CSU Fullerton, Fullerton School District, and La Habra Unified School District

Through the North Orange County Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Program, hundreds of new teachers in Fullerton and La Habra school districts have received multifaceted support during their first two years of classroom teaching. They work closely with an experienced teacher, or “support provider,” to enrich their practice. Support providers typically teach at the new teachers’ sites or have curricular expertise that matches the new teachers’ responsibilities. The BTSA program aligns with district goals to provide professional development opportunities for new teacher participants and support providers alike. Through BTSA, new teachers also undergo rigorous formative assessment, examining their teaching by studying many sources of evidence collected under the guidance of their support providers. Formative assessment encourages teachers to enhance student learning by improving instructional skills and reflective practices.

The North Orange County BTSA program is a true partnership. One of the original 15 BTSA programs approved in the early 1990s, the program was first designed by a team comprised of California State University, Fullerton faculty members and a leader from each school district. For more than a decade, North Orange County BTSA has been governed by a team with this same collaborative constituency. The leadership team continues to administer, govern, and evaluate the program—from its design to its daily operations. Recently, the leadership team was successful in restructuring the program to win state approval for North Orange County BTSA as an induction program that allows participants to earn their professional teaching credential. The program is currently providing induction for all of the participating districts’ eligible beginning teachers.

The deep and unique contribution of CSU Fullerton to the partnership was recently recognized when project director Ruth Yopp-Edwards and program associate Andrea Guillaume were awarded Leadership Awards for their decade of service to the BTSA community. They were the only university faculty in the state to receive this award.