Section 161.031 - New teacher induction and mentor programs provided by school districts - Definitions - Standards - Evaluations - Annual report(1) As used in this section: (a) "Mentor" means an educator who has at least three (3) full years of experience under a professional certificate and who has been trained to assist a beginning educator in the same professional role with his or her professional responsibilities and general school and district procedures; and(b) "New teacher induction and mentor program" means a multiyear, structured program of mentorship and professional development in which trained mentors provide constructive feedback to new teachers.(2) The Education Professional Standards Board shall develop standards and guidance for local districts to implement new teacher induction and mentor programs. All school districts shall provide an induction program for teachers in their first year of teaching.(3) Standards for new teacher induction and mentor programs shall include but not be limited to the following: (a) An orientation program for new teachers and other incoming teachers to be provided at the beginning of and throughout the first year of employment;(b) Assignment of a mentor teacher to a new teacher within the first two (2) weeks of teaching and remaining with the new teacher for the first year of the new teacher's employment in the school. The mentoring relationship shall be composed of activities that the beginning teacher and mentor participate in together, including but not limited to coteaching, lesson planning, and observation;(c) The creation of a support team to provide assistance for new teachers, including focus on each new teacher's individual professional growth and development plan;(d) Workshops and training, including professional development opportunities specifically designed for the beginning teacher that provides vital information on topics relevant during the first year in the classroom;(e) Workshops and training for mentors prior to assignment to a beginning teacher on the skills necessary for effective mentoring;(f) Opportunities for the new teacher to meet with the assigned mentor to share successes and troubleshooting strategies;(g) Support teams to link the beginning teacher with a network of teachers in the school or district, in addition to their mentor, that the beginning teacher can rely on for assistance and guidance, especially for content specialization; and(h) Formative and summative evaluations to provide feedback for a beginning teacher to gain an understanding of his or her strengths and weaknesses and to grow professionally.(4) The Education Professional Standards Board shall develop evaluations and rubrics aligned to state academic standards and state and local procedures that shall be based on the following standards of effective teaching: (a) Curriculum, content mastery, planning, and assessment;(b) Teaching all students; and(5) Rubrics shall describe practice in detail at different levels of performance.(6) Categories of evidence shall be included to assess educator performance, including multiple measures of student learning, observations, and additional relevant evidence.(7) Evaluations shall include new teacher self-assessment, individual goal setting and plan development, implementation of the plan, formative assessment, and a summative evaluation.(8) Beginning October 1, 2024, and by October 1 each year thereafter, the Education Professional Standards Board shall provide a report to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education. The report shall include but not be limited to:(a) The number of mentor teachers and the educator preparation programs that were attended by the mentor teachers;(b) The number of new teachers and the educator preparation programs that were attended by the new teachers;(c) An analysis of how prepared new teachers are upon entering the profession;(d) The types of training utilized by districts to train new teachers, mentors, and support teams;(e) The types of remediation or supports needed by districts for new teachers that were not covered in the educator preparation programs;(f) The major components of each new teacher induction and mentor program;(g) How new teacher induction and mentor programs are operated and funded;(h) How long new teachers receive mentor support;(i) The estimated annual amount spent per new teacher;(j) Measures being utilized to gauge the new teacher induction and mentor program's effectiveness; and(k) Impact on teacher retention.(9) The Education Professional Standards Board shall accumulate long-term data for analysis of the impact of teacher induction and mentor programs on new teacher retention.Added by 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 124,§ 2, eff. 4/9/2024.