Alabama Teacher Mentoring

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Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• Building Bridges to Best Practice

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An Overview for Local School Systems

• Focus on Role and Responsibilities of Local
  Superintendents and Central Office Staff

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2007-08 Development Year forAlabama Teacher
Mentoring

• Statewide program recommended by the Governors
  Commission on Quality Teaching (GCQT)
• Mentor stipends (1,000 per new teacher) funded
  by Alabama Legislature for the 2007-08 school
  year
• Guidelines created by the AL SDE
• Training and support from the AL SDE and Regional
  Inservice Centers (RICs)

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Purpose of Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• Provide every beginning teacher in Alabama with a
  well-trained, effective mentor who will
• Provide beginning-of-year induction into the
  school and systems culture
• Deliver ongoing coaching and support
• classroom coaching and assistance to maximize
  the learning and achievement of all students
• personal support to the new teacher during their
  transition into the profession

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Expected Benefits

• Improved learning of all students
• Increased retention of effective new teachers
• Reduced replacement costs
• Leadership and professional growth opportunity
  for mentors
• Enhanced school culture

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New Teacher Attrition is Realand Drains Valuable
Resources from Schools

• 50 of new teachers leave within five years
• On average, each leaver costs local systems
  8,000 or more (Texas study)
• National costs top 2.6 billion (National
  Commission on Teaching and Americas Future)

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Well-planned, comprehensive mentoring programs
increase the instructional effectiveness of new
teachers.
Mentoring Matters. . .
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Mentoring Matters

• Often, the only person who knows a beginning
  teacher is falling through the cracks is the
  teacher him/herself.David Pearson, Michigan
  State University

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Mentoring Matters . . .

• Stated simply, the challenge is to make all
  schools places where teachers find the support
  they need to succeed with their students.
• Susan Moore Johnson, Finders and Keepers, p.
  249

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Well-planned, comprehensive mentoring programs
will help keep talented new teachers.
Mentoring Matters. . .
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Mentoring Matters

• New teacher mentoring is NOT a new idea,
• BUT weve learned a lot about best practices in
  mentoring in recent years
• AND there are new tools and strategies to assist
  mentors.

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What if schools in your system are already
operating successful mentoring programs?

• You should build on their successes!
• We want to support you as you create your own
  program.
• The SDE will develop training and follow-up
  support that will be offered through RICs and
  professional associations.
• All LEAs are encouraged to take advantage of
  these services.

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What if schools in your system do not have
mentoring programs in place?

• Use materials and training provided by the AL SDE
  and RICs.
• Promote mentoring with your principals.
• Stress the importance of mentor selection and
  training.
• Mentors should be matched with beginning teachers
  no later than the end of August, 2007.

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As superintendent, what is my role?

• Work with all principals in your
• system to ensure that
• a qualified and trained mentor is assigned to
  every beginning teacher in the system
• all schools develop a culture that supports both
  mentors and beginning teachers
• mentors continue to receive training and support
  throughout the school year
• principals, mentors, and beginning teachers
  participate in requested formative and summative
  assessments of the ATM

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As a superintendent, what is my role?

• 2. Be an advocate for mentoring
• --communicate benefits
• --be visible at local trainings
• Appoint system mentoring liaison

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What is the role of the systems mentor liaison?

• To be the point of contact for information,
  training, and other communications from the SDE
  and RICs
• To participate in training offered by RICs and
  SDE (if system does not already have an
  established mentor training program) and to
  provide this training to mentors
• To ensure that all mentors in the system receive
  quality training and support

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Recommended Components of Local Mentoring
Programs

• Beginning Teacher Participation
• Mentor Selection and Assignment
• Mentor Teacher Training
• Mentor Compensation
• Scheduling Time each week for mentoring
• Formative Feedback to Mentees
• Formative and Summative Assessment of Program by
  Mentors, Mentees, and other participants

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Component One Beginning Teacher Participation

• Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, every new
  teacher will be assigned a mentor teacher.
• Systems and schools that have established
  mentoring programs will proceed as planned.
• Systems that have not previously had resources
  for mentoring will select mentors by the end of
  August.

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Component Two Mentor Selection and Assignment is
Key to Success

• Establish a process for application and selection
• Use job description developed by the GCQT
  Mentoring Committee to clarify mentor role and
  responsibilities
• Consider using the rubric for mentor selection
  developed by the GCQT Mentoring Committee

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Attributes of Effective Mentors

• Possess knowledge, skills, and dispositions
  needed to support new teachers effectiveness
  with all learners
• Have a strong commitment to the mentoring process

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Recommended Mentor Qualifications

• Knowledge, Skills, and Disposition
• Professional collaborative working relationships
  with colleagues
• Personal strong communication and
  relationship-building skills
• Instructional success in differentiating
  instruction to reach all students
• Commitment to Mentoring
• Enthusiasm for the process
• Willingness to dedicate time and effort

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Component ThreeMentor Training

• School systems that have comprehensive mentor
  training programs in place may continue to
  deliver these.
• School systems that do not have comprehensive
  mentor training programs should plan to
  participate in the state-sponsored
  train-the-trainer program.
• All mentors participate in comprehensive
  training.

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Component ThreeMentor Training

• Train-the-trainer modules will be provided by the
  ALSDE.
• Regional Inservice Center mentor consultants will
  deliver training to school systems mentor
  liaisons who can then train mentors.
• Training begins in August and continues over the
  course of the year so as to be job embedded.
• The new Alabama Quality Teaching Standards,
  adopted by the SBE in March, 2007, will provide
  structure and focus to the training.

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Component Four Mentor Compensation

• Mentors will receive a stipend of 1,000 per year
  for each new teacher mentored.
• The Education Budget calls for mentors to be paid
  in up to two payments however, the SDE hopes to
  pay all mentors in one payment.

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Component FiveScheduling Time for Mentoring

• School principals should help create time for
  mentors and mentees to work at least once a week.
• Researchers recommend a minimum average of 2.5
  contact hours per week between the mentor and
  mentee. The time may vary from week to week, but
  weekly contact is critical.

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Component Six Formative Feedback

• Mentor teachers will provide beginning teachers
  with ongoing, formative feedback.
• The Continuum for Learning and Performance, a
  tool to help teachers understand the Alabama
  Quality Teaching Standards, will provide
  framework for the feedback.
• Mentors should not be involved in formal
  evaluation of new teachers.
• Confidentiality between mentor liaison, mentor,
  and mentee is essential.

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Component SevenProgram Assessment

• LEAs will be asked to provide baseline data.
• Throughout the year, the SDE will ask
  participants to assess services for purposes of
  continuous improvement.
• The anonymity of all participants in the program
  assessment will be ensured.
• Evaluation of the ATM will enable improvement
  and, is essential for continued funding.

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Together we can . . .

• Create an effective network of services and
  support for Alabamas beginning teachers
• Enhance beginning teachers effectiveness with
  all of their students
• Make a difference in the lives of students of
  beginning teachers
• Contribute to the future of our profession

Alabama Teacher Mentoring
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Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• Building Bridges to Best Practice