Region XIII Education Service Center

Region XIII ESC provides information, support, and training to districts, schools, and campus staff in Central Texas. As part of their services Region XIII provides alternative teaching certification training to mid-career professionals and others wishing to enter the field of teaching through its nationally recognized Educator Certification Program (ECP).

The Transition to Teaching (TTT) program is a multi-year ECP program designed to train professionals in the fields of math and science to become teachers in high needs high schools. The program provides pedagogical training in 21st Century teaching skills and ongoing support to the professionals during the initial years of the program. Training and support provided include coursework in math and science pedagogy; specialized training in project based learning (PBL); the support of mentor and TTT program staff; and additional professional learning activities during the first year of the program.

To provide ongoing information regarding program improvement, Shore developed an evaluation that focused on the early identification of factors critical to program success and barriers to achieving performance goals. Our plan includes the ongoing analysis and reporting of data so that program staff can continuously improve outcomes with an eye towards using these evaluation tools across other Region XIII ECP programs. Early findings have been used to maximize recruitment of high quality candidates with attention to ROI (return on Investments). Shore evaluation tools developed for the TTT program will be used in ECP programs in coming years.