Welcome to

Pacific Coast Academy Charter School

NEW TEACHER INDUCTION 2023-2024

OVERVIEW:
The State of California has a two-tiered system for credentialing teachers. Teacher candidates complete
their preliminary program, oftentimes through university programs, to obtain an initial teaching credential
through successful completion of required coursework, fieldwork, and demonstration of their knowledge,
skills, and abilities. The second tier of preparation, known as Induction, is a two-year job embedded
individualized program that is focused on extensive and ongoing support and mentoring to new teachers
throughout their first and second year of teaching (Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2023).

SCHEDULE: TOPICS: MATERIALS:

8:00 – 8:30 Meet and greet. ● Induction Overview ● School Vision and Mission
Breakfast provided ● Weekly Meetings ● Employee Handbook
● Inquiry Cycles ● Department Listings
8:30 -10:00 Induction overview ● Instruction Pacing Guide
● Observations
● PD Opportunities ● Classroom Management Tips
10:00 - 11:00 Meet your coach
● Colloquium ● School Swag
11:00- 12:00 Reflection / Q&A ● Credentialing

FACILITATOR’S:
Administrators / Regional Coordinators / Program Specialists / Lead Teachers / Reflective Coaches

RATIONALE:
The Induction program’s mentoring design has been developed to provide multiple opportunities for
candidates to demonstrate growth in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. This is
necessary to orient new teacher candidates to the school environment and acquainting them with the
shared vision by modeling and encouraging best practices through ongoing collaboration, peer
observations and participation in a professional learning community. Teacher training programs often
emphasize mastery of content and theory. Pacific Coast Academy will support new teachers during the
transition from theory to practice by providing an induction and mentoring program that is designed to
bridge the gap between initial teacher preparation programs and the realities of teaching.
Purpose and Criteria:

The purpose of the Induction Program is to provide a flexible, supportive,

individualized induction experience to all new teachers through the mentoring of a

reflective coach. Through the Center for Teacher Innovation (CTI) candidates will

engage weekly with a highly-trained mentor. Using 40 inquiry topics as a framework for

mentoring conversations, as well as receiving ongoing support, provides the opportunity

to continually reflect on and improve their teaching practice. CTI’s Induction Program

aligns with and supports individual district and school culture and initiatives. The

program’s hybrid online structure promotes authentic growth with continuous learning

cycles that are California Standards-aligned, resource rich, and applicable to each

teacher’s unique learning environment. Each teacher is paired with a district-selected

Reflective Coach who participates in a professional development course in order to

effectively guide and support the beginning teacher.

Pacific Coast Academy will assign qualified mentor(s) providing guidance and

clear expectations throughout the mentoring experience. To be eligible to be a reflective

coach one must:

● Possession of a Clear Teaching Credential per the State of California

● Minimum of three years of effective teaching experience

● Have knowledge of the content area of the candidate’s teaching assignment

● Demonstrate a commitment to professional learning and collaboration

● ability, willingness, and flexibility to meet weekly with the candidate for support
Timeline:

Each Induction program is designed to provide a two-year, individualized,

job-embedded system of mentoring, support and professional learning that begins in the

teacher’s first year of teaching. The program year is the first week in August throughout

the end of the school year (typically end of May/early June). Each year the candidate

will be responsible for completing four inquiry cycles that are supervised by the

reflective coach. Upon completing the inquiry cycles, the candidate will be eligible to

participate in Colloquium where candidates and coaches come together to share the

candidates Digital Reflections, celebrate candidate growth,. Upon completion of

colloquium (second year), candidates will be provided information for the candidates

next steps in requesting their Clear Credential from the Commission on Teacher

Credentialing (Riverside County of Education, 2023).

Induction Activities:

Candidates will meet with their reflective coach no less than one hour per week

for support through focused cycles of inquiry. Candidates will receive targeted feedback

to further develop effective teaching practices as measured by the California Standards

for the Teaching Profession (CSTP). Candidates will then actively engage in

job-embedded cycles of inquiry by self-selecting a need or interest aligned to a CSTP.

