Congratulations on being selected to participate in the next round of the Teaching Fellows Application process. We commend you on your achievement to this point and wish you luck at your regional interview. The information on this page is for you to use as you prepare for your interview and writing assessment.

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Dear Teaching Fellows Candidate,

Congratulations, again, on being selected to participate in the second phase of the Teaching Fellows Scholarship Award process. Over 900 high school students applied for this important scholarship opportunity. You are one of 414 who will be interviewed on January 12, 2008 at one of 5 regional sites in South Carolina. In order to help you prepare for your interview and writing assessment, we have included materials we hope you will find helpful. Please review these materials carefully. Please remember to arrive at your interview site no earlier than 20 minutes prior to your appointed time. The writing assessment and interview times are tightly scheduled. Arriving in a timely manner will be very much appreciated. An emergency phone number has been provided to you for the interview day ONLY. (803.370.9335) If you have questions or concerns at any time prior to your interview day, please do not hesitate to contact me at vaughnb@cerra.org or administrative assistant, Libby Anderson at andersonl@winthrop.edu or give us a call at 800.476.2387. We are excited to know that you will be joining many other high school students desiring to become educators who make a difference every day in South Carolina!

Warmest regards and best wishes!

Brett D. Vaughn
Program Director


South Carolina Teaching Fellows Interview Preparation packet
2008-2009 Freshman College Class

The following materials are included in this packet in order to help prepare you for the second phase of the Teaching Fellows Scholarship Award process.
• Questions Frequently Asked by Students
• Teaching Fellows Institutions Available Programs of Study: Provides important information that can help you select the institution that offers a program in the area you hope to teach.
• Teaching Fellows Writing, Assessment, Interview and Presentation Tips: Provides important information to help you prepare for the interview questions and for your short oral presentation to the interview team.
• Teaching Fellows Analytic Rubric: This rubric is used by the assessors scoring the writing essays.
• Teaching Fellows Institutions Overview: This separate packet of materials provides a glimpse of the unique opportunities offered at each Teaching Fellows Institution in South Carolina. It may be helpful to you in your Institution selection and ranking. Institution Overviews will be uploaded on Tuesday, December 11, 2007
• REMINDER: You must bring your Fellows Institution Selection form to the interview.


South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program Regional Interviews “Questions Frequently Asked by Students”

1. When will a candidate know if he/she is awarded a fellowship?
ALL candidates will hear from CERRA by mail no later than March 1, 2008.

2. Will a candidate receive his/her first choice of a college (Teaching Fellows Institution)?
While every effort will be made to assign candidates to one of their first three choices, all awards are based on overall rankings at the end of the application and interview processes. The higher an overall total score, the more likely a candidate will receive his/her first choice of a Teaching Fellows Institution. All candidates offered a Teaching Fellowship will be assigned to one of the eleven institutions.

3. How many awards will there be?
175 (contingent on funding by the South Carolina General Assembly)

4. What are the “payback” provisions?
A Fellow is required to teach in a South Carolina public school following graduation and certification. The Fellow must teach one year for every year he/she received the Fellowship. The scholarship funds are converted to a loan if a Fellow does not teach for the required number of years in a South Carolina public school.

5. Does receiving a Fellowship mean that a candidate is automatically accepted to the institution to which he/she is assigned?
NO. Fellows must apply and be accepted to the assigned Teaching Fellows Institution.

6. Is a Teaching Fellow eligible for other scholarships offered by South Carolina?
YES. Teaching Fellows may be eligible for the Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, or HOPE scholarship. State regulations do not allow any of these three scholarships to be combined with one another, but any one of them may be added onto other scholarships.

7. What if a Fellow does not receive enough scholarship money to cover the cost of attending a Teaching Fellows Institution?
There is no guarantee that Fellows will have the full cost of attending college covered through scholarships, but the financial aid administrators at each of the Teaching Fellows Institutions have agreed to assist in finding alternative funding, such as the South Carolina Teacher Loan, to help pay for an education at their institutions.


