Overview:

The Fresno Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (FCEPT) is a major collaborative partnership among several key stakeholders in grade 7-12 and higher education in the Central Valley of California. It is one of five CETP's in California. The other sites are Los Angeles, San Jose/Bay Area, Sacramento, and Long Beach. The partners joining California State University, Fresno within FCEPT are Fresno City College and the Fresno Unified School District. The goal of the project is to develop, implement, and institutionalize a comprehensive secondary science and mathematics teacher preparation and support program. FCEPT addresses many separate, but critical, elements under one project, as is the nature of any systemic program involving significant restructuring.

The primary objectives of the project are as follows:

Recruitment of committed and academically successful preservice science and math teachers into the single subject science and math credential programs. Placement of well over 60 students into classrooms as credentialed single subject science and math teachers over the course of the project. Recruitment efforts will address the need to target greater minority representation in the Central Valley science and math classrooms.

Preservice mentoring by university/college and school district faculty

Early field experiences (funded by FUSD) for preservice teachers in science and math classrooms as Teacher Aides

A five year academic program that combines pedagogy with content allowing students to take credential courses along with their content courses

Major revision and summer field testing followed by permanent implementation of many key introductory and upper division university/college science and math courses taken by preservice science and math students funded jointly by NSF and CSUF

Employ a "clinical model" of teacher preparation whereby outstanding district science and math faculty co-instruct in the science and math methods courses on campus funded by the California State University School of Education and Human Development

A comprehensive content/pedagogy-based summer institute for the professional development of inservice teachers in partnership with project preservice teachers.

An intensive mentoring program for science and math interns placed in the FUSD schools (with placement priorities provided by the FUSD)

A support program for new science and math teachers staffed by district, college, and university faculty

A program that provides hiring assurances from the FUSD

A Partnership Program that will serve as a model for National Dissemination and a program that encourages and practices convergence of resources

Such a broad-based collaboration includes significant contributions of time and resources from each collaborative partner. The intent is to greatly enhance the teacher preparation program in science and math and to establish permanent bridges between the key institutions that are stakeholders in the business of preparing and supporting excellent science and mathematics teachers for the Central Valley's middle and high school classrooms in the next millennium.

[ Home Page | Faculty and Staff | Academic Calendar | Educational Resources ]