Download: Complete Bulletin. (75k pdf)

This briefing bulletin is intended to make you aware of the various mentoring models and funding sources available to support district based-mentoring programs. Under Part 80-3 of the Regulations of the Commissioner, beginning September 2004 districts must provide mentoring to beginning teachers as a requirement for professional certification.  While the regulations require mentoring programs to be collectively bargained consistent with Article 14 of the Taylor law, they do not prescribe one single mentoring model or program design for districts to follow. Many decisions about which program elements to include in the mentoring program will be decided through both the planning process and collective bargaining that will occur between the local district and teachers’ union. The information contained in this bulletin should help you understand the different elements and requirements of the mentoring models and or funding sources available as you begin the process of structuring a mentoring model given the specific needs of your district.

Currently, the mentoring experience for beginning teachers varies greatly around the state, from district to district.  In some cases, teachers in the same building may have quite different experiences based on the requirements of a particular program.  For example, alternative certification programs initially provide 40 days of daily mentoring and teachers receive support from a mentoring team comprised of a mentor/veteran teacher, administrators and college faculty, while interns in the New York State Mentor Teacher Internship Program (MTIP) receive mentoring over the course of the school year.  Following are brief descriptions of the various mentoring models and funding sources and a chart that compares and identifies the key elements or features of each program.  For more information on the programs described below, please visit the NYSUT website at www.nysut.org.    

Download: Complete Bulletin. (75k pdf)

Update February 2008