Created:  9 July 2007

Modified:  15 April 2021

Approved: 16 March 2022

Source: USBA

Educator Induction, Mentoring, and Professional Learning

Educator Induction Program—

The District and each school shall develop and implement an educator induction program for educators who are: licensed as associate educators, licensed as professional educators and have less than 3 years of experience teaching, and licensed under District-specific licensure during the first 3 years of working in the District. The induction program shall provide for:

1. A plan for on-going support and development of an educator, which may include reflective goal setting, implementation of action steps, and evaluation of outcomes that lead to refinement in instructional practice.
2. Assistance in meeting the Utah Effective Educator Standards (Utah Admin. Rules R277-530).
3. Mentoring (including observation and feedback beginning early in the program).
4. Evaluation consistent with Policy DG, including observation and feedback from the principal.
5. For associate educators, support in meeting the requirements for a professional educator license.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-308-3 (April 8, 2021)

Mentoring—

            Mentors serving educators in the District’s educator induction program must be licensed as professional educators and shall be trained to advise, coach, consult, and guide the development of a new educator. The mentor shall assist the educator in meeting the Utah Effective Educator Standards. A mentor may not act as the evaluator of an educator that the mentor is assigned to serve.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-308-2(2) (April 8, 2021)

Utah Admin. Rules R277-308-3 (April 8, 2021)

Learning Opportunities for Professional Educators—

            Each year, each District employee holding a professional educator license shall be provided professional learning opportunities which upon completion would enable the employee to obtain the equivalent of twenty license renewal points as defined by Utah Administrative Rules R277-302-7, including trainings required by state law or State Board of Education rule. The District shall maintain documentation of these professional learning activities or shall provide the documentation to the employee. If an employee does not participate in these activities, the District shall notify the employee and the State Superintendent that the employee is not eligible to use the simplified license renewal provisions provided under Utah Administrative Rules R277-302-4(1)(a).

Utah Admin. Rules R277-302-6 (November 10, 2020)

Professional Learning Standards—

“Professional learning” means a comprehensive, sustained, and evidence-based approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement. Professional development plans shall implement high quality professional learning which meets the following standards:

1. It occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, individual and collective responsibility, and goal alignment;
2. It requires skillful leaders who develop capacity, advocate for professional learning and create support systems for professional learning;
3. It requires prioritizing, monitoring, and coordinating resources for educator learning;
4. It uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and system data to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning;
5. It integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to achieve its intended outcomes;
6. It applies research on change and sustains support for implementation of professional learning for long-term change;
7. It aligns its outcomes with:
   1. Performance standards for teachers and school administrators as described in rules of the State Board of Education and
   2. Performance standards for students as described in the core standards for Utah public schools adopted by the State Board of Education; and
8. It incorporates the use of technology in the design, implementation, and evaluation of high-quality professional learning practices and includes targeted professional learning on the use of technology devices to enhance the teaching and learning environment and the integration of technology in content delivery.

Utah Code § 53G-11-303(1), (2) (2019)