CLU to offer online clear credential program

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Jan. 11, 2010) California Lutheran University is developing a program for new teachers to earn their clear credentials online with funding from a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

With the budget crisis causing many California school districts to cut support programs for beginning teachers, the new online program will provide a convenient alternative. Since the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education has approved CLU's School of Education, teachers throughout the country can also earn credentials through the online program.

The program will include an innovative online mentoring component, with CLU faculty and alumni providing timely, individual advice and assistance to beginning teachers. It will also include online resources such as classroom management tips, lesson planning and standards-based content information.

Under the direction of Assistant Dean Deborah Erickson, the School of Education is designing the program to address the needs of Latino teachers and kindergarten through 12th grade students. CLU will work with Ocean View School District in Oxnard and possibly other districts with large Spanish-speaking populations.

By some estimates, more than one-third of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years. Many states made a major investment in the mentoring and support of new teachers during the last decade to address this problem. California began requiring that all first- and second-year public school teachers participate in the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program to earn their clear credentials. When the budget crisis hit, school districts were allowed to divert the funding allocated for the BTSA program to pay for other expenses.

More beginning teachers will now need to earn clear credentials through a fifth year of study at a university. The number of universities offering such a program dropped dramatically when all public school teachers had to complete a BTSA program. Only two universities in the state offer an all-online program.

Representatives from Las Virgenes Unified, Conejo Valley Unified and Ocean View school districts are helping to design the courses. The program will begin in fall.

Only 30 colleges received a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Grant for Graduate Programs at Institutions of Higher Education Serving Hispanic Americans. CLU was one of two receiving the highest award amount. The two-year grant covers 76 percent of the cost. CLU will cover the remaining $93,000 with in-kind contributions.

For more information, contact the School of Education at (805) 493-3422.