program ofinduction for beginning teachers. This induction programwould be in effect for the two years preceding the1990-91 school year.

To implement the major recommendation and theproposed interim measures, additional resources will berequired to provide release time for resident teachers,support teachers and resource personnel, and to financein-service activities for these three categories ofpersonnel. In view of the benefits to all majoreducational groups and individuals involved, the sourcesand amounts of these additional resources should bejointly determined.

The researchers consider that the proposed TeacherResidency Program would overcome many of the seriousdefects currently present in the experiences of beginningteachers and that it would improve many aspects ofteaching as a profession. At the same time, a caution isexpressed against excessive rigidity. As was thesituation for Alberta's Initiation to Teaching Project,provincial regulations and guidelines should allow forsome flexibility to suit local circumstances. Alsorecommended are discussions about this matter with

54

Concluding Comments 43

various national education associations and councils inorder that interprovincial difficulties may be minimized.Discussion at the national level is warranted because ofemerging interest in entry programs for beginningteachers in ether provinces.

Finally, there remains a critical need forwidespread reflection and extensive debate about thecontent and recommendations of this report. Schools,school systems and universities should be encouraged toforward the results of their deliberations to the variousmajor educational organizations in the province and tothe Minister and Deputy Minister of Education.Particular attention must be paid to the wide variety ofissues related to the implementation of the majorrecommendations. Among these are the following: theimpact on teacher education programs in universities, theprocedures for training supervising teachers, means forintegrating the reduced teaching loads of residentteachers into the regular teaching assignments inschools, and the criteria to be used in identifyingappropriate schools for teacher residencies.

A one-year residency program which focuses upon thetransition from university student to professionalteacher should be adopted in Alberta. All participantsand clients, including the broader community, stand tobenefit substantially from the introduction of an entryprogram of this nature.

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Documents

DOCUMENT RESUME - ERIC · DOCUMENT RESUME ED 293 796 SP 030 071 AUTHOR Ratsoy, Eugene; And Others TITLE Evaluation of the Initiation to Teaching Project.. Summary Report. INSTITUTION