Teaching Fellow Institutions Available Programs of Study for Teaching Fellows

(An institution overview for each school is available by clicking the school name. Download all overviews at once here-this is a large file may take several minutes to download.)

Anderson University
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)/Elementary Education (2-6)
• Art (K-12)
• Biology (9-12)
• English (9-12)
• Mathematics (9-12)
• Music with Choral and Instrumental Certification (K-12)
• Physical Education (K-12)
• Social Studies (9-12)
• Special Education
• Spanish Education (9-12)
• MAT Education

Charleston Southern University
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Choral Music (K-12)
• English (7-12)
• Instrumental Music (K-12)
• Mathematics (7-12)
• Physical Education (K-12)
• Science (7-12)
• Social Studies (7-12)
• Spanish (7-12)

College of Charleston
• Early Childhood Education (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Middle School Education (5-8)
• Physical Education
• Special Education
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Classics
• English
• French
• German
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Spanish

Columbia College
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Middle Level (5-8)
• Art
• Dance
• English
• Mathematics
• Music
• Special Education
• Speech Language Pathology (PreK-12)

Furman University
(Five Year Programs except where noted) • Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Special Education (Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, LD, Mental Retardation)
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Drama
• English
• French
• German
• Health and Environmental Studies (four years)
• Latin
• Mathematics
• Music (four years)
• Physical Education
• Physics
• Social Studies (History)
• Spanish

Lander University
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Art
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physical Education
• Social Studies (History)
• Spanish
• Special Education

Newberry College
• Early Childhood Education (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Biology
• English
• Mathematics
• Music Education
• Physical Education
• Social Studies

South Carolina State University
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Art (K-12)
• Biology
• Business
• Chemistry
• Drama
• English
• Family and Consumer Science Education
• Health Education (K-12)
• Mathematics
• Modern Languages
• Music Education (Instrumental, Piano, Voice)
• Physical Education (K-12)
• Social Studies
• Special Education (General and LD)
• Speech Pathology and Audiology (K-12)

USC Columbia
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Middle Level (5-8)
• Art (K-12)
• Business
• Music (K-12)
• Physical Education (K-12)
Five Year Programs (BA or BS, plus Master of Teaching Degree)-Secondary (9-12)
• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
Graduate Certification Programs (Typically 2year Master in the Art of Teaching degree programs
• Library Media (K-12)
• Speech Language Pathology (K-12)
• Foreign Language with options in French, German and Spanish
• Special Education (K-12)
• Theatre Education
• Health Education

USC Upstate
• Early Childhood (PreK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Biology
• Chemistry
• English
• French
• Language Arts (4-8)
• Mathematics
• Mathematics (4-8)
• Physical Education
• Science (4-8)
• Social Studies (4-8)
• Social Studies- History
• Social Studies- Political Science
• Spanish
• Special Education- Learning Disabilities

Winthrop
• Early Childhood (PK-3)
• Elementary Education (2-6)
• Middle Level (5-8)
ELA / SS
ELA / SCI
ELA / Math
• Special Education (K-12)
• Art (K-12)
• Biology
• Dance (K-12)
• English
• French
• Mathematics
• Music Education –Choral (K-12)
• Music Education- Instrumental (K-12)
• Physical Education (K-12)
• Spanish
• Social Studies- History
• Social Studies- Political Science
• Theater (K-12)
• Special Education (K-12)
LD / ED
MD / SD


Teaching Fellows Writing Assessment, Interview and Presentation Tips For the 2008-2009 Freshman Cohort

On your Teaching Fellows Scholarship Interview Day: Please arrive at your interview site no more than 20 minutes prior to your assigned time. Current Teaching Fellows and Campus Directors as well as CERRA staff will greet you and ask you to sign in and submit your Institution Selection form. You will proceed to your writing assessment first. You will have 30 minutes to respond to one of two prompts. After completing the writing assessment you will have approximately 15 minutes until your assigned interview.

