So you ask yourself...Why ECP? Here's why!

Experience and credibility
The Region XIII Educator Certification Program has a fifteen-year history certifying teachers in the region through this alternative route. The ECP has evolved and grown throughout the years by adapting to the legislative requirements and continually revising the curriculum to meet the needs of today’s beginning teachers.

Paid Internship with benefits
“Intern” refers only to the status of the participant in ECP. Although ECP interns go through their first year of teaching as participants of the program, they are contracted and paid as teachers-of-record with their employing school district.

ECP interns are fully prepared to enter the classroom due to the curriculum’s intensive preparation methods. Training and instruction primes interns for the procedures of job-searching and interviewing. ECP has maintained a high hiring rate through this practice and by not accepting more applicants than can be potentially hired. Career Fairs and employment lists assist interns in securing their own teaching positions.

Field-based experience
During the month of May, ECP interns participate in two weeks of “field experience.” Throughout this time, interns gain experience including designing instruction, performing observations, and conducting lessons in a classroom setting. This experience contributes to employability and networking.

Support systems
Region XIII has always emphasized the importance of mentoring and retention systems in teacher preparation programs. A beginning teacher’s experience is both informational and emotional; therefore giving novice teachers the support they need to fulfill their professional missions is necessary. The ECP offers one of the most innovative support systems which has been used as a model for teacher preparation programs throughout the state.

Blended Instruction (online and face-to-face)
The ECP realizes the face of society is changing by becoming increasingly technological and multi-tasking. In order to accommodate the non-traditional student in this setting, online versions of the curriculum have been developed. Research proves that students prefer and benefit most from blended training and its ability to combine the luxury of personal scheduling with peer-to-peer interaction.

Relationships
ECP interns gain not only from the relationships and networks they build in the program, but also from the irreplaceable relationships the ECP and Region XIII have built with districts over the years. Each year, quality teachers graduate from our program having been recommended for their standard teaching certificate.