Question
and AnswerAre Project Pipeline interns serving as substitute teachers in the classroom?
When does Project Pipeline start?
Where are Project Pipeline classes held?
Is a credential earned through Project Pipeline the same as a credential earned through a university?
Is Project Pipeline affiliated with a university?
Who teaches the courses?
Will I receive an official transcript?
Does Project Pipeline accept units from other teacher preparation programs?
Do I need a job to participate in Project Pipeline?
Does Project Pipeline find a job for me?
How do I pay for tuition?
What is the average salary for a district intern?
Will I receive support when teaching as a district intern?
Does the T.E.A.C.H. Program include English Learner certification?
Do I have to pass the CBEST and subject matter competency tests to enter the district intern program?
How do I prepare for the CBEST and subject examinations?
A District Intern Program is an alternative route to teacher certification. Due to California's teacher shortage, Project Pipeline developed the T.E.A.C.H. program to assist Northern California school districts in recruiting, preparing and retaining qualified teachers.
No. Project Pipeline interns are serving as the official teacher of record for their classrooms. California's goal is not to fill classroom positions with warm bodies. Rather, the goal is to fill teacher positions with credentialed applicants first, then fill remaining positions with qualified teacher interns who are devoted and contractually committed to earning their credential within a specific timeframe, through proof of enrollment in an intern teacher credential program. Interns who qualify to teach on an Intern Credential fill vacant teaching positions only after the recruitment and placement of credentialed teachers have been fully exhausted. The interns must have a bachelor degree, CBEST, U.S. Constitution requirement met and proof of subject matter competency to qualify to teach on an Intern Credential. In addition, the intern must complete their credential within a specified timeframe to remain in the classroom as the teacher of record. Should an intern stop attending their credential courses or not meet their credential program requirements within the specified timeframe, the intern will lose their teaching position. Substitute teachers are not required to meet these rigorous standards and, theoretically, are only employed to fill a classroom position when the teacher of record is temporarily absent.
Project Pipeline T.E.A.C.H. begins in Summer with the Pre-service program. The enrolled participant must complete 160 hours of pre-service survival courses before applying for the intern credential from CCTC.
Project Pipeline has learning centers in Alameda, Concord and Sacramento:
ALAMEDA
Project Pipeline Learning Center
General Education Credential Program only
500 Pacific Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
Phone (510) 522-4109
Fax (510) 522-4121
CONTRA COSTA
Project Pipeline Learning Center
General and Special Education Credential Programs
2600 Stanwell Drive, Suite 101
Concord, CA 94520
Phone (925) 969-9701
Fax (925) 969-9704
SACRAMENTO
Main Office and Learning Center
General and Special Education Credential Programs
Project Pipeline Sacramento
2035 Hurley Way, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95825
EARNED THROUGH A UNIVERSITY?
YES. Project Pipeline is accredited and authorized by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTCC). When a Project Pipeline intern successfully completes the T.E.A.C.H. program, the intern will be awarded a teaching credential from the CCTC. The credential awarded is the same credential earned by teachers who complete a traditional university teacher preparation program. A teaching credential issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is accepted in all public schools systems in the State of California and U.S. states that accept California teaching credentials.
NO. Project Pipeline is an independent nonprofit organization that is supported and authorized for teacher credential training by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Project Pipeline offers courses that are relevant to today's classroom, taught by well-regarded professors and practitioners active in the field of education. The instructors are experienced educators from school districts, universities and the California Department of Education.
YES. Project Pipeline maintains all intern records. Interns are provided a transcript at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. For additional transcripts, you must fill out the transcript request form and submit the appropriate fee to process your request.
NO. But, if you have taken a child development course, you may be permitted to waive that course in Pre-service by talking to the program director.
YES. To enroll in Project Pipeline, you need to secure a full-time teaching contract with a participating school district, teaching 70% of your class time in the subject area in which you want to earn your credential.
