Requirements mandate districts have teacher orientation, induction and mentoring programs

This article is republished from the March 2001 issue of MTA Today. You are free to print and distribute it among your colleagues.

A Primer on New Teacher Orientation,
Induction, and Mentoring
by Kathie Skinner, PhD., Director, Center for Educational Quality
and Professional Development, MTA

At the November 2000 Board of Education meeting, new certification regulations were adopted (603 CMR 7.0).

While in the past it was true that changes in certification regulations have little effect on current practitioners, the newly adopted requirement that every district must have an induction program for beginning teachers is of interest to both current practitioners and local leaders. There are three essential elements of such programs: orientation, induction, and mentoring.

Orientation: The purpose of orientation is for the beginning teacher - and the veteran teacher new to the district - to learn about "how we do things around here." Teacher orientation should focus on four key components: the community; school district policies and procedures; the curriculum; and the school.

The Community: New teachers should learn something about the socioeconomic conditions of the families served by the public schools; the local norms, customs, and values; the resources that exist within the community; and the special needs within the community. New teachers should be provided with a community map, information about housing, transportation, shopping, medical facilities, and social and religious organizations. A guided tour of the community with stops at points of interest might be offered by the chamber of commerce or the PTA/O.

School District: New teachers should be provided with a guided tour by teachers and/or administrators through such policies and procedures as: attendance policies, salaries and benefits, teacher evaluation process, legal rights and responsibilities, role of the teachers association, and administrative record keeping.

The Curriculum: New teachers should be introduced to the philosophy, purpose, aim and goals of the school curriculum. They should be provided with the scope and sequence and this should be explained by knowledgeable teachers/administrators. They should also be provided with curriculum guides and the curriculum framework(s) that governs their content area(s).

The School: New teachers should have a complete tour of the school in which they will work. The tour should focus on such things as: the available technology applications; getting audio visual equipment; location of all administrative forms; following fire drill procedures. New teachers should also be provided with the teachers' handbook and the student handbook - including the discipline policy and procedure. An administrator should spend some time going over questions related to student discipline, responding to student illnesses, and communicating with parents.

Induction Program: The purpose of beginning teacher induction is five-fold: to improve teaching performance; to increase retention; to promote personal and professional well-being; to transmit the culture; and to satisfy the requirements of certification.

The MTA Center for Education Policy and Practice has been conducting a new teacher induction program entitled Case Study Seminars for Beginning Teachers in more than 20 school districts over the past 12 months. With some funding from the Massachusetts Department of Education, this program provides teachers in their first three years of practice with instruction in four key areas: classroom management; content-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment; differentiated instruction (which includes meeting the needs of the gifted and talented and those with special learning needs); and time management.

Mentoring Program: This element of induction focuses on a one-on-one relationship between a beginning teacher -- the protege -- and a trained veteran teacher -- the mentor. There are four essential components of a mentoring program: mentoring committee, mentor training, mentor-protege partnership, and classroom observation.

Mentor Committee: Every mentoring program must be overseen by a committee that should be representative of all of the groups who benefit from the program: central office administration, teachers' association, school leaders, new teachers, and mentors. The committee should have a chairperson who is responsible for setting meetings, keeping agendas and notes, and communicating with those outside the committee about its work.

Mentor Training: The certification regulations call for all new teachers to have a "trained" mentor. Training might consist of a week in the summer where mentors learn how to work with adult learners, practice the observation protocol to be used in the district, and learn about the confidentiality that must exist if there is to be trust between the mentor and the protege. This should be followed by monthly meetings of 2-3 hours where mentors can share experiences, seek assistance from colleagues, and learn more about the mentoring process.

Mentor-Protege Partnership: A protocol should be developed by the mentor committee that provides guidance for matching up each mentor with a protege. In districts where the mentor is released full- or half-time, the protocol should determine the number of new teachers the mentor will guide through the first year of teaching; the number of observations that should be conducted; and any other requirements. Matching mentor to protege is an essential component; if this is not done well, the program may fail. The mentor and protege should set up a schedule of meeting times on a regular basis. The mentor should use the training guidance - which generally focuses on new activities for the beginning teacher to complete during each month of the first year of school.

Classroom Observation: The certification regulations call for release time for mentors and new teachers to observe each other. Mentors should be trained and have adequate practice in the observation protocol to be used. However, it is advised that there be a pre-conference meeting at which the new teacher should identify at least one area of concern for the mentor to focus on. The mentor should take notes during the observation that focus on the area of concern but also on curriculum and instruction in general. A post-conference meeting should follow that covers the observations of the mentor and the concerns of the protege.

Attracting and retaining qualified new teachers is in everyone's best interest. It is obvious that creating an orientation-induction-mentoring program is complex and requires the cooperation of teachers and administrators within a school district. As a basis for the conversation that should occur at the district level, the applicable regulations follow.

From Massachusetts Department of Education Regulations (603 CMR 7.00)

Section 7.02: Definitions

Induction Program: a planned program of professional support for new teachers, provided by the school district, including orientation, opportunities for classroom observation and conferencing, peer group meetings, and preparation for performance assessment. An induction program should be an integral part of a school district's professional development plan.

Mentor: an educator who holds a professional [standard] license and who has been trained to assist beginning teachers/administrators with their professional responsibilities and general school/district procedures. A mentor may also assist an experienced teacher who is new to a school, subject area, or grade level or who is undertaking certification through National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Section 7.12 Standards for Induction Programs for Teachers

1. Application: All school districts are required to provide an induction program for teachers in their first year of practice. Induction programs provide the structure that maximizes beginning teacher learning in the context of the classroom experience. New teachers learn from veteran teachers; schools increase the possibility of retaining strong, well-trained educators; and, most important, student achievement can be elevated. Guidelines based on the following standards will be provided by the Department.

2. Standards: All induction programs shall meet the following requirements:

1. An orientation program for beginning teachers and all other incoming teachers.
2. Assignment of all beginning teachers to a trained mentor within the first two weeks of teaching.
3. Assignment of a support team that shall consist of, but not be limited to, the mentor and an administrator qualified to evaluate teachers.
4. Release time for the mentor and beginning teacher to engage in regular classroom observations and other mentoring activities.
5. Assistance to the beginning teacher in developing materials that will be used to assess performance for the professional license.

1. Additional Requirements:

1. Submission of an annual report to the Department that includes information on:

1. Program activities
2. Number and complete list of beginning teachers served
3. Number and complete list of trained mentors.
4. Number of classroom observations made by mentors.
5. Number of hours mentors and beginning teachers spend with each other.
6. Hiring and retention rates for beginning teachers.
7. Participant satisfaction.

To further assist educators and districts, the Department of Education --with advice from major education associations, including MTA -- has developed Massachusetts Guidelines for Induction Programs. As of the publishing of this article the guidelines had not been released by Commissioner Driscoll. However, as soon as they are released, they will be sent to local association presidents and posted on the MTA web site.

Additional Information:

Mass DOE Teacher Induction Programs

Resources for this article:

A Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers, Ed. Marge Scherer (ASCD, 1999)

How to Help Beginning Teachers Succeed, Stephen P. Gordon and Susan Maxey (ASCD, 2000)

Last modified: Thursday, March 1, 2001