What time commitments are required for the program?
ATAC requires a full-time commitment. Students cannot take ATAC on a part-time basis. The program is designed for students who have adjusted their work and life schedules to make time for classes, fieldwork, and studying.
Elementary Cohorts start in the fall semester. During the following fall and spring semesters, courses will generally run two full days including fieldwork. Students will take two courses in Summer Session I. Then the program concludes with a full semester of student teaching in the second fall semester. Students will teach 5 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during this semester.
Secondary Cohorts start in Summer Session II with one evening class. During the following fall and spring semesters, students will attend one evening class as well one full-day class during the first part of the semester. They also will student teach during the day with mentor teachers. In the fall they will student teach in a middle school, and in the spring they will teach in a high school. Their involvement in the classrooms of these teachers will gradually build across each semester, allowing them to assume full-time teaching responsibilities for 6-8 weeks in each setting. Students will finish their program with a three-credit seminar in Summer Session I in which they complete their portfolio and address issues continuing professional development.