UTSA COEHD Signature Teacher Residency Model
In June of 2021, the Texas Education Agency approved UTSA COEHD as a Vetted Teacher Residency Program, stating that UTSA "demonstrated evidence of the necessary criteria of a program that is prepared to scale high quality, sustainable residency models". UTSA's COEHD Signature Teacher Residency model is implemented through partnerships and agreements with various school districts.
The Signature Teacher Residency Model provides the opportunity for our teacher candidates to participate in the educational growth of students over a longer period, while simultaneously integrating coursework into the clinical experience.
Signature Residency Models are quickly becoming the preferred approach for educator preparation programs, as research demonstrates that it is a more effective model for preparing aspiring teachers to become highly qualified educators, who can ensure the success of all students. Click Here for an article that summarizes recent studies regarding research on educator preparation pathways.
Currently, our teacher candidates pursuing certification in EC-6 Core, EC-6 ESL, and EC-6 Bilingual Education all participate in a signature residency model during their clinical year, and plans are underway to expand to all certification areas: middle, secondary, and all-level EC-12.
Core components of the Signature Teacher Residency Model include:
- Clinically-embedded coursework
- Carefully selected Mentor Teachers
- Year-long clinical teaching (two semesters)
- Co-teaching and Co-planning with Mentor Teacher from day one
- Weekly clinical seminars
Teacher candidates may apply to one of the following residency programs: TCLAS (East Central ISD, Edgewood ISD, Harlandale ISD, North East ISD, San Antonio ISD, and Somerset ISD); UTSA-Northside ISD Signature PreClinical through Clinical Teacher Residency, or UTSA-NISD CAST Teach High School Residency.
Please click here to download the Signature Teacher Residency Model brochure.
Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Supports (TCLAS) is temporary funding from the Texas Education Agency available to vet Signature Teacher Residency Programs and their partnering districts. As a TEA-Vetted Residency, UTSA COEHD is partnering with the following local school districts to receive TCLAS funding for clinical teachers: East Central ISD, Edgewood ISD, Harlandale ISD, North East ISD, San Antonio ISD, and Somerset ISD.
Teacher Residents are paired with carefully selected mentor teachers, follow the district teachers' calendar, participate in district-led professional learning sessions, record and critically reflect on their instructional practices, participate in residency seminars led by dedicated residency faculty, and are paid by the district.
Applications must be submitted the semester before the teacher candidate begins their clinical year.
Application process:
- UTSA Educator Preparation Program (EPP) representative(s) will contact eligible teacher candidates to provide resumes for partner districts to review.
- Partner districts schedule and conduct interviews.
- UTSA Educator Preparation Program (EPP) representative(s) will inform candidates of district decisions.
- Candidate reviews and signs letter of acceptance and returns signed agreement form to UTSA
EISD Clinical Teacher Residency video:
The Education Trust and Partners - Administrators - Thomasina Montaña (Captioned)
Contact for TCLAS information:
Dr. Lorena Claeys
Director of Clinical Professional Experiences
Since 2017, UTSA has been in partnership with the Northside ISD in the co-creation of a district-specific residency program. The UTSA-NISD Signature Teacher Residency program provides cohorts of pre-clinical through clinical teacher candidates with extended opportunities to teach, learn, and interact with K-12 students, teachers, and administrators. Participation in the UTSA-NISD Signature Teacher Residency is a multi-semester/multi-year agreement, though no additional courses are required. Teacher Candidates pursuing certification in all areas (EC-6 Core, ESL, Bilingual, 4-8, Secondary, All-level) are welcome to apply after they have been accepted to the UTSA teacher certification program.
Signature Teacher Residents are paired with carefully selected mentor teachers, participate in district-led professional learning sessions, record and critically reflect on their instructional practices, are eligible for employment opportunities with the district, and develop a strong network of support through interactions in residency seminars led by dedicated residency faculty. During pre-clinical semesters, residents are paired with a mentor teacher for weekly observations and co-teaching experiences. They also participate in monthly seminars with their residency cohort. During the clinical year, residents follow the district teachers' calendar, co-planning and co-teaching with their mentor for 5 days a week when UTSA classes are not in session, and 3 days per week when UTSA classes are in session. Residency graduates are ready to lead their own classroom and fully participate in the NISD community as culturally efficacious educators from day one. They are invited to continue collaboration with their residency cohort, and after at least 3 years as teachers of record, are eligible to be considered as residency mentor teachers.
