Teacher Trainees & Other Professionals

Who We Train
We train teachers and their classroom assistants, counselors, speech/language pathologists and their assistants, and other direct service personnel how to implement research-validated teaching methods in special education and regular education schools.  We have been conducting successful training for over twenty-five years.   Recently, we also have provided supervision and support for professionals who have become Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA).

Teacher Interns and Student Teachers
We have ongoing relationships with several universities in the San Diego area for the purpose of providing student teacher experiences and teacher internships. Our relationships provide a seamless transition between didactic course work and real-world practice. Several of our staff members are adjunct faculty members in education at San Diego State University. One of them, Dr. Suzanne Fitch, was honored as “Most Influential Faculty Member” for the 2008-2009 academic year by San Diego State University’s Department of Special Education.

Credentialed Teachers who want more training
Currently credentialed teachers who desire to augment their skills may obtain advanced training in our schools. TIEE’s special education schools operate on a 210-day, traditional calendar. This affords teachers, who work on a 180-day calendar, the opportunity to obtain up to 30 days of “hands-on” training each year. Teachers, who work at schools that operate on other than traditional calendars, should inquire whether their time away from their own classrooms may be spent obtaining additional training in our schools.

What we expect of you as a Teacher Trainee
Unless you are fully credentialed in California, we expect that you will have met the qualifications of your college or university for a Teacher Intern or Student Teacher position and that you are eager to be the best teacher you can be. You must also be a U.S. citizen or have the proper U.S. Department of Immigration status, pass the standard fingerprint clearance, and meet our qualifications for joining our staff. You need not actually join our staff. You may prefer to serve as a volunteer. In any case, you will be expected to commit to the time and training requirements we expect of all of our staff members.

What we will provide you
We provide didactic training during which principal rules, concepts, and vocabulary are introduced; we model how to do the teaching methods being taught, most often relying on video modeling, until critical features of the methods are easily detected; and then we provide many, many practice opportunities during which critical feedback is provided by supervisors, who are highly skilled in the methods, are non-threatening, and are very personable people. They will provide you with frequent, friendly feedback that will help you to know what you are doing well and what you need to continue practicing. In other words, we provide meaningful, “how to” training that can be used right away. You will not be left on your own to figure out what is expected of you or what to do. You will be treated as a member of our staff, whether or not you are actually employed by TIEE, meaning that you will be invited to all staff functions, including all trainings relevant to your position.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
BCBA and Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst (BCABA) certifications that are awarded by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board are contingent on completing certain educational requirements, a supervised practicum, and passing an examination. TIEE assists its own personnel in obtaining the requisite coursework, provides the supervised practicum, and assists in preparing for the examination. Several of our senior staff members qualify to provide supervision and we have more staff members who will soon be qualified. Individuals who obtain the requisite BCBA/BCABA experience in TIEE’s schools will have developed and implemented Behavior Intervention Plans based on Functional Analyses for some of San Diego’s kids with the most challenging special needs.

Other professionals
The Institute for Effective Education also provides quality supervision and training for a limited number of individuals in the following professional areas in accordance with the requirements of each profession.

• Pupil Personnel Services Counselor: Fieldwork experiences
• Marriage & Family Therapist: Fieldwork experiences, Internships
• Speech & Language Therapist: Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY), Therapy & CA license requirements (RPE)
• Speech & Language Assistant: Practicum, Internships
• Occupational Therapist: Fieldwork experiences, Internships
• Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA): Fieldwork experiences, Internships