INDUCTION PLANS FOR BEGINNING TEACHERS

Induction Plans for Beginning Teachers

Jennifer Amato

Grand Canyon University

EAD – 536

Dr. Michael Schlabra

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Purpose

“Having a mentor is more than just setting and achieving goals; it's about having

someone in your corner who can provide valuable feedback, encouragement and support to help

you grow both professionally and personally” (Koifman, 2023). The school’s mentor plan is

designed to help new staff members create relationships, increase their professional capacity, and

provide them with support to help them through their first three years of teaching. According to

the Colorado Department of Education, effective induction programs can reduce new teacher

turnover by half (Colorado Department of Education, 2023). The mentoring program pairs new

teachers with effective veteran teachers who will help guide them through the pitfalls and

celebrate the joys of working with students.

Criteria

Teacher mentors are teachers who perform their jobs effectively and show the attributes

and desire of a leader. Teachers interested in becoming a mentor need to hold a non-probationary

record with the state, have three years of experience in the district, and complete the district’s

mentor training course. Since mentors will be working closely with new teachers, they need to

have good communication and interpersonal skills. Due to the intense nature of teaching,

mentors will act as sounding boards, shoulders to cry on, and informal coaches. They must be

trustworthy and easy to talk to so they can build a strong relationship with their mentees.

Timeline

First year teachers are expected to perform effectively and deliver the same results as

educators who have been teaching for years (Schaef, 2024). Since the position expects so much

from new educators, Aurora Public Schools requires new educators to work with a mentor for

their first three years. New teachers start their induction program at the school by meeting with
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the administration and other school leaders prior to the remaining staff’s return from summer

break. The initial meeting welcomes them to the school and introduces them to the leaders,

building, and some school culture items. Within the week, mentors reach out to onboard their

mentees. The frequency of mentor/mentee meetings depends on the new teacher’s level of

induction. First year teachers should plan on formally meeting with their mentors twice a month

whereas third year teachers may require less frequent meetings. Less formal check-ins should be

completed more frequently, possibly daily in the beginning.

Mentors are not substitutes for instructional coaches, but they should perform informal

observations to help mentees during their coaching cycles. Mentors can aid in practicing

instructional strategies and classroom management techniques. Mentor meetings should also

align with informal and formal observations, report cards, parent conferences, or other school

benchmarks. Aurora Public Schools requires mentors to log these meetings to keep mentors

accountable for providing effective and timely support.

Induction Activities

School induction activities include monthly meetings with peers and school

leaders, mentor meetings, and additional informal observations and coaching sessions as needed.

District activities include quarterly meetings, certification courses, and induction projects.

Monthly meetings with the school’s leaders are designed to give new teachers a forum to ask the

administration questions and connect with other teachers experiencing similar situations.

Different school leaders will facilitate each meeting, for example, the Cultural and Linguistically

Diverse Education (CLDE) teacher leader may lead a meeting about our Multi-Language Learner

(MLL) population and scaffolding expectations.

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The district provides quarterly new educator meetings. The district mentor leaders

conduct luncheons with new teachers to review district expectations, induction project and

learning schedules, and to field any questions that may arise. Mentors are encouraged to attend

these luncheons with their mentees to keep all participants on the same page. The district also

provides end of the year deeper learning courses for mentees. New teachers are allowed to

choose from a select range of topics such as classroom management, providing accommodations,

increasing rigor, and streamlining planning (Aurora Public Schools, 2023). The course selection

allows teachers some autonomy about what they are learning based on their needs and goals.

Professional Development Topics

New teachers will attend all the same professional development (PD) as the rest of the

teaching staff. However, their inexperience requires new teachers to receive additional PD

around school and district policies, READ Act compliance, Individualized Education Plans

(IEPs), Assessment procedures and schedules, and completing report cards and end-of-quarter

procedures. The district provides additional learning including certification courses for CLDE

and READ Act.

Budgetary Implications

Aurora Public Schools compensates their mentors for each mentee they work with for the

school year. The compensation is tiered based on the mentee’s induction standing. As first year

teachers require more time and effort, mentors make $750 for the required 45 hours of work, and

an additional $400 stipend if they take on a second first year mentee. For second and third year

inductees, the required hours decrease as does the stipend amount (Aurora Public School, 2023).

Costs for professional development facilitators and CLDE certifications also have an impact on

the budget.
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Servant Leadership

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful

stewards of God's grace in its various forms’ 1 Peter 4:10. Mentors are gifted with the skills to

teach effectively and build relationships to lead others. In this way, they use their gifts to

increase the capacity others have to excel in their own professions. Though most mentors are

compensated, they take on the responsibility, time, and effort to guide others as they learn to

navigate the difficult teaching profession.

References
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Aurora Public School. (2023). 2023-2024 Mentor Handbook. Retrieved from Aurora Public

Schools: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xl1dMAu-

Uer6gvGUAs64GFqC8Erf8YIAo7c6gn_ntEA/edit

Aurora Public Schools. (2023). Deeper Learning Courses 2023-2024. Retrieved from Aurora

Public Schools: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hsIR-Kj-

FaoeC_dEjbfiDmnLz6SZ1-Xkqd4OXgmOXBA/edit

Colorado Department of Education. (2023). Designing Effective Induction Programs. Retrieved

from Colorado Department of Education:

https://www.cde.state.co.us/educatortalent/inductionhandbook

Koifman, N. (2023, July 5). The Importance of Mentorship. Frobes: Small Business. Retrieved

from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/05/the-importance-of-

mentorship/?sh=13e366c8693d

Schaef, S. (2024). Why Are the First Several Years of Teaching So Difficult? How Schools Can

Stop Failing Novice Teachers. Retrieved from ReDesignU:

https://www.redesignu.org/why-are-first-several-years-teaching-so-difficult-how-schools-

can-stop-failing-novice-teachers/
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