WVUSD Recognizes Beginning Teachers Who Earned Credentials

Courtesy of the Walnut Valley Unified School District

The Walnut Valley BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) Consortium hosted its 14th annual Colloquium on May 16 at the Royal Vista Golf Course. 

“Thank you all for being here to honor the teachers who have worked so long and hard to complete their Induction program,” said BTSA Coordinator Julie Sheldon. 

The year-end event celebrated teachers who completed Induction requirements and earned their clear credential. 

“This year’s Colloquium is particularly noteworthy because the group of Inductees included Special Education teachers for the first time who participated in BTSA for their credential,” Sheldon said at the event. 

Walnut Valley is one of very few BTSA program currently approved to clear Ed. Specialist credentials. This year’s group of 60 completing Induction Candidates included 15 Special Education Teachers. 

BTSA teachers and their Support Providers, many district and site administrators were in attendance, including Dr. Dean Conklin, WVUSD Superintendent, Laurie Bacchus, Chief Academic Officer of Whittier City SD, Cecilia Laidemitt, Assistant Superintendent Of Administrative Services, and Elizabeth Eminhizer, Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Covina Valley USD. 

These and many other administrators attended the Colloquium to support their new teachers and to view the presentations each Induction Candidate created to feature the professional development and student achievement that resulted from their BTSA experience. 

The Walnut Valley BTSA Consortium is comprised of seven districts: Walnut Valley, Covina Valley, East Whittier, South Whittier, Whittier City, Los Nietos and Lowell Joint. In addition, the Consortium partners with several local private and charter school to serve their new teachers as well. During each new teacher’s two-year Induction program they are matched with a trained mentor, called a Support Provider, to engage in Inquiry based effective teaching practices. 

New teachers meet weekly with their Support Providers, and also engage in regular professional development and collaboration with other new teachers in similar assignments across the seven districts. The Walnut Valley BTSA program is extremely proud to be an integral part of each of our partner districts’ efforts to continually improve the quality of education for every student.
“I want to commend the people who are the key to this programs’ success. I believe that Support Providers are the unsung heroes of education,” Sheldon said. 

The impact of supporting just one new teacher is far reaching. “Support Providers make a huge impact for students,” Sheldon said. 

“If a veteran teacher supports an elementary school teacher, then over that teacher’s 30-year career, he or she has helped provide almost 1,000 students with an excellent, effective teacher.  If that Support Provider is at the secondary level, then that number grows to more than 5,000 students. And if they support several new teachers over the course of their career, that number grows exponentially,” she said. 

Teachers that have been involved in BTSA report that it has also impacted their own teaching practice. 

“Every Support Provider said that they have become more knowledgeable and reflective in their own teaching. Their generosity of spirit, time, and expertise has a very long lasting impact for new teachers, colleagues, school cultures, and most importantly for students, and I am in awe of them every single day,” Sheldon said.