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Why Join?

District Intern Program

The Oakland Practitioner Teacher Program (OPTP) is the District's Intern Credential Program specifically created for Fellows and first-year teachers who are working to close the achievement gap in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). The opportunity to make a difference in educational equity in OUSD is now as the District aims to ensure greater student achievement and quality instruction across the city. To fulfill this mission, especially in our special education classrooms, schools need teachers who hold students to the highest of standards and work relentlessly to achieve those standards. Participants in the OPTP will become teachers who are effectively raising expectations and student achievement in OUSD classrooms.

Overview

The OPTP was developed out of an expressed need by teachers and District staff to create a credentialing program aligned with the needs of Fellows and first-year teachers in high-need schools and classrooms in Oakland. The program creates an expedient credential process, is centered on hands-on training and a teacher's effectiveness in the classroom, and is grounded in the realities of teaching in an urban district.

The OPTP is based on the successful Practitioner Teacher Program model currently implemented in multiple districts in five states across the county. The Practitioner Teacher Program model has demonstrated results in

  • Preparing teachers to be effective in high-need schools,
  • Providing teachers with hands-on learning experiences and concrete resources,
  • Complementing the demands of a full-time teacher's schedule,
  • Aligning with existing district curricula and professional development, and
  • Providing a level of program rigor desired by high-achieving individuals.

Components

  • Training Institute (summer before the first year of teaching)
  • First Year of Teaching
  • Teaching for Results Seminars

Teaching for Results Seminars

At the heart of the OPTP are two Teaching for Results (TfR) Seminars. The TfR Seminars develop participants' knowledge and ability to teach subject matter while extending the emphasis on student achievement established during the pre-service summer Training Institute. Each OPTP participant enrolls in a Language and Literacy Seminar and Content Seminar. The seminars were developed specifically to help participants leverage existing knowledge into powerful classroom practice that leads to student achievement. Participants learn how to integrate content knowledge with state and national standards. This dual approach–the art of teaching, coupled with subject-specific instructional strategies–is what makes Teaching for Results different from other new teacher support training programs.

Language and Literacy (LAL) Seminar

Participants teach in culturally and linguistically diverse settings in Oakland and all, regardless of subject or setting, take on the critical role of effectively teaching literacy–-a critical component of closing the achievement gap. During LAL seminars, participants analyze key concepts, theory, and teaching strategies in K-12 literacy instruction while also focusing on how to address the needs of students who are learning English as their second language across the content areas.

Content Seminar

The Content Seminars are based around the importance of using data to drive instruction and ensure measurable student progress. Seminar participants are expected to collect, track, and use data to inform their selection of strategies in the classroom. Participants learn what effective instruction looks like in the content area they teach by gaining a thorough understanding of their content domain, and gain skills to select and use strong assessments – a central component in knowing how students are performing and closing the achievement gap.

Requirements

OPTP will recommend participants for a Preliminary California Teaching Credential contingent upon the completion of the following requirements:

  • Successful completion of two Teaching for Results Seminars
  • Successful completion of seminar work products and other assessments to demonstrate mastery of Teaching for Results
  • Successful completion of a full year of teaching
  • Payment of the OPTP tuition
  • Passage of all state-required assessments

Program Completion

Successful program completion typically takes 12-18 months. Once participants successfully complete all four program requirements, he or she will be recommended for a Preliminary California Teaching Credential.

PTP Staff

Seminar Leaders

Seminar Leaders are excellent educators with a track record of success in high-need schools. As instructional experts, Seminar Leaders are important members of the OPTP team. Seminar Leaders serve in many roles, namely instructional experts and advisors to new teachers as they continue in their first year in the classroom. Seminar Leaders routinely bring examples from their classrooms to augment Fellows' understanding of special-education-specific topics, and using language and literacy to advance student achievement. Seminar Leaders also serve as resources in helping to navigate broader district resources and policies.

Field Supervisors

The Field Supervisor is one of the key players in the new teacher's development in his or her first year in the classroom. Field Supervisors are integral to ensuring that new teachers receive ongoing feedback on their practice and can ask questions and locate resources to address specific challenges. Each Field Supervisor works with between one and three new teachers (or more, depending on individual circumstances) over the course of the school year. Field Supervisors are experienced and successful special education teachers who guide new teachers in setting and holding their students to high academic standards, developing a learning community where all students can achieve at high levels, differentiating instruction to meet student needs, effectively developing and using IEPs, and pro-actively seeking and incorporating resources to constantly improve their practice.

Enrollment

Teachers enrolled in OPTP first have to go through the application, selection and hiring process with the Oakland Teaching Fellows program. We are a state-approved private certification provider that is currently approved to certify teachers who complete OTF training or a program with a comparable selection and training model. Following the Training Institute, participants will then enroll in the OPTP by applying to the California State Department of Education for an Intern Credential and by arranging to pay OPTP tuition costs.

Tuition

Tuition for the OPTP covers expenses related to training and professionally developing participants throughout their time with the program. The program is subsidized by both the District and the State to ensure that tuition costs are low and remain competitive with other programs. The tuition typically ranges from $4,300-$6,300 depending on State and District contribution.

Contact Us

Once accepted into the Oakland Teaching Fellows program, participants will be provided with further information on the enrollment process. For questions regarding the Oakland Practitioner Teaching Program or additional information, please contact the program office at OPTP@OaklandTeachingFellows.org or (510) 879-8087.