Applications can be submitted at any time before the clinical year, with candidates preferably joining the residency in their sophomore or first-semester junior year and continuing through their year-long clinical teaching experience at UTSA.
Application process for all UTSA-NISD Residency programs:
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- Teacher Candidate completes and submits an application to UTSA
- UTSA residency committee reviews applications and makes referrals to NISD
- NISD conducts interviews and contacts UTSA with recommendations for accepted residents UTSA informs candidates of district decisions
Contact for UTSA-NISD Residency information:
Dr. Jennifer Swoyer
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Beginning in Fall 2022, UTSA will partner with the Northside ISD and the CAST Network in the co-creation of a funded residency for secondary teacher candidates. The UTSA-NISD Signature Teacher Residency program at CAST Teach High School provides cohorts of secondary certification candidates with extended opportunities to teach, learn, and interact with high school students, teachers, and administrators. Participation in the UTSA-NISD Signature Teacher Residency at CAST Teach High School requires a one-year commitment.
Teacher Residents are paired with carefully selected mentor teachers, participate in district-led professional learning sessions, record and critically reflect on their instructional practices, are eligible for employment opportunities with the district, and develop a strong network of support through interactions in residency seminars led by dedicated residency faculty. During the clinical year, residents follow the district teachers' calendar, co-planning and co-teaching with their mentor. Residency graduates are ready to lead their own classroom and fully participate in the NISD community as culturally efficacious educators from day one. They are invited to continue collaboration with their residency cohort, and after at least 3 years as teachers of record, are eligible to be considered as residency mentor teachers.
Applicants have preferably participated in the pre-clinical UTSA-NISD residency program, though any secondary candidate may apply.
Application process for all UTSA-NISD Residency programs:
- Teacher Candidate completes and submits an application to UTSA (Click here for the UTSA-NISD Signature Teacher Residency Program Application)
- UTSA residency committee reviews applications and makes referrals to NISD
- NISD conducts interviews and contacts UTSA with recommendations for accepted residents
- UTSA informs candidates of district decisions
- Candidate reviews and signs letter of acceptance and returns signed agreement form to UTSA
Contact for UTSA-NISD Residency information:
Dr. Jennifer Swoyer
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Cohort of Teacher Candidates
Residency participants begin forming their professional network within the residency program. Residency teacher candidates are able to learn from and with one another, sharing experiences in and out of the classroom while in the clinical setting and after graduation.
Carefully Selected Mentor Teachers
Being a great mentor teacher takes more than proven effective classroom experience. Residency Mentor Teachers are carefully selected following recommendations from district partners and UTSA guidelines to ensure that they have the interest, skills, and time to commit to the guidance of future educators.
More Interaction with K-12 Students
Teacher candidates work directly with mentor teachers and APiPs to prepare, deliver, record, and reflect on lessons that have been specifically differentiated for the students and aligned with course objectives.
District and Campus Involvement
Residency participants are expected to join in-district professional development opportunities throughout the year - beginning with convocations in August, and continuing with district and campus-led professional learning sessions throughout the year.
Professional learning opportunities familiarize teacher candidates with the culture of the district and allow them to interact with other district educators to begin forming their professional network of support and resources for expertise.
Seminars
All residency participants join together as a Community of Practice for seminars. Seminar topics are guided by the needs and interests of our teacher candidates.
Examples of seminar topics include (but are not limited to) culturally efficacious teaching practices, certification exam preparation, student engagement strategies, creating professional portfolios, and preparing for professional interviews.
Research and Presentation Opportunities
Teacher Candidates participate in critical reflection related to their clinical experiences and program development. This action research is often shared in local conferences and publications. Residency participants also often serve as stewards of the residency model to promote and recruit future Roadrunners.
UTSA Faculty
Claudia Treviño García, Ph.D.
