overview of the pwcs mentor program august 11, 2011 office of professional development
TRANSCRIPT
Overview of the PWCS
Mentor Program
August 11, 2011
Office of Professional Development
Vision for Mentoring in PWCS• A culture of support from multiple educators in a
school– …nothing less than a mentoring community will do (Sharon Parks)
– Schlager, Fusco, Koch, Crawford, and Phillips (2003) stated that new teachers’ needs are so varied and immediate that the appropriate combination of expertise, experience and cultural background is unlikely to reside in one mentor who is available when needed (Wong, 2004)
– The prevailing practice is that the assigned mentor is solely responsible for mentoring responsibilities.” These chores are usually in addition to the mentors’ existing classroom responsibilities; thus, the mentoring process can be negatively impacted by mentor-teachers’ time constraints (Hanson, 1996 in Kajs, 2002)….in one school setting, an experienced teacher who was a member of the mentoring team and known for her classroom management ability, provided to the proteges a demonstration workshop in handling classroom disruptions to ensure quality time-on-task for academic assignments (Kajs, 2002)
Vision for Mentoring in PWCS• Clear expectations and training for mentors
– For a mentor to be effective, he or she must be trained to the mission and goals of the district (Wong, 2004)
– Mentor-teachers need to possess specific knowledge and skills to carry out their roles as reflective guide, supportive coach, and understanding caregiver to novice teachers (Kajs, 2002)
• A learning partnership between mentors and mentees– The problem with many school districts is that their mentors are
not part of a mentoring program, much less an induction program. The mentor is simply a veteran teacher assigned by a principal (Wong, 2004)
Mentoring in PWCS is…
• Proactive
• Instructionally-focused
• Intentional
• Sustained over time
• Reflective and growth-producing
• Collaborative
Mentoring in PWCS is not…
• Evaluative
• Accidental
• A power position
• Continuous provision of advice and lesson plans
The Lead Mentor…• Coordinates the school mentor program
• Serves as a trainer, mentor, and coach of the mentors
• Serves as a liaison to the Office of Professional Development
• Facilitates or coordinates facilitation of monthly/bi-monthly Educator Support Sessions
• Facilitates support for 2nd and 3rd year educators
The Designated Mentor…• Meets at least weekly with the mentee (zero-
experienced educator) to provide documented support in one of four ways:– Coached planning– Information sharing– Conducting reflective dialogue (which may be based on non-
evaluative observation on an area of focus determined by the mentee)
– Conducting growth-producing/problem-solving dialogue
• Attends Educator Support Sessions with the mentee• Participates in any school-based mentor training• With mentee permission, facilitates the use of a
resource mentor
The Resource Mentor…• Provides coaching and consulting on an
as needed basis in a determined area of expertise (i.e. classroom mgt., reading instruction)
• May facilitate Educator Support Sessions
• Not financially compensated, but may receive re-certification points
Who gets a mentor?
• Virginia DOE requires a mentor to be assigned to each zero-experienced educator
• Principals may submit a written request to the Director of Professional Development for a mentor to be assigned to experienced educators in need of extra support
What about educators new to PWCS?
• Experienced educators do not receive a paid mentor, however most principals arrange for informal mentor support.
• Principals and lead mentors should discuss how to support any educator making a change, as well as 2nd and 3rd year educators, particularly as we move into a collaborative approach to mentoring.
Required Documentation• Rationale
The Virginia Department of Education requires the School Division to submit mentor assignments in October and a program evaluation report in June. Additionally, Professional Development Specialists and the Office of Program Evaluation review feedback and mentor reports carefully for trends and patterns that may provide guidance in making program improvements.
• Completion of all documents is required for stipend to be paid out.
• Lead Mentor– As early as possible, but by September 15:
• Entry of lead mentor and mentor assignments into the Mentor Database on the Intranet (ongoing entries for late hires)
– Completion of online Quarterly Report (first 3 quarters)– Quarterly collection, review, and submission (to OPD) of Mentor Interaction Log– April completion of the PWCS Mentor Program Survey– Completion of the Lead Mentor End of Year Survey– Must attend Lead Mentor Training (held in October, January, and April)
• Mentors– Designated mentors
• Ongoing completion and quarterly submission to lead mentor of the Mentor Interaction Log– One log/mentee; resource mentors will sign for confidentiality and record their interactions
on the same log
Mentor Compensation• Lead Mentor
- Lead mentors will receive a stipend of $900 paid to each building lead mentor.
