Rocky Mountain Prep Fellowship Program Our Fellowship Vision:
Be a part of a new and innovative teacher prep program! Rocky Mountain Prep’s Fellowship is a yearlong teacher preparation program that provides aspiring teachers with the hands-on
experience and personalized coaching they need to become highly effective classroom
instructors. Instead of participating in a traditional, theory-based teaching program, we believe in the power of providing intensive training through firsthand classroom experience alongside a lead teacher. Our fellows become top teaching candidates by working to master the following areas:
● demonstrating strong classroom management ● creating high levels of student engagement ● effectively planning and executing daily lessons ● embodying a high level of professionalism
Fellowship Opportunities and Our Way of Measuring Success:
The Fellowship offers a pathway into becoming either a pre-kindergarten teacher or K-6 teacher. Towards the end of the fellowship year, our fellows apply for positions within our school and other schools to continue on their journey to be teachers. In order to ensure that our fellows are ready to be in the classroom, we set rigorous benchmarks of assessment, called gateways, to be completed by the end of the year. There are five gateways, and each is designed to provide a gradual release of teaching responsibility and target goals to be reached throughout the year. If the gateways are successfully completed, a fellow has the opportunity to be consider for hiring at RMP or to be recommended for hiring elsewhere.
Key Levers to Becoming a Teacher:
Our Fellowship program offers engagement in the following key levers to work towards being a teacher.
● Gain experience by working in a classroom alongside a lead teacher. Each fellow is paired with a lead teacher and classroom at the beginning of the year. During the year, pairings may change so that fellows can gain different experiences and skills across teachers and grade levels.
● Engage in a gradual release approach to learning by participating in classroom duties, supporting teaching, co-teaching in whole group or small groups, and solo teaching. Over time, fellows will take over different portions of the day and build up to full days of
instructing or substituting in the classroom.
● Learn foundational knowledge about teaching through weekly professional development sessions specifically for fellows.
● Get weekly feedback about your teaching and target specific areas to improve quickly. ● Reflect on your teaching practice through video analysis and observations of your lead
teacher and other teachers in the school.
● Gain support and insight through 1:1 coaching and observations on a weekly basis. ● Use evaluations to understand your progress through the teaching gateways and reach
ambitious outcomes. More about the Fellowship Role:
Fellows can expect to take on the following roles throughout the year long program. ● Support teaching, co-teaching, and solo teaching
● Plan and execute lessons
● Assist in student assessment and data analysis
● Supports in classroom duties (lunch, recess, materials prep, cleaning room, attendance, homework, etc.)
● Pre-Kindergarten Fellows: Our pre-kindergarten fellows are an additional support in the classroom because we require that two teachers (the lead teacher and pre-kindergarten fellow) must be in the classroom together at all times. Because these three- and
four-year-old scholars are more dependent on adults, pre-kindergarten fellows can expect to offer additional support with daily tasks to ensure scholar success.
What Our Fellows Commit To
To meet our ambitious goals, fellows can expect to work long school hours and complete work outside of the school hours. We treat the fellowship like a medical residency because we want fellows to get as much experience and preparation as possible. The time commitment includes:
● Fellow-specific professional development after school one day per week until 6 p.m. ● Whole-school professional development sessions on Fridays
● Meetings with grade level, lead teacher, and Director of Fellow Development
● Reduced-cost outside licensing requirements that can include five or more additional hours per week
● Attendance at our monthly Family Leadership Council meetings to build relationships and understanding of our students’ families
● Participation in a teaching clinic with students over one of our breaks (fall, winter, and spring) to get more development and practice
● Fellowship pay includes a salary of $20,000 (pre-tax) over 12 months and full benefits. ● Scholarships are available for up 50% of licensing costs.
Adventure Club) to earn additional money.
Typical Day in the Life of a Fellow:
Here is what you can expect in a typical day as a fellow. Arrive at School
by 7:15am
● Help prepare for the day by setting up the classroom ● Meet with lead teacher
● Prep any teaching materials
7:45am All school quick meeting to hear announcements 8:00-8:30am Assist in arrival duties and breakfast with students Morning Block ● Teach a morning routine
● Help monitor students in the classroom ● Assess 1:1 with specific students
● Teach a whole group lesson
● Lunch duty- monitor students in the cafeteria 30 min Lunch
Break
Lunch break
Afternoon Block ● Small group instruction
● Help monitor students in the classroom ● Teach a whole group lesson
● Assist with closing routines/duties 45 min Planning
Period
● Work on lesson planning or classroom prep
● Attend a Grade Level Meeting or meet with the Director of Fellow Development
4:15- After School
● Attend fellow specific professional development (1 per week) ● Attend a parent meeting or other meetings
● Prep lessons or other prep in the classroom Teaching License Opportunities
We partner with local Universities to provide our teaching fellows with an opportunity to earn a teaching license during the fellowship year. As a fellow, you will be participating in RMP’s programming in addition to working towards your teaching credentials through the University partnership. Please read below for more information about our licensing opportunities.
K-3 Teaching Fellows
Earn a K-6 Colorado Teaching License through the ASPIRE to TEACH program at the University of Colorado at Denver.
● Once you are accepted into our Fellowship program, fellows will need to pass the Praxis Elementary Exam and complete all the necessary forms through the Colorado Department of Education.
● During the year, you will take online modules and go at your own pace. The time
commitment is about five hours a week on your own time and you must attend monthly in-person sessions with CU Denver.
● Cost= $5,000 plus books and fees (if completed in 12 months).
Please Note: RMP offers limited scholarship opportunities to cover up to 50% of the licensing costs.
Pre-Kindergarten Teaching Fellows
Our PreK Teaching Fellows will work towards qualifications to be an PreK teacher, which include completion of 2 Early Childhood Education (ECE) courses through a local community college. These Fellows will also earn the needed 6 months experience (910 hours) with ECE children through our classroom experience.
If you would like to earn an ECE Endorsed Colorado Teaching License, the following opportunities are available:
1. Complete an alternative licensing program through Metro State University of Denver (MSU) to get an ECE licensure.
● This program takes two years to complete. In the first year, candidates take classes one night per week through MSU and complete a portfolio. In year two, the candidate can be working fulltime in the classroom as a teacher and would have a coach from MSU (note that the second year will be outside of our fellowship program).
● These candidates will also need to pass the PLACE exam. ● Cost= $7,800 for both years
OR
2. Complete a K-6 alternative licensing program through ASPIRE to TEACH program at the University of Colorado in Denver (see K-3 Fellow Licensing for more details) and then ADD an ECE endorsement to your license by passing the PLACE ECE exam.
