BLEMENTARY A\ EDUCATION Guidelines for Induction & Mentoring Programs Providing comprehensive supports to prepare and retain effective educators and to develop leaders ‘April 2015 Highlights and Excerpts ‘Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 essa Street, Malden, MA 2148-4506Overview of Induction and Mentoring Program Requirements by Educator Type ‘The following table cutines the required components of induction and mentoring programs (as stated in the regulations) applied to diferent types of educators beginning teachers (new tothe profession), Incoming teachers (new to the district and/or ol}, beginning adminstrtors, and incoming ‘administrators. For additonal information about the dafiniions ofthese educators, please reer to page ine “The regulations provide a bassline for distri ndction and mentoring programs. ESE strongly ‘encourages districts to go beyond the minimum requirements as needed to ensure educators receive ‘meaningful supports and leadership opportunities. Ca eae a Teacher Pence Tt and men Recommended es Not Applicable Recommended " pteacher new tothe ole or dite who ald Profesional lence hat most ikl ready recaved SO hours of mentoring beyond the Induction ye and woud ot be required to complete adltonl mentoring. However, 2 teacher who folds an Intl Henge who iether new tothe olor set must ful this requlrement In order to obtain Profesional eens. CGidlins for Induction and Mentoring Programs—April 2015,District Checklist for Teacher Induction Programs ‘he flowing ems components tht bathreqired in reulton rd ecrimended in these ules. Progsam Planning TZ Establish a distri steering committee charged with developing, evaluating, and refining ‘the induction program. 1D Program plans should inde: goals, connections to key district inittives, communication strategies, roles and responsibilities orientation and alning programs for teachers and mentors, process for mento selecting and matching, confidentiality policy and hold ‘harmless polly for rentors/mentoes tobe reassiaed. reward and recognition of ‘mentors, and program evaluation. Include strategy or supporting teachers in years 2 and 3 oftheir careers, Including how ‘they wll complete the SO hours of mentoring required beyond the frst year of induction, 1 Post induction and mentoring program on district website. and [Select criteria for determining impact of induction: inching stakeholder feedback, program acthities, and outcome measures (et, teacher retention rates). 1D. Determine process fer data collection and analysis. 1D. Steering committee submits recommendations for program refinement. ‘Program Reporting 'ZAnnual program evaluation report submitted electronically to ESE. Post report on district website 1 Scheduled prior to beginning of school year. Suggested elements cde: expectations of teachers, overview of induction program ‘components, educate evaluation training workshops for teaches, school performance ‘data, dstrets and sctoo policies and procedure, overview of key resources for teachers, Including information about school culture and community. Orientation should also cover ‘the professiona/ethial behavior of educators. TZ Identify members of upport team (includes atleast mentor and administrator) 1D Schedule regular meetings with begining/Incoming teaches) to establish ongoing ‘opportunities for support. 1D Pan opportunities for beginning/incoming teachers to meet as a peer group, Including _aaltional professional development opportunites. ‘Mentering Rigorous and transparent selection proces for mentors. Develop and execute mentor traning program. Develop systems for nentor accountability, time logs, ete. Determine proces fo: matching and assigning mentors to teachers (prioritize matching ‘mentors and mentee: by grade evel and/or content area). ‘Allbeginning teachers assigned a mentor within the first two weeks of the schoo year (or, ‘where applicable, dat of hire). Identity opportunities for group mentoring or establishing peer groups for beginning teachers and/or incoming teachers. Identify opportunities for mentor compensation and recognition. Plan opportunites for ongoing mentor support and training. a o a a a a o aMentoring ‘The mentoring relationship canbe very rewarding fo the beginning teacher and the mentor. Mentoring provides the beginning teacher access to a teacher wio has demonstrated effectiveness with students and colleagues. At the same ime, mentors are given the opporturity to be recognized as strong, ‘educators and leaders withintheir schoo/dtrict. Serving as a mentor provides effective educators with ‘ongoing professional develogment and the chance to expand thelr impact through spreading their knowiedge with ather educators (who In tur are more effective with thelr students). Core Mentoring Activites ‘The mentoring telationship Is shapes by the actives thatthe mentor and begining teacher participate Intogether. As partaf the leensue regulations, dstiets ae required to provide release time for both ‘the mentor and the beginning teacher to engage in regular classroom observations and other mentoring activities (603 CMR 7.12 (2 (2). These activites should help the beginning teacher improve upon practice and develop an understanding of the Standards of Effective Teaching Practice. The activites may include: "+ Assisting the begining teacher in analyzing tudent data and reflecting on professional practice ‘0 propose Stucent Learning and Profesional Practice Goals and a Developing Educator Plan as par of Educator Evalaton. 