Section 92-26-005 - Mentor Teacher Program Promising Practice GuidelinesMentor teacher programs may benefit from using any of the following promising practices which are suggested, but not required:
005.01 May use a support team approach for the first-year teacher that could include administrators, mentor teacher program coordinators, district curriculum coordinators, and external consultants.005.02 May utilize mentor teachers from within or outside of the local system (e.g. other school systems, educational service units, or professional organization pools).005.03 May assign first-year teachers more than one mentor, depending upon mentor availability and first-year teacher needs. For example, if a mentor in the first-year teacher field of endorsement is not available within the building, the first-year teacher may benefit from both a mentor within the building and a mentor outside of the building who is endorsed in the same field as the first-year teacher.005.04 May include orientation and training for first-year teachers. Training for mentors is allowable only if associated expenses are the responsibility of the local system or other entities.005.05 May include a coordinator of the mentor teacher program responsible for initial matches, periodic checks of the suitability of the matches as well as the progress/benefits of the mentoring relationship and activities.005.06 May include benefits or incentives for mentors for their services to the mentor teacher program including, but not limited to, the following: 005.06B Stipends for mentoring activities conducted outside of the normal contracted teaching day.005.06D Professional growth points.005.06E Classroom materials.005.07 May include benefits or incentives for first-year teachers for their participation in the mentor teacher program including, but not limited to, the following: 005.07B Stipends for mentor teacher program training attended outside of the normal contracted teaching year.005.07C Professional growth points.005.08 May design mentor teacher programs which:005.08A Are differentiated in design to accommodate a variety of learners.005.08B Are focused on improved student learning.005.08C Address first-year teacher needs based on individual needs assessment. Examples of first-year teacher needs may include more information or guidance with the following: building/district policy and procedures orientation, assessment of student learning, evaluation of student work, classroom management, classroom discipline, instructional techniques, design of instruction appropriate to individual differences, student motivation, techniques for assisting students with personal problems, time management, classroom observation and the provision or reception of feedback regarding such observation, development or enhancement of curricular content expertise, course work planning, adaptation of plans to limited instructional resources, and methods to enhance positive relationships with parents of students.005.08D Address mentor needs based on needs assessment.005.09 May include, but are not limited to, the following mentoring activities: 005.09A Meetings between mentors and first-year teachers.005.09B Classroom observations with accompanying feedback.005.09C Discussion groups related to first-year teaching experiences.005.09D On-site and off-site training for first-year teachers.005.09E Provision of supplementary materials related to the mentoring needs of first-year teachers such as those listed in 005.08C.005.10 May include documentation of services provided by the mentor teacher program including, but not limited to, the following: logs of mentor/first-year teacher contacts including such information as date, time, topics discussed, concerns of first-year teacher, concerns as a mentor, perception of the role of the mentor for that contact (e.g. responder, colleague, initiator).92 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 26, § 005