Elgin School District U-46 will debut a new program next school year that uses mentoring to improve newer, struggling teachers.
The Peer Assistance and Review Plan, dubbed PAR, was presented to the School Board Monday night, and is funded through a National Education Association Foundation grant.
District officials chose to use the grant to create a peer review process for lower-rated teachers over other programs, said Superintendent Jose Torres.
“We have a shared goal with the (teachers’ union) that every student has an effective teacher,” he said, adding this program will help meet that goal.
Kathryn Castle, president of the Elgin Teachers Association, is part of a team developing the new program by attending education conferences and researching other PAR programs.
By May 30, the team expects to have a panel of teachers and administrators in place that will review possible teachers to participate in PAR, which will officially start in September, Castle said.
Because officials want to start the program off with a manageable number of participants, Castle said only third- and fourth-year teachers with “needs improvement” ratings from state evaluations will be eligible. Third- and fourth-year teachers may also request to be in the program.
“We’re starting small,” Castle said. “It could eventually be available to all teachers.”
The program also meets state requirements for created professional development plans for teachers who receive the “needs improvement” rating, officials said.
Castle explained there’s often a learning gap between new teachers and those just closing in on tenure eligibility — which occurs after a teacher has completed four years in the district — because new teachers already have mentoring programs in place. The PAR program will give third- and fourth-year teachers that same opportunity, she said.
Staff selected to mentor the lower-level teachers must be full-time, certified staff members, and have five or more years of “successful teaching” with at least three of those in U-46, Castle said. They also must have demonstrated leadership abilities through committee work or other mentoring, she said.
School principals will continue to evaluate the PAR participants, who will meet with their mentors at least 45 hours per semester for observations and discussions for one to three years, Castle said. The mentors will also work with the teacher on goals and provide feedback.
Board member Joyce Fountain said she was encouraged by the program because it offers improvement through colleagues.
“I like the building of potential relationships,” she said.
