|
Home  About Us Memberships News FAQ Links Events
About TEACHINGpoint
District administrators, principals and teachers are under amplified pressure to improve student achievement scores on standardized tests. Almost 7000 schools in the United States have been given failing grades by their state Departments of Education. In the meantime, the existing shortage of qualified teachers is so obstinate that some school districts are waiving the established teaching certification requirements.
According to the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, more than 450,000 middle and high school teachers in the United States are either new to the career, have a general education degree (rather than a subject-specific academic major or minor) or are assigned to teach a subject out-of-field (a subject in which the instructor has neither a college major or minor). The following table shows the percentage of public school students taught by grade level by certified teachers with no college major in that subject area:
| Subject |
Middle School % |
High School % |
| English |
58.3 |
29.8 |
| Foreign Language |
60.7 |
47.6 |
| Mathematics |
68.5 |
31.4 |
| Science |
57.2 |
27.3 |
| Biology/Life Science |
64.2 |
44.7 |
| Physical Science |
93.2 |
63.1 |
| Chemistry |
- |
61.1 |
| Earth Science |
- |
78.6 |
| Physics |
- |
66.5 |
| Social Science |
51.2 |
27.9 |
| History |
71.0 |
62.5 |
| ESL/Bilingual |
72.9 |
70.8 |
| Arts and Music |
15.0 |
19.6 |
| Physical Education |
18.9 |
19.1 |
These teachers need materials that are designed to meet their unique challenges. TEACHINGpoint was established to develop comprehensive teacher preparation and instructional support materials written by expert teachers who understand the needs of novice teachers, teachers with new assignments and teachers facing out-of-field assignments — the Expert Systems for Teachers™ Series. Grounded in research-based best practices, the expanding line of TEACHINGpoint materials is already being used in more than 1,000 schools in the United States.
TEACHINGpoint course materials are practical and accessible, with features designed to support out-of-field, new and overworked teachers including: Detailed pacing guide in an easy-to-use format to ensure coverage of standards and reduce classroom prep.
Daily lesson plans with point-of-use teaching strategies and classroom management tips.
Daily content summaries for teachers needing background knowledge
Class notes in color PowerPoint or PDF files that support each lecture
Complete assessments including quizzes, performance assessments and end-of-course exams.
Graduate courses online: As soon as grant funding is secured, Teaching Point will introduce its graduate level distance learning course series in collaboration with a Pennslyvania University and eventually, other universities in other states and countries. The series will offer teachers convenient access to on-line coursework to support content knowledge and content-specific instructional skills and the opportunity to earn credit toward re-certification and HOUSSE certification in subject-specific areas. These professional development courses may be funded through districts allocations from Title I and Title IIA (Improving Teacher Quality State Grants).
TEACHINGpoint course materials are being used in public schools, charter schools and home schools globally, in many countries of North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Plans are under way to translate materials into other languages. |
