Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Clusters

Funding Description

The California Department of Education (CDE) and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) award cluster grants on a competitive basis to Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) teacher induction programs. There are six regional clusters and two grants are awarded per cluster. The grantees identify a teacher induction program consultant to assist the school district or consortiums of school districts forming a cluster. Primary responsibilities include assisting in designing, implementing, refining, and evaluating the teacher induction programs; disseminating information on teacher induction programs to all interested participants within the cluster; and collaborating with other cluster staff and state administrative agency staff statewide to ensure ongoing program effectiveness and improvement.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants	Local educational agencies
Required Eligibility Criteria	Selection of the BTSA Cluster Region LEAs is through the request for application process. It is a competitive process that is consistent with the requirements of BTSA funding. Eligible applicants include districts or consortia of school districts currently administering a local BTSA teacher induction program. All applicants must show that they have the capacity to serve all current and emerging BTSA programs located within the cluster region from which they apply.
Other Eligibility Considerations	School districts, consortium of school districts, or county offices of education that are awarded the cluster grants shall identify a teacher induction consultant to assist and support the LEAs forming the cluster they applied for.
Eligible Grade Level(s)	Not applicable
Eligible Age Level(s)	Not applicable

Funding

Legal Authority	Education Code Section 44279.7
Source / Type	State / Grant
State Fiscal Year	2004-05
SACS Resource / Revenue Codes	7280 / 8590
Total Available	$3,036,000
Recipient Amount	$293,000 per cluster
Match Requirement	No
Allocation Formula	Unavailable

Important Dates

Date Application Available	September 3, 2003
Due Date	October 29, 2003
Expected Notification Date	November 15, 2003

Additional Information

Application	Unavailable
Background	External Resources for Teachers [http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/te/er/]
Fiscal	Unavailable
Other	The grants are issued to districts and county offices of education. The BTSA programs vary in organizational design and include individual districts, districts in collaboration with one another and with colleges and universities, and large consortia in which districts, colleges, universities, and county offices of education work together. Funds were allocated after the 2004 Budget Act was signed and the Department of Finance approved the BTSA fiscal year 2004-05 Expenditure Plan.

Contacts

Program	Sarah Solari, 916-324-5688, ssolari@cde.ca.gov
Fiscal	Alice Cervantes, 916-323-5549, alcervan@cde.ca.gov
Division	Educator Excellence and Equity Division, 916-323-6440 (phone), 916-323-2806 (fax)