Project Pipeline offers job interviews at the Teacher Recruitment Interview Fair for applicants who have been pre-screened and approved to enter our credential program contingent upon receiving a full-time teacher contract (teaching 70% of the class time, in the subject matter that you want to earn your credential, with a participating school district). Many of the interns participating in Project Pipeline receive their teacher job contracts as a result of attending the Teacher Recruitment Interview Fair for job interviews and following up with interested school districts after the event. Please note that job placement is not guaranteed as hiring decisions are made solely by the participating school districts. Approved applicants who have already secured a full-time teaching contract on their own do not need to attend the fair.
As a Project Pipeline intern, you will have a full-time teaching assignment, earning a full-time salary. Most participating school districts have a payment plan where monthly payroll deductions can be made to pay for your tuition. After 20 (30 for Special Education) equal monthly payments, your tuition is paid in full without having to qualify for a loan or incur any interest.
The average first year annual salary in Alameda County is $36,000. The average first year annual salary in Contra Costa County is $34,000. The average first year annual salary in Sacramento County is $30,000. Each school district's salary scale and rate varies.
YES. A very important characteristic of Project Pipeline is the quality of support offered to our interns. Each intern will have a mentor teacher called a Support Provider, assigned by the school district, whose role is to develop a sustained mentoring relationship with the intern throughout the two to three year training period. In addition, supervisors from Project Pipeline will visit the intern's classroom eight times a year to assess his/her teaching performance. The Supervisor's assessment will constructively evaluate the intern's impact on student learning and the intern's application of teaching methodologies covered in the credential courses. Finally, all district interns will remain in classes with the same cohort, or group of interns, from Pre-service to the end of the two-year or three-year program (peer support).
YES. Project Pipeline has complied with the California accreditation requirements for SB 2042 and AB 1059 to offer General and Special Education credentials with English Learner Certification embedded, which includes required credential course curriculum on new teacher training of strategies for successfully teaching English Language Learners.
| Important Notice: In January 2003, the California Commission
on Teacher Credentialing implemented a new teacher credential
examination program to replace the current SSAT and Praxis II (including
MSAT) tests. The new examinations, called the California Subject Examinations
for Teachers (CSET), will be offered in all subject matter areas and
will be phased in over the next several years. Beginning January 2003,
the CSET is available in the following areas:
Multiple Subjects, English, Mathematics, Sciences, Social Science. For more information please visit CSET/SSAT website www.cset.nesinc.com. |
CBEST: YES. A passing score on the CBEST exam is required for all teachers prior to entering a California classroom thus applying to intern program. To register for CBEST: please call (916) 928-4001 or visit their website at www.cbest.nesinc.com.
CSET/MSAT (MULTIPLE SUBJECT): YES. For multiple subject (Special Education only) candidates, the MSAT/CSET is required if the applicant does not have verification* (waiver letter) of completing an approved liberal studies program from an accredited California university. To register for CSET: please call (916) 928-4003, or visit their website at www.cset.nesinc.com. CSET is offered in locations throughout the United States.
To have your transcripts analyzed to see if you qualify for a waiver letter from a California university, please call the School of Education at a University of California or California State University system campus. Or, call the Sacramento Project Pipeline office for a list of California university contact names and phone numbers.
CSET OR SSAT, PRAXIS (still offered in some subjects) : YES. For single subject candidates the subject test(s) is required to obtain the California teaching credential if the applicant does not have the 100% waiver letter from an accredited California university.
>> back to topFor sample CBEST test questions and test specification please refer to the registration bulletin or visit the CBEST website at www.cbest.nesinc.com.
Test guides for the CSET: Multiple Subjects examinations and the CSET: Single Subject examinations in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science are available on the CSET/SSAT website at www.cset.nesinc.com. You may view or download these guides free of charge. CSET test guides are available only in electronic form via the CSET/SSAT website.
Test guides for other examinations within the CSET program will be available on the CSET/SSAT website prior to the initial administration of each new examination.