Elementary, Special Education, and Secondary (Business, English, Math, Science, Social Studies)

VISION & MISSION STATEMENT:

We astonish our customers by challenging the limits of tradition and creating new opportunities.  Rio Salado provides an online/hybrid format to support student’s busy life styles as they juggle work, family, and school. 

PROGRAM GOALS:

The Education Department/Program, within its diverse community, creates a climate of high expectations and outcomes, prepares competent, quality teachers for success, and provides accessible opportunities for a life of learning through:

• Customized unique programs and partnerships
• Accelerated formats and distance delivery.

Rio Salado College offers a Teacher Education program that can lead to a bachelor’s degree in elementary, secondary, and special education from a university. Rio has established a collaborative educational partnership with Northcentral University (NCU) to offer Rio's undergraduate teacher education students several degree pathways leading to a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree.

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The program outcomes are tied directly to the Arizona Professional Teacher Standards and the Interstate New Teacher Support and Assessment Consortium (INTASC) standards. They are:

ARIZONA PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS:

The Teacher:

• Designs and plans instruction that develops students' abilities to meet Arizona's academic standards and the district's assessment plan.
• Creates and maintains a learning climate that supports the development of students' abilities to meet Arizona's academic standards.
• Implements and manages instruction that develops student's abilities to meet Arizona's academic standards.
• Assesses learning and communicates results to students, parents and other professionals with respect to students' abilities to meet Arizona's academic standards.
• Collaborates with colleagues, parents, the community and other agencies to design, implement, and support learning programs that develop students' abilities to meet Arizona's academic standards and to transition from school to work or post-secondary education.
• Reviews and evaluates his or her overall performance and implements a professional development plan. Has general academic knowledge as demonstrated by the attainment of a bachelor's degree. The teacher also has specific academic knowledge and performance to meet Arizona academic standards.
• Demonstrates current professional knowledge sufficient to effectively design and plan instruction, implement and manage instruction, create and maintain an appropriate learning environment, and assess student learning.

INTERSTATE NEW TEACHER SUPPORT ASSESSMENT CONSORTIUM (INTASC) STANDARDS

The Teacher:

• Understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
• Understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.
• Understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners. Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking skill, problem solving, and performance skills.
• Uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction in the classroom.
• Uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaborations, and supportive interaction in the classroom. Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
• Understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner. Is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions of others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
• Fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the large community to support students' learning and well-being.

The Teacher Education Department embraces performance assessment as a comprehensive system through which students demonstrate their proficiencies in subject, professional, and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions, including their abilities to have positive effects on student learning. This is done via online signature assignments, site-based Practicum and Student Teaching placements. The majority of courses require a signature assignment that allows students to demonstrate competency in meeting the Arizona Professional Teaching Standards. Practicum placements are completed simultaneously with coursework. Students complete a predetermined number of observation, tutoring, and teaching hours within mentor teacher classrooms while assisting the mentor teacher as needed with classroom activities. The student reflects on the classroom experiences and verifies completion of requirements via Observation Forms, Practicum Verification forms, and Teacher Evaluations. The mentor teacher provides direct feedback regarding the experience and determines pass/fail grade for the student following specific standardized criteria. Students complete 120-160 hours of practicum experiences prior to entering the formal student teaching experience. Practicum results demonstrate that 100% of students successfully pass. Student teaching is the capstone experience. All program course work, internal and external examinations/tests and practicums must be successfully completed to qualify. Students are required to finish a minimum of nine (9) weeks in the classroom of a Certified Cooperating Teacher and under the direction of a College Supervisor. Students must receive passing scores on all components to successfully complete the student teaching experience. Student teaching outcomes demonstrate that 100% of students successfully pass.

After completing Rio’s Teacher Preparation Program students take the AEPA Professional Knowledge Exam (pedagogy). This is a new program and the only students who have taken the AEPA Professional Knowledge are students in the Elementary program.