Texas Border Business
By Amanda L. Alaniz
Rio Grande Valley, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Student Teacher Education Preparation University Partnership (STEP UP) program is fulfilling its goal of expanding and assisting future teachers in the Valley.
Beginning fall 2018, STEP UP will commence two newly formed partnerships with McAllen ISD and Los Fresnos CISD.
UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration and McAllen ISD leaders began the discussion of bringing the model to the district back in fall 2017. Dr. Steve Chamberlain, STEP UP coordinator, and professor of special education in the UTRGV Department of Human Development and School Services helped spearhead the partnership with Los Fresnos CISD.
A total of 33 teacher candidates will be placed in elementary, middle and high school classrooms for the 2018 – 2019 school year, and will work with experienced cooperating teachers from the partnering school districts.
The STEP UP program was designed in 2015 – 2016 in collaboration with Harlingen CISD and started with 10 teacher candidates. One of the expectations of the program was to carry over the model to other districts.
Under the university-teacher preparation program, teacher candidates would be assigned to work with a specific teacher for the full school year and have the opportunity to learn and adapt to a school culture.
The students selected to be in STEP UP must have a 3.0-grade point average and go through a rigorous interview process.
Dr. Criselda Garcia, associate dean for Initial Preparation Programs and Academic Affairs in the UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration, said the goal for STEP UP is to continue to expand the program with other district partners and replicate the original model.
“We want to show the districts that a lot of programs are preparing teachers, but we’re preparing the best,” Garcia said.
For more information about the STEP UP program, contact Garcia in the College of Education and P-16 Integration at (956) 665 – 3627 or criselda.garcia@utrgv.edu, or Dr. Steve Chamberlain in Human Development and School Services at (956) 882 – 7675 or steve.chamberlain@utrgv.edu.
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