Victoria ISD is excited to partner with the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) and US PREP in a Strategic Staffing model that will help the district further develop high-quality, “ready” teachers.
Smith STEM Academy is hosting four resident teachers for the 2022-23 school year and partnering the campus with a sponsor teacher. Shields Elementary School, a personalized learning campus, is hosting two resident teachers for the 2022-23 school year. These teachers will work closely to co-plan and co-teach for the entire 2022-23 school year.
“I am confident this innovative approach will build a pipeline of “ready” teachers, and I anticipate the program will continue to grow in future years,” said Tammy Garza, VISD Executive Director of Elementary Student Learning & Talent Development. “I’m excited to be a part of VISD’s partnership with UHV and US Prep and look forward to continued conversations and future planning.”
The role of the resident teacher is to work alongside a veteran teacher for a full school year, observing, learning, and practicing, so they are prepared and confident to step into a classroom of their own.
Resident teachers will be employed by VISD during their one-year residency. They will participate in all new teacher professional development and campus/district professional development opportunities.
The role of the sponsor teacher is to model, teach, and provide meaningful hands-on learning opportunities that will set the resident up for success. The Strategic Staffing model that was chosen allows “release time” for the sponsor teacher. The release time model relies on resident teachers providing release time so their sponsor teacher can support other classroom teachers in co-planning, co-teaching, modeling, observing, and providing feedback. Resident teachers will have weekly independent opportunities in the classroom. The campus will have sponsor teachers with job-embedded time to model, observe, and provide feedback to other teachers on the campus.
We believe by investing in this Strategic Staffing model; we will grow “ready” teacher graduates and provide additional growth opportunities for teacher leaders in our district.