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2011 American Somoa Grantee Abstract

Grantee Name:American Samoa Community College
Project Name:American Samoa Transition to Teaching B.Ed. Program
Project Director:Lina Scanlan 684-699-9155
Partner Districts/LEAs:The American Samoa Department of Education SEA/LEA

PROJECT ABSTRACT

American Samoa Transition to Teaching B.Ed. will transform American Samoa’s (AS) currently over-burdened and under-resourced pre-Baccalaureate teacher preparation system into a model framework that produces 250 highly qualified and/or Praxis-certified educators over the 5-year project and creates a sustainable on-island pipeline for Baccalaureate achievement among new/prospective teachers.

Project Significance and Impact: By 2016, more than 25% of the Territory’s total teaching force will achieve qualified educator status, and sweeping curriculum enhancements will provide technology and literacy teaching strategies that aggressively move teachers toward Praxis certification and Bachelor’s degree achievement. NEED: This Pacific Island community college setting serves an almost exclusively minority population of which 90% of students served by teachers are English language limited. 100% of American Samoa’s education system is classified as a high need area, with close to 60% of the 800 current teachers in USDOE (480) categorized as under-qualified. Skill and academic upgrade is most needed in early childhood and elementary education, where more than half of the teachers have an Associate’s degree or less. Existing teacher preparation efforts need substantive technology and literacy teaching components; upgraded rigor in the clinical experience, and focus on preparing teachers for Praxis certification.

Program Design: American Samoa Transition to Teaching B.Ed. Program will create an academic and practical experience and degree program that significantly expands and enhances current college offerings. It will capitalize on the success of ASCC’s developing B.Ed. program and integrate elements from the current USDOE-funded GEAR UP American Samoa project for:

  1. Its effective web-driven technology teaching approach and computer laboratory;
  2. Existing MOA-driven partnerships with key entities and organizations involved in educational preparation; and
  3. Outcomes-based academic program designed to respect indigenous culture and language and meet local needs.

Outcomes and Evaluation:100 teachers will achieve an Associate’s (AA) degree; 250 will complete the B.Ed. program and local certification. Rigorous evaluation, GPRA performance measures, and monitoring of student achievement data will be conducted throughout the program to provide formative and summative evaluations, allowing for data-driven program development and implementation.


 
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Last Modified: 10/03/2011