Dr. Garcia has a B.A. and M.A. in Bilingual-Bicultural Studies, and a Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language. Her career has been a combined 27 years as a bilingual education elementary teacher, Title VII Grant coordinator and administrator, Bilingual Education Specialist, Dual Language-LOTE Coordinator, and most recently a teacher educator. Her research focuses on teacher cultural efficacy development, bilingual/biliteracy education programs, teacher recruitment, and retention. As an Assistant Professor of Instruction, Dr. Garcia has taught courses CI 4613, CI 4923, ESL 3023, BBL 4403, BBL 4073 for the residency program.
Maria Gonzales, Ph.D.
Dr. Maria Gonzales has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education 1-8, a Master of Science in Bilingual and ESL, and a doctorate degree in Education from the Texas A&M system. She has earned numerous certifications in the education field and held both teaching and administrative positions during her educational journey. In addition, she has taught Adult Education Courses and PK-12 grades in public school settings as a bilingual, early childhood, dyslexia, general education, head start migrant teacher, and undergraduate and graduate courses at the university level for over 35 years. Dr. Gonzales continues to be an advocate for teachers.
L.N. Sohn, Ph.D.
Dr. Lucinda N Sohn has both a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in biology. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi in focused studies of curriculum and instruction. As a graduate student at TAMUCC, she was a graduate research assistant with the Natural Resources Center and she completed certification requirements in order to certify as a Texas 6-12 Life Science Teacher, and several years later followed that certification with an additional one for 7-12 Composite Science. As a formal classroom teacher, Dr. Sohn has taught high school science courses as well as undergraduate education courses and biology laboratory sections at TAMUCC in both the College of Education and Human Development and the College of Science and Engineering. Currently, her work is with educator preparation at UTSA. She supervises clinical teachers, teaches courses in the teacher residency and the education pathway programs. As a science educator, she has been a program development specialist at the Texas State Aquarium where she got her start in becoming a facilitator of multiple environmental education programs such as Project WILD. For six years, she served on the board of the Informal Science Educators Association and currently is part of the leadership with the Texas Project WILD Advisory Committee.
Tiffany Farias-Sokoloski, Ph.D.
Dr. Farias has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, M.A. in Bicultural/Bilingual Studies, and a Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language. In 2016, Dr. Farias founded San Antonio Girls Rock to empower girls to break gender stereotypes, navigate social barriers, and gain leadership skills to share their perspectives, and create positive change within the self, the community, and the world at large. The mission and vision of San Antonio Girls Rock complement her passion for remaining grounded in the community through service, activism, and challenging oppressive ideological practices. Dr. Farias brings more than a decade’s worth of experience working with in-service and pre-service teachers, students in grades K-6th, and assisting in the planning and implementation of professional development courses that have been implemented at the campus and district level.
Jennifer Gilardi Swoyer, Ph.D.
Dr. Swoyer has a B.A. in Psychology, M.A. in Bilingual/Multicultural Studies, Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language, and 30 years of experience as a teacher educator and teacher of multilingual/multicultural students. Dr. Swoyer began her educational career as an instructor of adult English learners in a family literacy program, and before becoming an APiP she was an ELL Instructional Coach working with middle school teachers and students. She completed the UTSA teacher certification program as a post-baccalaureate candidate and is certified to teach ESL, ELAR, and Spanish. For the residency program, she has taught CI 4303, ECE 4143, ESL 3023, ESL 3033, ESL 4003, and IDS 3713.
Helyde Torres
Helyde Adan-Torres, M.A. Bicultural/Bilingual Studies, Assistant Professor of Practice. Helyde attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where she earned her undergraduate and graduate EC-8th grade certification in Bilingual Studies. She joins UTSA after 23 years of classroom experience teaching grades K through 6th. She has taught in diverse instructional settings including a bilingual classroom, a dual language 90/10 model, and a dual language 50/50 model. Her experiences also include serving as a Dual Language coordinator in a kinder-5thgrade campus as well as at an Intermediate school for over 10 years combined. She has served as the LPAC campus representative, participated in curriculum writing as well as the district textbook adoption committee for Spanish and English Language Arts Curriculum. In the summer of 2019, she taught an undergraduate Instructional Methods course at the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City – one of the premier higher education institutions in Mexico. As part of her teaching experience, Helyde has had the opportunity to mentor pre-clinical as well as clinical teachers for more than 15 years.
College of Education and Human Development
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Phone: 210-458-4370 | education@utsa.edu