• Designated Mentor– PWCS provides a $700 stipend to each trained mentor of a zero-experienced educator and a $500 stipend
to each mentor who has not attended a PWCS Mentor Institute
• Mentor of a Career Switcher– Mentors of career switchers receive a VDOE stipend of $1000 paid in one installment in May; this is not in
addition to the PWCS stipend
• Payment Dates– The stipend is paid in two installments in the regular paycheck by December 31 and May 31
• Conditions– Documentation (Mentor Interaction Log for Mentors and Quarterly Report for Lead Mentors) must be
submitted by the published due date in order to receive compensation– For the May compensation, any concerns regarding the issuance of the stipend must be communicated to
the Office of Professional Development no later than June 15– Lead mentors may not also receive a mentor stipend– Mentors will receive a stipend for no more than 2 mentees
• Re-Certification Points– All mentors of zero-experienced educators (including resource mentors and Educator Support Team
members) are eligible to receive 1 re-certification point for every hour of mentoring of a zero-experienced educator.
– Participation in Educator Support Sessions totaling 5 hours of more over the course of the school year qualifies for Professional Development re-certification points.
– All re-certification points are issued by the school administrator. Each educator is responsible for providing documentation of hours.
– VDOE allows for a maximum of 90 re-certification points for mentoring in a five-year licensure cycle.
Roles and Responsibilities: Administrator • The administrator must establish the expectation that new educators
grow and are support through their mentor and therefore, are expected to meet individually with their mentor and attend school educator support sessions (mentor meetings).
• Respects the confidentiality requirements of a mentoring relationship.
• Support the lead mentor in implementation of the PWCS Mentor Program.
• *More specific roles and responsibilities are outlined on our website.
Starting the Mentoring Year: Lead Mentor or Educator Support Team
and Administrator
• The administrative designee over the school mentor program is tasked with creating a collaborative relationship with the lead mentor and/or Educator Support Team to:– Identify and assign mentors– Make decisions about needs for group support, including the
planning of the School-Based Orientation per Office of Professional Development (OPD) guidelines and Division outcomes
– Advocate for and create a climate conducive to effective mentoring
• Mentoring as a duty for mentor and mentee• Common planning for mentor and mentee whenever possible• Content/grade level match as appropriate
What is an Educator Support Session?
• Frequently known as “mentor meetings.”• Held monthly or bi-monthly (bi-monthly
encouraged).• Opportunity for information sharing (information
not covered at a faculty meeting, and that cannot be covered in email, etc.)
• Required for first year educators. Open to and may be required for second and third year educators.
What is an Educator Support Session?
Professional Learning
• School-specific training
• Induction training modules
• Mentor-mentee dialogue
Professional Growth/Problem-Solving Sessions
• Open dialogue with all mentors and mentees, Educator Support Teams
• Group problem-solving
Mentor Selection
• Mentors should be positive professionals with a passion for supporting the growth of students and colleagues.
• Others in the school may serve a role in mentoring without being an official mentor. For example, a strong teacher in science or classroom management may be called upon to support a new educator.
• The Quality Mentor Assessment Scale (QMAS) has been developed to support the selection of mentors at the school and is available on the Office of Professional Development website.
• Mentors should be assigned as soon as possible following the hiring of an educator so that a relationship may begin forming. Mentors must be assigned by the first day of teacher work week.
Starting the Mentoring Year: Mentor
• If at all possible, contact your mentee prior to the start of Teachers F.I.R.S.T.
• Get to know your mentee and together establish parameters and expectations for the mentor/mentee relationship (See Establishing Agreements training video on the OPD website).
• Create a calendar of intentional interactions (recommended ongoing before school, minimum once per week in September, and at least twice a month for the remainder of the year). See the Mentor Calendar on the OPD website for recommended interactions.
• By the end of teacher work week, collaboratively complete the Classroom Management Plan found on the OPD website. Provide a copy of this to the lead mentor.
Mentor Program Evaluation
• The Office of Program Evaluation and the Office of Professional Development designed a comprehensive evaluation program of the PWCS Mentoring Program.
• Sources of data will include:– Quarterly Mentor Interaction Logs– Quarterly Lead Mentor Reports– PWCS Mentor Program Survey– End of Year Lead Mentor Survey– Interview– Surveys– Focus Groups
Tricks of the Trade
• TRUST is the key!
• Mentors should not observe the mentee before the mentee observes the mentor. Better yet, they should together observe a third party first.
• If the mentor match is not working or effective, it is best to end the relationship and assign a new mentor.
• Establish the professional relationship before the personal relationship.
• Buddy or “drive-by” mentoring may make a new teacher feel supported, but will not result in professional growth or increased student achievement. Being a mentor is an investment of time but has far-reaching impact! If you can not fulfill the responsibilities, please consider sharing your knowledge and talents as a resource mentor or another year.
Coming Soon…• Resources are added regularly to the Office of Professional Development
website.
• Resources to support program implementation and mentor and mentee training will be sent to lead mentors and administrative designees throughout the school year.
• Schools interesting in hosting a PWCS Mentor Institute at their site, should contact The Office of Professional Development for more information.
Thank Youfor your support and dedication to
mentoring in PWCS!
Office of Professional Developmenthttp://profdev.departments.pwcs.edu
Director of Professional Development
Janet [email protected]
Professional Development Mentoring Specialists
Julie [email protected]
Secretary, Mentoring Data and Stipends