It's a Rap

guest author: Dr. Gladys Cruz

“Grow your own” programs are an increasingly important way to retain educators, particularly during staffing shortages.

In 2022, Questar III BOCES and the School of Education at the University at Albany, SUNY, initiated a new partnership to support teaching assistants and career and technical education (CTE) professionals interested in advancing their careers or becoming certified teachers.

The Foundations of Teaching and Learning (FTL) program has been a great success for the Questar III  BOCES and staff. To date, five courses have been offered, which the BOCES has supported at no cost to staff. This fall, the first FTL cohort of 16 participants will complete their sixth and final course.

As part of the program, staff complete six college courses in two three-course series of stackable courses. The curriculum includes Introduction to Educational Psychology, Introduction to Human Exceptionality, Introduction to Curriculum and Instruction, Managing Classrooms and Behavior in the School Setting, Introduction to Assessment and Measurement, and Adolescent Literacy.

Given the impact of this program, a second cohort was supported to develop and certify teachers and teaching assistants. Questar III is grateful to the teaching assistants and CTE teachers investing their time to improve their craft and further their professional growth – a key element of the organization’s framework for success.

Listening to Voices from the Field:   a teaching assistant who became a cosmetology teacher and a trade professional working towards becoming a certified CTE teacher. Both using stackable coursework through the Questar III partnership with the University at Albany.

This program was made possible by Questar III BOCES and AATLAS, School of Education, University at Albany.