Candidates can expect to develop the following throughout the Inquiry Cycles:

● Individualized Development Plan: Candidates will indicate their areas of

strength and areas of growth.

● Initial CSTP Self-Assessment: Candidates will take the CSTP

Self-Assessment to determine their developmental levels for each of the eight

CSTPs. Results will be shared with the reflective coach.

● Professional Growth Goal: After reflecting on the Individual Development Plan,

CSTP-Self Assessment results, meeting with site admin, and collaborating with

the reflective coach, the candidate will create a long-term professional growth

goal within the first 60 days of beginning the induction program.

● Personalized Timeline: The timeline is designed for candidates, along with their

reflective coach, to plan for the inquiry topics for the year. During each year of the

induction program, The candidate will engage in four focused cycles of inquiry

and three observations throughout the program year. Each inquiry is designed

around a 4-5 week framework, not to be completed concurrently. Candidates may

choose to focus on the same topic for consecutive inquiries, as long as the

evidence of engagement submitted is different for each inquiry (Center for

Teacher Innovation, n.d.).

● Observations: Reflective Coaches are required to complete three observation

cycles; one observation per two inquiry cycles. This level of assessment will

include lesson observation and examination of student data to determine how the

candidate is progressing throughout the program (Department of Education,

2015).

● Completed Inquiry: Once the inquiry is complete, the reflective coach will be

notified that this step has been completed. The reflective coach will then certify

that the criteria has been met for that cycle. After the reflective coach has

certified the Inquiry, the candidate will be ready for the next inquiry.
 ● Colloquium: Colloquium is an opportunity for the candidate to create a digital

reflection summarizing and reflecting on their teaching experiences during their

induction year. Candidates will share their website during Colloquium. The

reflective coach will complete their last observation prior to colloquium.

Professional Development Topics:

Professional Development Opportunities are optional for candidates and coaches

to attend, but are encouraged. When attending together, the time allocated for the

professional development may count towards the needed meeting hours between

candidate and coach. Professional development that has been useful and is

encouraged (through personal experience) is “Mindfulness and Social Emotional

Learning”, “How Can Leaders Increase the Effectiveness and Impact of Data Chats

Through a Coaching Model?”, and “Listening. Learning. Leading. Student Voices”.

Center for Teacher Innovation conducts several opportunities each school year for

candidates and reflective coaches to attend and are free of charge.

Budgetary Implications:

There are costs associated with the induction programs. The cost of the program

is handled directly with the school and CTI at no charge to the candidate. If a candidate

does decide to complete the induction program on their own, they will incur the costs

(can be up to $3000, depending on local area agencies). Schools will also need to

budget for the reflective coaches stipend. At Pacific Coast Academy, coaches receive a

stipend each semester of $500 per candidate.

Servant Leadership:

Throughout this induction journey, reflective coaches are allowing candidates to

discover their teaching style through reflection, collaboration, observation, and student

data analysis. This takes a special kind of person who is able to take a step back and

allow for this all to take place. One who is reflective in their own practices and leads and

supports with grace and flexibility. I will remain a servant leader by remembering these

important traits and in understanding this is the candidates journey to developing into

the type of teacher they are to become.

 References:

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2023 May 31). Teacher Induction in California.

Retrieved from
https://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/teacher-induction#:~:text=Teacher%20Induction%
20in%20California,knowledge%2C%20skills%2C%20and%20abilities.

Center for Teacher Innovation. (n.d.). CTI Handbook 2022-2023. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/rcoe.us/ctihandbook/candidate-journey?authuser=0

Department of Education. (2015 July). Teacher Induction and a Toolkit for Adult
Educators. Retrieved from https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/te/toolkit.pdf

Riverside County of Education. (2023). Induction Eligibility. Retrieved from

https://induction.ctijourney.org/credential-services/induction-eligibility/