Overview
Mentors are experienced and accomplished teachers who have been carefully selected by the school district and have completed the TEAM Program Initial Support Teacher Training. They are trained to support new and student teachers.Teachers who hold a provisional or higher certification, have three years of teaching experience, one of which is in their district are eligible to serve as a mentor/cooperating teacher. Contact your District Facilitator if you are interested in becoming a mentor.
Mentor Resources
Mentor Training Dates and Registration Mentor GuideCooperating Teacher Resources
Mentor Training Update and Eligibility
To maintain mentor eligibility, mentors must complete a minimum of three online Professional Learning Units (PLUs) prior to their eligibility end date.
Effective 1/1/2024, mentors will be eligible to take one PLU per training year. Upon completing the Initial Support Training (IST) or completing the Mentor Update Professional Learning Series, they will be eligible to take a PLU toward their next eligibility renewal deadline of 9/30 of their training year and an additional PLU for every subsequent year during their eligibility period.
Mentor Update Professional Learning Units
The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) along with the RESC Alliance and other stakeholders have launched a new Mentor Update Professional Learning Series, which will replace the previous online Mentor Update Training. Please log into the TEAM workspace to access the online update. The new Mentor Update Professional Learning Series is a suite of professional learning units designed to build on and enhance the knowledge and skills that were learned in Initial Support Teacher Training (IST). Support teachers will be able to select from a menu of professional learning units (PLUs) that address a wide variety of topics designed to meet their learning needs. This allows them to direct their own professional growth as they build skills to effectively support beginning and student teachers. Support teachers will be expected to complete a minimum of three PLUs within three years. We suggest completing at least one PLU per year over the three years. Support teachers are encouraged to select PLUs that meet their immediate professional learning needs and the needs of the beginning teachers and student teachers whom they are supporting. While support teachers are required to complete three PLUs over three years, they may find that there are several PLUs they would like to complete beyond the required three. There is no limit to the number of PLUs a support teacher may complete.
Professional Learning Units are designed to provide support teachers with a variety of options from which to choose. The "units" focus on support teacher needs, are research based, and address a wide range of topics. Support teachers are a critical part of induction. High-quality mentors/cooperating teachers are needed to support and guide the development of beginning and student teachers through their challenging early years in the classroom. The educational landscape is rapidly changing. There is an increase in racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in the student population. Emerging innovative technologies are changing the ways in which we learn, think, and interact. Expectations for accountability have increased. Teaching and learning standards influence instructional design, classroom culture, and relationships with parents and the community. These are just some of the many reasons why beginning teachers and student teachers face multiple challenges in the classroom. Without high-quality support, many beginning teachers will leave the profession. However, research strongly indicates that mentoring and induction make a real difference. Our goal is to provide mentor/cooperating teachers with the professional learning they need to successfully support beginning and student teachers through these the early years of their careers. We will continue to add new topics to the series each year. If there is a topic you would like to see offered, please email your suggestions to Ashley Wright at ashley.wright@ct.gov.