ARC program components

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Dispositions for Teaching

ARC candidates are assessed on disposition. They take this attribute seriously. Connecticut schools hold teachers, and therefore pre-services ones, to high standards. Candidates are expected to act as professionals towards administrators, parents, ARC colleagues, and the community. Failure to do so results in program dismissal.

ARC expects that candidates:

  1. Demonstrate a lifelong commitment and passion to teach and learn
  2. Care about, motivate, and engage others to create positive classes and education
  3. Value and respect diverse learning and cultures of candidates and families to foster positive learning, high expectations, and hard work
  4. Apply deep content knowledge to planning, instruction, and assessment
  5. Understand and demonstrate professional, ethical, and responsible behavior at all times with candidates, families, colleagues, school administration, the community, and the ARC Program, to follow the Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers

Regulations for Connecticut educators

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Teacher standards and requirements

Institutions and schools of education make sure that teacher candidates meet the following competencies when admitting, preparing and recommending for certification:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers;
  • Demonstrate current Connecticut licensure competencies as defined in Sections 10-145d-400 through 10-145d-619, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, the Common Core of Teaching, and the Connecticut Content Specific Standards for Teachers; and
  • Have the qualities of character and personal fitness for teaching.

CT Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers

Teacher sitting on the floor with preK students

Teacher ethics and conduct

“The teaching profession is vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the highest ideals of professionalism. Therefore, the teacher accepts both the public trust and the responsibilities to practice the profession according to the highest possible degree of ethical conduct and standards. Such responsibilities include the commitment to the candidates, the teaching profession, and the community.”

- Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers

Read CT Code of Professional Responsibility (PDF)  

Program overview

Teachers sitting at a table collaborating

About the program

ARC’s hybrid model consists of the following:

  • Foundations of Teaching course
  • Methods course (in the content area the candidate is enrolled in)
  • Practicum during the program year
  • edTPA

Program components

  • Enrolled candidates complete a mandatory asynchronous orientation the first week of class.
  • Candidates will access ARC Teacher Candidate Handbook.
  • Handbook outlines policies, candidate expectations, Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) certification regulations, and program requirements.

Foundations of Teaching

Candidates are enrolled in a hybrid Foundations of Teaching course. It is taught by certified teaching professionals who have extensive experience in the foundations of teaching and are able to provide teacher candidates with the “why” in teaching.

The curriculum includes the history of education, learning theory, planning, learning differences, instruction, the learning environment, assessment, and law and ethics. Teacher candidates will make connections and apply new knowledge to their own content area within the Methods course. The course will include required Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the ARC Program assignments and assessments.

Methods

Candidates are enrolled in a hybrid Methods course by specific subject area. The course focuses on rigorous content pedagogy that is aligned with state and national education and content standards. Experienced subject-area teachers and administrators guide candidates in applying the themes and content from the Foundations course to their own disciplines. Methods instructors are certified K-12 educators with proven success in classroom teaching. Many also have experience hiring and supervising teachers, making them invaluable resources for ARC candidates as they transition into the classroom after completing their intensive teacher preparation training. The course will include required assignments, microteaching lessons, lesson and unit planning, reflections, and assessments.

ARC candidates will complete two (2) school days or the equivalent of 14 hours of classroom observation with accompanying reflection assignments. One (1) school day or 7 hours must be in an Urban Alliance school district and one (1) school day or 7 hours must be in a suburban or rural school district. The candidate will arrange
observations with local school districts following district procedures.

The practicum is the clinical component of the ARC Program. This experience helps candidates develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions needed to positively impact the learning and development of diverse students (CAEP Standard 2). During the practicum, candidates practice and are evaluated on their teaching skills within a Connecticut public school district for 40 consecutive school days.

  • All ARC teacher candidates must complete their practicum on a full-time basis for 40 consecutive school days during the program year in which they are enrolled.
  • Practicum begins in late winter and the dates provided on the program year calendar.
  • Candidates are required to teach and take on the full responsibilities of the classroom teacher including (but not limited to) lesson planning, communication with students, staff, parents, administration, and grading.
  • During the candidate practicum, a trained cooperating teacher from the school district and an ARC evaluator will evaluate and support the candidate.
  • All candidates must complete the district's fingerprinting and background check.
  • A traditional teacher candidate practicum placement will be arranged with a Connecticut public school, based on district availability of a TEAM-trained cooperating teacher, and is an unpaid experience.
  • ARC candidates hired by a school district under a durational shortage area permit (DSAP) issued by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) or long-term substitute (LTS) teacher (40-consecutive school days or more) may complete the requirements of practicum under their approved DSAP/LTS position. The obtained position can only be approved if the position is full-time, during the dates of practicum, in a Connecticut public school, and in the certification area for which the candidate is enrolled in the ARC Program. Candidates in an approved DSAP/LTS role are still required to successfully complete all practicum requirements and assessments to successfully pass the practicum component. The district is required to assign a TEAM-trained mentor to serve as a cooperating teacher during the 40-consecutive day practicum.
  • Passing Praxis or ACTFL scores must be obtained before a Durational Shortage Area Permit (DSAP) will be approved.
  • Candidates must successfully complete coursework assessments to proceed with the arranged practicum placement.

edTPA is a teacher assessment requirement administered by Pearson Publishing. All ARC candidates are required to register, pay for, and complete edTPA during the practicum period. edTPA focuses on student learning and best instructional practices. Completing edTPA is the responsibility of the candidate. Collaboration or assistance on edTPA commentary drafts prior to submission is not allowed. ARC candidates will attend the scheduled edTPA support seminars with the edTPA support specialist.

Learn about edTPA

The CT State Department of Education (CSDE) requires that every candidate recommended for CT teacher certification has completed a 3.00 credit course in U.S. History. Transcript audit occurs within the admissions process. The unsatisfied CSDE U.S. History course requirement will not prevent the advancement in the admissions process or acceptance into the ARC Program if all admission requirements have been met. However, an ARC teacher candidate cannot be recommended for certification until the requirement has been satisfied.

Please review the document ARC U.S. History requirement (DOCX) for further information. To satisfy this requirement, candidates can enroll in any of the Approved Courses in U.S. History to complete the 3.00 credit course requirement. Alternatively, to meet this requirement, a candidate may take a College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam. Successful completion of a CLEP exam must be posted to an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution. Charter Oak CLEP has a test for either History of the United States I or History of the United States II, which must be passed and then run through credit registry to obtain the 3.00 credits.

Learn about the U.S. History requirement (DOCX)