1 Meeting frequently (oth formally and informally) uring the school year to reflect on practice and plan curriculum zd lessons Analyzing and assessing the beginning teacher's practice In relation to evaluation eter in ‘order to help the begining teacher reflect and improve. * _-Actiitis related to observing educator practice (similar to ESE's recommendations for ‘observations in evaluation on page 38), mentoring observations ae encouraged to be frequent, ‘short (a brief os ten mines), targeted focused on a speci kil suchas transition), and can be planned or unplanned. Possible observation activities include: 10 Observing one ancther’s classroom. (© Observing the classrooms of eter effective educators, Including those n other schools and/or distri © Covteaching tre beginning teacher's css ‘© Teaching the 2eginnng teacher's lass so the begining teacher ean observe another teacher, ‘© Videotaping lessons and the mentor-mentee analyzing the video and reflecting on best practices together (Mentor Selection, Training, ad Assignment Districts should invest time ta select individuals to be mentors; prepare these induduals for the Felatonship and responsbles through raining; and carefully assign mentors to beginning teachers The proper selection, training, and assignment of mentors is crucial toa successful mentoring relationship. The following subsections provide aditional considerations for dlstrcts inorder to suppor the efficacy oftheir rents and mentoring programs. ‘Mentor Selection Effective teachers shouldbe recruited from allubject areas to serve as mentors. The aplication and selection proces for mentorsshould be transparent and clearly communicated. In determining the type of teacher who would perform wellas a mentor, itis recommended that districts employ acrtra Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring Programs—Aprl 2015 1based selection proces. Such a process fst outlines the desired characteristics of mentors, as ‘determined by the distrit aud then uses these criteria Inthe selection process, including: "Trained as mentors, a plan to complete the district traiing (603 CMR. 7.02). * Completed at least thee years of experience (603 CMR 7.02) "Effective inthe classioom a= shown by receiving eating of atleast profielent on recent evaluations. = Outstanding, proventeachers whose practice reflects excellent content knowiedge of the MA Curriculum Framewerks + Making student gains as 2 result of thelr proven practice. + Knowledgeable about the Standards of fective Teaching Practice and Educator Evaluation system. + Effective communicators and problem solvers, especialy when working with adults. Aware ofthe merits of ifferent teaching styles and can demonstrate a variety of pedagogical strateges/methods, ‘Able to teach tothe diverse learning styles of students. ‘knowledgeable about the professional and community resoures inthe School and district Able to maintain a confidential eationship. Willing and able to ivest ime with supports and scheduling adjustments by the school and dlerict to develop mentoring sls and patcpate inthe program forthe duration of the year [or nto subsequent years as determined bythe duration ofthe program), Districts may alo want to consider recrulting recenty retired effective teachers who meet the above criteria and have the knowledge and sklto serve as mentors. Districts with established programs should trina surplus of mentors to meet the varying subject and grade level needs of beginning teachers from year to yea. ‘Mentor Training ‘Allmentors need tobe trained (603 CMR 7.12(2(b). fective teachers of children do not automatically make effectivecoaches for adults. Mentors must receive taining inthe sls of effective ‘mentoring ad strategies fr upporting beginning teachers tobe successful ina standards based classroom. This training shoud be managed at the cstrct evel to ensure the same quality of ting for allo their mentors, In choosing people to lead trcining,dstriets should look to thelr own teachers who are experienced ‘mentors to serve In leadershi roles, other districts, consultants, professional associations and other recognized professional deveopment providers Elements ofthe training may include: Role ofa mentor, ‘Adult development and learning strategies. Using data to improve practice. Analysis of teaching strategies. Observation sls Effective use of