INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY OFFERS MENTOR TEACHER TRAINING
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - As of last year, it is a state mandate that all beginning teachers have a state-certified mentor during their first two years in the field in order to be considered and
approved for their initial practitioner's license. Indiana State University offers such training - part of its federally funded Project PRE program (Partnering to Reform Education) - to certify
mentors for teachers new to the field.
Workshops for certification are scheduled to start this month in both Terre Haute and Indianapolis. And, although both area workshops are full, this initiative will be ongoing as the need for
mentor teachers continues to grow, according to Karen Hamilton, assistant professor of curriculum, instruction and media technology at Indiana State.
"We're expecting more than 60 to attend the Terre Haute workshops and have nearly 50 attending the Indianapolis classes," said Hamilton, who mentioned that only about 15 percent of those
enrolled are taking the classes for graduate credit. The rest are participating solely to fill the role as mentors to future teachers.
Classroom teachers who have completed three years of full-time teaching and are interested in supporting the profession and helping new teachers get off to a successful start are eligible to
serve as mentors. The approval of the building principal and school district also are required to participate in the program.
"Teachers who successfully complete this mentor teacher preparation program will be qualified to serve as mentors to beginning teachers and assist them through the two-year induction process
that culminates in the development of a teacher portfolio," said Hamilton of ISU's program, which is approved by the Indiana Professional Standards Board (IPSB).
Previously, beginning teachers were issued a state teacher's license upon recommendation from an institution of higher education. The beginning teacher was then assigned a mentor by the local
school corporation for his or her first year of teaching. This person was typically a teacher with more than five years of experience, who most likely taught within the same discipline and the
same building. At the end of that year, the principal would evaluate the new teacher using a state-recommended checklist.
"In the previous framework, mentoring was inconsistent across districts," said Hamilton, citing a 1999 report from the U.S. Department of Education.
The report stated that few beginning teachers nationwide were receiving adequate mentoring. In addition, via follow-up surveys, teachers indicated that they were not getting the kinds of
support that they needed, specifically peer collaboration, team teaching, common planning periods, and mentors who did more than ask an occasional "How are things going?"
"Traditionally, there has always been a sense of autonomy among teachers that once hired, their classrooms were their own, requiring little if any documentation or evidence of student progress
and classroom effectiveness," Hamilton added. "This has all changed in the new age of accountability."
The new performance assessment is modeled from an instrument developed by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), a program designed for licensing beginning
teachers. After receiving an initial certification recommendation from a higher education institution, beginning teachers enter a two-year induction program. During the second year of
induction, each beginning teacher submits a portfolio within his or her content area and developmental level. The portfolio consists of documentation of one unit of instruction that includes
lesson, logs, and videotapes of teaching and student work samples. This completed portfolio is then scored by state-certified evaluators. Upon successful performance of this assessment, the
beginning teacher is issued a proficient practitioner's license, which is subject to renewal every five years.
"As states are faced with serious teacher shortages, more and more are developing mentoring programs that will aid in giving all new teachers the best chance at becoming an effective
professional in the classroom," Hamilton said.
After all, the numbers tell the story.
"Research shows that mentoring cuts the attrition rate by 50 percent," Hamilton added. "As a result of mentoring, new teachers are given the chance to learn more effective instructional
strategies and classroom management skills. Overall, mentoring creates a positive environment for teacher support and growth, and this translates to improvement in student learning. The
portfolio evidences the success of the teacher's first two years."
For more information about ISU's mentor certification program or the Project PRE grant, contact Karen Hamilton at (812) 237-2949 or eskaren@isugw.indstate.edu or Irene Brock, assistant
professor of elementary, early childhood, special education at ISU, (812) 237-7892 or eebrock@isugw.indstate.edu.
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Contact: Karen Hamilton, assistant professor of curriculum, instruction and media technology at (812) 237-2949 or eskaren@isugw.indstate.edu or
Irene Brock, assistant professor of elementary, early childhood, special education at ISU, (812) 237-7892 or eebrock@isugw.indstate.edu
Writer: Maria Greninger, associate director, Communications & Marketing, Indiana State University, (812) 237-4357 or m-greninger@indstate.edu
ISU Communications and Marketing: (812) 237-3773 or http://www.indstate.edu/news
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