During your interview, the interview team will ask you 6 questions. The questions are designed to provide the interviewers with insight into your ability to communicate and problem solve. In addition they will be assessing your knowledge of world issues and the originality of your responses. The interview session will conclude with your 3 minute oral presentation. Your presentation should highlight your commitment to teaching and your knowledge of current educational issues. Your interview and presentation will last no more than 20 minutes. The entire writing and interview process should take no more than an hour and a half if you have arrived at the proper time.

In order to help you prepare for this important phase of the Teaching Fellows Scholarship selection process, tips and suggestions are provided below.

Interview Day:
• Dress appropriately for your interview. Clothing and hair should be neat. Blue jeans and sneakers are not recommended.
• Arrive no more than 20 minutes early for your interview.

Writing Assessment
• Be familiar with the enclosed rubric.
• Be prepared to use the entire 30 minutes for responding. No one may leave the writing room early.

Interview Questions:
• You will be asked to tell a little bit about yourself.
• 6 questions have been prepared and will be asked of all students.
• Interviewers will be writing while you share your responses.
• You may bring notes to the interview. You may NOT bring portfolios or other aids.
• Your responses will be rated on the following criteria:
o How well you communicate your ideas
o Originality of your responses
o How well you think analytically to see problems from different perspectives
o How well you understand world issues and their effect on children

Presentation:
• Practice your presentation ahead of the interview day.
• You may prepare and use note cards, but you may NOT us other aids to assist you in your presentation.
• You will make your presentation to the interview team after they have asked the prepared questions.
• You will have 3 minutes to share your ideas.
• Your presentation should include the following:
o Why you want to become a teacher
o What you hope to teach (ex: grade, subject)
o Qualities of successful teachers that you see in yourself and how those qualities will be an asset to a school community
o Briefly describe a current world event and share its impact on students and learning
o How you will address ethnic and cultural diversity in your classroom
o Accomplishments you hope to make as an educator
• You will have an opportunity to ask questions of the interview team. The number of questions and the degree to which they can respond will depend on the remaining time.

Best of luck to you as you prepare for and participate in the second phase of the South Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship Award process!


Teaching Fellows - Analytic Rubric 2008-2009
Ranking--Point Range--Descriptors

Superior Competence 13-15 pts An essay in this category
• States or clearly implies the writer’s position or thesis
• Demonstrates critical analysis of the quotation
• Organizes and develops ideas logically
• Clearly explains key ideas, supporting them with well chosen reasons, examples, or details
• Reveals a persona
• Displays effective sentence variety
• Is virtually free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

High Competence 10-12 pts An essay in this category
• States or clearly implies the writer’s position or thesis
• Makes apt and specific reference to the quotation
• Organizes and develops ideas clearly
• Explains key ideas, supporting them with relevant reasons, examples, or details
• Reveals a persona
• Displays some sentence variety
• Is generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

Competence 7-9 pts An essay in this category
• States or implies the writer’s position or thesis
• Addresses the general meaning of the quotation, perhaps presenting a simplistic view
• Shows control in organization and development of ideas
• Explains some key ideas, supporting them with adequate reasons, examples, or details
• Reveals a persona
• Displays some sentence variety
• May display errors in grammar, usage and mechanics, but these do not detract from the reading of the essay

MinimalCompetence 4-6 pts An essay in this category demonstrates some competence but reveals one or more of the following weaknesses: • Limited in stating or implying a position or thesis
• Analysis of quotation is vague, mechanical, incomplete, or overly generalized or represents a possible misinterpretation
• Limited control in organization and development of ideas
• Inadequate reasons, examples, or details to explain key ideas
• Reveals little or no persona
• Displays little sentence variety
• An accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics

Little or No Competence 1-3 pts An essay in this category is seriously flawed, revealing one or more of the following weaknesses:
• No clear position or thesis
• Little or no address of quotation’s meaning
• Weak organization
• Very little or no development of ideas
• Few or no relevant reasons, examples, or details
• Lacking in persona
• Little or no sentence variety
• Frequent serious errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics

Note: A difference between scorers of > 3 will prompt a third read.