TITLE

  Alternative -- South Texas Educator Program (A-STEP)

WEBSITE

www.astep.org

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Check with program

CONTACT

Mr. Eva Alejandro, Program Director
A-STEP
Artemis Square
1200 Central Blvd., Suite A-10
Brownsville, TX 78520
e-mail: mail@astep.org
Phone (956) 544-4600
FAX (956) 544-4561

PROGRAM SUMMARY

The Alternative-South Texas Educator Program is an intensive one year educator preparation program designed to identify, select, train, and certify top-quality teacher-candidates through a series of workshops, seminars, field activities, and an internship.

A-STEP is designed and implemented by former university professors who have also served as educational consultants, educational program coordinators, grant writers, and private and public school educators.

CERTIFICATION AREAS
  • All-Level: Special Education
  • EC-4: Elementary Generalist, Bilingual Generalist
  • 4-8: All to include Elementary Generalist, Bilingual Generalist
  • 8-12: All (No Vocational Certifications)

A pre-service training academy, held evenings and on weekends, is required of each teacher-candidate.  Additionally, teacher-candidates will participate in an in-service support program during their internship while they are the teacher of record.

The intent of the Pre-Service Training Academy is to provide the teacher-candidate an opportunity to assess his or her understanding, suitability, and commitment to teaching students.  The teacher-candidate will have the opportunity to observe routine classroom procedures including instruction.

Pre-service topics will include but are not limited to: The Principles of Education; The use of Technology in the Classroom; Language Acquisition and Language Development; Educational Measurement; Reading Across the Curriculum; Effective Communication and Motivation; Bilingual/ESL Methodology; Teaching Strategies and Appropriate Instruction; Effective Classroom Management; The Teacher, the Law, and Ethics; Multiculturalism and the Diverse Learner; Multiple Intelligences; Special Education and Inclusion; and Gifted and Talented Education.

MISSION

The mission of the A-STEP is to recruit, train, and provide support to program participants, so that every child begins the school year with a highly qualified teacher.

PROGRAM GOALS

The primary goals of the A-STEP are:

  • To prepare program participants to success fully meet the state's certification requirements including all state testing requirements;
  • To address the diverse needs of "first time" teachers as well as the needs of experienced non-certified teachers;
  • To assist school districts in beginning each school year with a highly qualified teacher in every classroom; and
  • To customize the training of, and provide the necessary support to those individuals seeking certification.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
  1. Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution or the equivalent;
  2. Minimum overall GPA of 2.5 or 2.75 GPA in the last 60 semester hours of college coursework;
  3. TASP scores of: 240 in Reading; 230 in Writing; 230 in Mathematics; or 450 on Verbal; 3.5-4.0 in Writing; 511 on Quantitative; or A's and B's on college freshman English and mathematics or equivalent coursework;
  4. A minimum of 24 hours of coursework in a combination of subjects which shall include English, math, science, and social studies with a combined minimum GPA of 2.50;
  5. Teacher-candidates will take a critical thinking appraisal instrument;
  6. Interview successfully with an A-STEP representative;
  7. Meet all of the district's hiring requirements;
  8. Teacher-candidates who come from a country or university where English was not the language of instruction must pass the TOEFL with a score of 173 on the computer based exam or 500 on the paper based exam.
PRE-SERVICE TRAINING ACADEMY

BROWNSVILLE AREA

Oct. 27 - Human Development Theory
Oct. 28 - Age Level Characteristics
Oct. 29 - Multiple Intelligences & Special Populations
Nov. 3 - Special Education & Inclusion
Nov. 4 - Appropriate Instructional Practices & Strategies
Nov. 5 - Enhancing the Classroom Climate
Nov. 6 - Effective Classroom Management
Nov. 17 - Multiculturalism and the Diverse Learner
Nov. 18 - Language Acquisition and Language Development
Nov. 19 - The Teacher, the Law, and the Code of Ethics
Nov. 20 - Technology in the Classroom
Nov. 21 - TEKS and Lesson Planning
Nov. 25 - Bilingual Content Review for Bilingual Generalist Exam
Dec. 8 - Educational Measurement
Dec. 9 - Test Construction and Student Assessment
Dec. 10 - Addressing Student Needs and Motivating Students
Dec. 11 - PDAS and Teacher Evaluation
Dec. 15 - Effective Communication Skills

PROGRAM COSTS

A-STEP Fees:

  • Application Fee……………………......…$50.00
  • Pre-Service Training Academy Fee …....$400.00
  • *Internship Program Fee…….….….….$3,550.00

* If the candidate secures a teaching job, the Internship Program Fee may be deducted through payroll deduction on a monthly basis during the internship year over a 10-month period at the school district's discretion.

A $1,000.00 fee will be charged for the second year for interns that need an additional year of support at the employing district's request.

Upon obtaining employment, interns will submit a $50 money order payable to SBEC for their probationary certificate.  Interns will pay for their certification exams.  Intern will pay $75 to SBEC for their standard certificate, once the intern has met all program and state requirements.

The application and training fees are non-refundable.