Carson City School District kindergarten teacher Heather Canfield assists on a puzzle with one of her students.
In partnership with iteachNEVADA, a national licensing provider, the Carson City School District has created a “Grow Your Own” educator preparation program designed to help the school district hire more certified teachers amid continued teacher shortages. In short, the program will fast-track individuals who have a bachelor’s degree to obtain a teaching license outside traditional pathways.
The alternative route to licensure partnership will give Carson City School District full control of the teacher candidate recruitment process, while iteach will provide free test preparation and assume creation, maintenance and assessment of all coursework and educator platforms. The new program also will offer rigorous educator preparation without the semester-to-semester time restrictions and cost associated with a traditional brick-and-mortar university.
The school district will début the program with an iteachNEVADA onboarding event in the district office’s boardroom at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Teacher hopefuls are encouraged to bring their laptops to the meeting as they will be assisted through the application process. Additionally, two $100 Amazon gift cards will be awarded at random to those who attend the onboarding event.
To further support teachers, the district has agreed to give a full reimbursement of iteach tuition to any candidate hired by the district that completes the program while working as a contracted teacher in the district. Additional requirements apply.
“We are looking to members of our local community who have earned college degrees and have considered becoming a teacher but may have been discouraged by the cumbersome licensure process,” said Carson City School District Superintendent Andrew Feuling. “Goal 1 of our district’s strategic plan, ‘Empower Carson City 2027,’ is to recruit and retain exceptional personnel. This program will help us do just that.”
While iteachNEVADA candidates might already hold post-bachelor’s degrees, for many, they are new to the classroom. To support these teachers in their first year, EPP candidates are assigned a one-on-one supervisor for their field experience to provide mentorship, guidance and perform formal observations. These supervisors work in tandem with schools and principals to ensure growth and coaching. As an iteach “Grow Your Own” partner, Carson City School District has elected to use former Carson City principals familiar with the district’s vision and goals to lead these new recruits.
"The most significant opportunity to address teacher shortages is investing in those who already know the school community and the students,” said Andrew Rozell MBA, president of iteach. “To this end, establishing a ‘Grow Your Own’ program with iteach provides an effective solution to provide students with highly effective teachers already familiar to the students and schools without sacrificing the cost and resources it takes to establish and maintain a district-wide educator prep program.”
iteachNEVADA is a national licensing provider accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) since 2009. CAEP accreditation is supported by evidence-based measures and excellence in both instruction and curriculum. IteachNEVADA is also a one-stop shop for candidates, providing all the courses needed to earn a standard license in Nevada.
iteachNEVADA was approved by the Nevada Department of Education in 2018 and since has joined forces with an enterprise that supports the complete lifecycle of the educator journey from test preparation, initial certification and licensure to coaching, professional development, additional endorsements and career advancement. This enterprise includes the American College of Education, which rewards every iteachNEVADA completer with 12 hours toward one of its master’s degree pathways.
Register for the event at https://www.iteach.net/iteach-nevada-carson-city-live-event-registration/. For more information about the Carson City School District iteachNEVADA “Grow Your Own” program, attend the onboarding meeting at 3:30 p.m. Monday or contact human resources at 775-283-2130.