Mentor Teachers
Monthly Information
"Mentoring is at the heart of a high quality induction program..."
Role of the Mentor Teacher
The role of the mentor in CCSD is to support new teachers transitioning into our school district. Mentors are relationship oriented, development driven, focusing on the individual, career, and personal growth. Mentors in CCSD provide on-going professional learning, engage in mentoring conversations, classroom observation and feedback and serve as a model for new teachers. In addition, the mentor will serve on the Induction Teacher support Team to support the induction teacher meet his/her professional goals. Mentors serve in the following areas to support new teachers to be able to:
Understand and implement district and building policies and procedures effectively
CCSD Strategic Priorities
Teacher evaluation (TKES)
School Growth Plans (SGP)
Professional expectations
Assist new teachers with creating a positive and rigorous learning environment
Setting up the classroom
Collection of resources, materials and supplies
Classroom management techniques and strategies
Build positive relationships with students focused on SEL
Developing clear and consistent classroom routines and procedures
Understand the district’s adopted and board approved curriculum
Curriculum Portal/Pacing Guides
Available recourses that support and/or enhance approved curriculum
Unit Post Assessments (UPA’s)
Provide feedback regarding effective instructional delivery
Lesson planning
Instructional Framework
High leverage instructional strategies
Use of formative assessment
How to integrate technology into the classroom to support learning
Differentiated Instruction
Provide weekly on-going support
Pay Scale
In CCSD, our goal is to ensure that we support new educators in CCSD during the first year in our district. Currently, mentor teachers are compensated $150.00 per semester, per induction teacher. It is recommended that a full-time teacher not exceed mentoring two new teachers during an academic year. Stipend is disbursed on the June 30th paycheck .
Mentor Framework and Practice Standards
Mentor Framework:
In the Clarke County School District (CCSD) we have chosen the New Teacher Center (NTC) Framework and Standards for Teacher Induction, which has been adopted by the State of Georgia. The NTC has worked with many different stakeholders from the classroom, district and state levels to define the characteristics and fundamental elements of a high quality mentoring program. The framework is designed to provide:
1. Accelerate the development of induction teacher effectiveness
2. Improve teacher retention
3. Strengthen teacher leadership
4. Increase student learning, and
5. Support equitable outcomes for every learner
Mentor Practice Standards: Three Defining Aspects
1. Foundational—Critical knowledge, skills, and professional goals necessary for effective
mentoring
2. Structural—Partnerships that characterize and support quality mentoring
3. Instructional—Strategic focus on optimal and equitable classroom practice and student
learning
Six Mentor Practice Standards:
Foundational:
1.0 Develops as an instructional leader to advance mentoring the teaching professional, and equitable outcomes for every student.
2.0 Deepens and maintains own knowledge of rigorous content standards, social and emotional learning, learner variability, and culturally responsive pedagogy.
Structural:
3.0 Creates and maintains collaborative, respectful, instructionally focused mentoring partnerships to foster beginning teacher ownership of continuous improvement of practice and advance the learning of every student.
4.0 Engages school leaders and instructional leadership team in productive partnerships to advance beginning teacher effectiveness and the learning of every student.
INSTRUCTIONAL:
5.0 Builds beginning teacher capacity to advance equitable learning by providing rigorous, standards-aligned instruction that meets the needs of every student.
6.0 Build beginning teacher capacity to advance equitable and inclusive learning by providing an environment that meets the diverse academic, social, and emotional needs of every student.
The Coaching Cycle
The coaching cycle is the model or approach a coach uses to gather information to inform the lesson, planning the lesson, observing the lesson, gathering evidence during the observation, debriefing with the teacher, and reflecting on the lesson. Coaching cycles may be one-on-one or small group cycles.
• The foundation of the Coaching Cycle begins with a conference and ends with a conference.
• In the middle, the coach takes action to gather data or assist the teacher or small group.
• Each action taken by the coach and induction teacher is followed by a conference to debrief on the previous action and plan for the next.
Coaching Actions are used to engage teachers in improving their instructional practice through coaching. Coaching Actions may include:
• Co-planning lessons
• Modeling a demonstration lesson (You Watch)
• Observation of Teacher Lesson (I Watch)
• Feedback
• Co-teaching
• Sharing research-based best practices
• Data Analysis
• Relationship Building Strategies
Mentor Requirements
Mentors who will be considered for the mentoring and induction program must be certified with at least 3 years of successful teaching experience in addition to:
a. Understand the goals of the CCSD Induction Program
b. Maintain a confidential relationship and demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills committed to professional learning
c. Understand the Mentor/Induction Teacher coaching cycle
d. Experience working with linguistically and ethnically diverse students
e. Demonstrate leadership capacity
f. Collaborate with colleagues
g. Keep required documentation up to date and submit all documents from mentor and induction task list, (to be audited twice a year)
h. Obtain Principal’s endorsement
Mentor Responsibilities
a. Build positive relationship with mentee based on mutual respect and coach-focused
conversations
b. Support and coach mentee in professional goal-setting and monitoring
c. Meet with mentee weekly for check-in
i. Daily social-emotional support
ii. Professional support (Management and Rigor Trajectory)
iii. Technical school support
iv. Provide feedback on classroom management
v. Content specific support
vi. School events and calendar
vii. Discuss observation data and engage in reflection
viii. Address any questions and/or concerns
d. Required Documentation: Teacher mentors and induction teachers are required to submit completed documentation twice a year to the district office. It is expected that the mentor will document all meetings with Induction teacher as well as document all classroom visits and observations. Both the mentor and induction teacher will be required to sign-off to verify hours.
Mentor Teacher Resources
Video Clips for Effective Feedback Meetings
Manangement Trajectory Rigor Trajectory
Habits of Evidence
Check Whole-Group Understanding
Clip 20 (Weekly Data Meeting)
Clip 21 (Weekly Data Meeting)
Clip 26 (Check for Understanding)
Clip 27 ( Target the Error nand Close the Loop)
Re-Teaching Model
Clip 22 (Weekly Data Meeting)
Clip 28 (Think Aloud- Set Listening Task)
Clip 29 (Think Aloud- Model the Thinking)
Clip 30 (Model the thinking)
