The St. Vrain Valley Schools P-TEACH program in partnership with the University of Colorado Denver was named among the top seven teacher preparation programs in the nation. On Thursday, school administrators hosted a collaborative learning event to share what makes the program unique.
P-TEACH, or the Pathways to Teaching program, was launched in SVVSD in 2019. The program is designed to introduce high school students to a career in education by offering concurrent enrollment courses. Students have an opportunity to earn up to 43 college credits through UC Denver before leaving high school. They can also participate in paid externships through the SVVSD Community Schools program.
The program was modeled after CU Denver’s NxtGEN program that “develops undergraduates into highly competent teachers who possess the knowledge and skills needed to serve students of diverse languages, cultures and abilities in urban and rural classrooms,” according to a news release from SVVSD.
Through a grant with CU Denver, SVVSD was able to create a similar teacher training program that was adapted for high school students, said Nicole Rudman, P-TEACH apprentice coordinator and instructor at SVVSD.
So far 272 high school students have completed 505 classes and earned 1,515 college credits through the program, according to Dana Curton, P-TEACH coordinator. Fifty-one graduates are currently enrolled in teacher preparation programs in Colorado.
“The other piece that is really unique, in the high school end, is their ability to internships and field experience. We really encourage students to do that as much as possible so they can try different grades, different areas, to see what it is they like and try out the profession,” Rudman said.
Currently, 19 students are enrolled in the apprenticeship program where they work as paraeducators and attend classes at Front Range Community College and CU Denver. The program allows students to gain more experience in classrooms. According to Curton, by the time students from the apprenticeship program reach their sophomore year in college they have more time in the classroom than most teacher preparation programs require.
The program was recognized by the EdPrepLab which “is an initiative to strengthen educator preparation in the United States by building the collaborative capacity of preparation programs, school districts, and state policymakers,” according to the news release.
Representatives from EdPrepLab and CU Denver gathered at Timberline K-8 and the Innovation Center on Thursday to learn about the P-TEACH program. They were taken on a guided tour through several classrooms where apprentices were working with students. Later in the day, guests traveled to the Innovation Center to hear from students, learn about building and sustaining partnerships, and co-constructing curriculum and pathways with a CU Denver panel.
"This recognition from EdPrepLab validates the impactful work we're achieving through our partnership with CU Denver and NxtGEN," Rudman said. "Our goal now is to share this success with other communities, empowering them to adopt and personalize our teacher prep model to address their unique needs and add value to their communities."
