Mentor & Induction

What Can I Expect? A Two-Day Experience + Continuous Professional Learning

Two Full-Days

Before School Begins

  • August 22 & 23

  • 1-day without mentor participation

  • 1-day with mentor participation

  • 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

  • 45-minute planning time provided each day and 45-minute lunch (meal provided; duty-free, but self-care options available)

  • Facilitated by the Director of Student Achievement and Instructional Coaches

Monthly New Teacher Meetings

  • Continued instruction throughout the year

  • A 3-year plan that partners with the teacher throughout their probationary period with the school district

  • Emphasis on support and morale

  • Networking and collaboration facilitated through the Scappoose Student Achievement Team and the Professional Development Calendar.

  • This is a comprehensive program which meets the needs of novice to expert level teachers.


Why Has Scappoose Invested in Educators New to Our District?

Welcome to the Scappoose School District’s Mentoring and Induction Program. A growing body of research confirms that the quality of teaching is what matters most for student achievement. The Scappoose School District also recognizes at a time when the needs of our students and community are great, the need for teachers with multiple skills and understanding is of utmost importance. Commitment and participation in SSD’s Induction program will empower you to grow your professional practices as you are teaching. You will be guided along the way by your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and your personal Induction Mentor. Your journey and the ultimate destination will be uniquely yours.


The following key understandings are the foundational framework of our program:

  1. hiring the best is one of the most important jobs we have;

  2. the first three years (induction) of a teacher’s career is an important and unique phase of teacher development;

  3. an induction program should be part of a larger system of teacher development, support, accountability, and evaluation;

  4. well-qualified, carefully selected, and extensively trained mentors are important to a new teacher’s success;

  5. effective programs are focused on teaching practices and student learning;

  6. processes of coaching, feedback, and formative assessment guide the development of the new teacher; and

  7. stakeholders will review induction program implementation and impact data to collaboratively plan for program improvement.

The SSD Mentoring and Induction Program is a three-year, job-embedded program with a focus on mentoring and supporting teachers in their first years of teaching. It uses a blended model providing lesson planning, observations, analyzing student work, debriefs, one-on-one meetings with your mentor, content/grade level specific support, and professional development. Together, the participating teacher and their mentor will collaboratively create an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). This working plan will serve as an inquiry road map for the goals participating teachers will focus on over the course of the next three years. The ILP is designed and implemented solely for the professional growth and development of the participating teacher and not for evaluation for employment purposes.


Three years may sound as if you have a long road ahead. However, unlike your foundational teacher preparation course workload, the work you will do for the SSD Mentoring and Induction Program is relevant to your current students, and your immediate teaching context. At the end of the three-year program, participating teachers will grow as a professional and feel greater confidence as a teacher.