observation tools for capturing and translating observation data strategles for conferencing and fexdback. Diagnosing and analyzing classroom management issues * Broad problem song skis + Designing portfolios and preparing for educator evaluation. Guidelines for Induction and entoring Programs—Apri 2015 19Reflective practice. Identifying priorities fr new educators using the evaluation rubric Using student workand feedback ta evaluate and inform practice. ‘Standards based curculum, instruction and assessment. Differentiating instruction to meet the needs of al students, Ineuding training on culkural differences + Focuson ey initatves, such as the MA Curriculum Frameworks, Educator Evaluation, Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) and Shetered English Immersion, + Ongoing traning ogportunitis. These may include a refresher component for experienced ‘mentors who have not recently served as a mentor or may need additional training based on re state or dst initves. ‘Ongoing Mentor Support For the mentor, participtionin the mentoring relationships an important form of professional evelopment fr experiencec teachers. Regular meetings with other mentors will enable mentors to continue their own profesional development, as wellas reflect on thelr own practice and work with beginning teachers. Roles and Responsibilities [A Beginning Teacher: =" Play an active roles the mentoring relationship. A beginning teacher can do this by offering ‘ual veflections on his/her ovtnpreclee and ientying areas in stich essstance i needed A beginning teacher may also decde to share elements of his or her evaluation to discuss ‘goals, recelve targeted feedback, and assess progress. = Seek out help. The beginning teacher must understand that he or she must seek out support ‘rom team member, be forthcoming in communicating classroom issues, and remain open to feedbackin ordertadevelop asa professional. The mentor-mentee relationship s meant to be confidential beginning teachers shoul take advantage ofthe relationship and obtain assistance as needs, = Observe effective teachers at work The beginning teacher should adhere toa schedule of observations of various effective teachers (could be done through videotaping). The beginning teacher may keep ag to record and reflect onthe verity of thelr styles. + Participate regulary in programs organized for beginning teachers. These include peer suppor groups, professional learning opportunities, and beginning teacher workshops. ‘Additionally, begin teachers should look fr opporturitiesto share their expertise with ‘colleagues and contabute toa schoo! culture of professional collaboration. 8, Mentor: "+ Facltate a strong start to the year. Mentors can help begloning teachers launch nto & productive year by making sure they know where to obtain all needed materials, are familar ‘ith routines and schedules, and curiclum expectations. + Provide instructiond support. Ths Includes, bu not limited to: ‘© Regula observation of and conferencing with the beginning teacher. Guidlines for Induction and Nentoring rograms—April 2015, 0Guidelines fr Induction and Mentoring Programs-April2015 (© Modeling Instructional strategies or fcitating opportunities forthe beginning teacher to observe ther effective teachers (could be done through videotaping). (© Provide advice on classroom management and how to handle varlous behavioral Issues. © Support in‘eaching ad learning standards ofthe MA Curriculum Frameworks. © Support inachieving proficiency as ientified Ia the MA Model Rubric fr Teachers (or strict rubric). Provide professional support. Begining teachers need tobe informed of strc, schoo}, and rade leve/content team data and goals. Provide personal support. Mentors can help relieve the stress begining teachers by introducing them to other facuity members and helping the beginning teacher to put problems ‘in perspective with support and encouragement. ‘Maintain a confidential relationship withthe begining teacher. Is important that the beginning teacher te able to discuss problems openly with the mentor, so that they may be addressed in a timely an informed manner. Theroe of the mentor fst support the beginning ‘teacher, not to evalate him/her. Serve as aliaison The mentor should have the knowledge ae skls to refer the beginning teacher to other teschers and educational resources, so thatthe begining teacher is exposed to variety of persrectves and instructional practices. Serve asa resource. Inform the begining teacher of opportunities and supports provided by the school district, nd professional associations. Serve asa teacher kader. Mentors are identified leaders within a school community. As such, they share responsblty with administrative leadership and other coleagues to promote a School culture that emphasizes ongoing adult learning, the sharing of best practices, and ‘ongoing profession development to support the learning and achievement of al students a