Ms. Nakeia McKiver

Director of Personnel

Email: nakeia.mckiver@robeson.k12.nc.us

(910) 671-6000 ext: 3215

The Public Schools of Robeson County has developed a comprehensive program for the induction of new teachers and plan to manage this program. The Human Resource Specialist acts as the monitor for this program.

The initial licensure program is three years of support and assessment for beginning teachers. The initial license, which is valid for three years, allows the teacher to begin practicing the profession on an independent basis. The teacher is granted or denied a continuing license at the end of the three years. The Beginning Teacher support program will be managed by the Human Resource Specialist, who will work with the Director of Certification, The Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and the Curriculum and Instruction Department. The Director of Certification will verify the eligibility of the Beginning teacher for a continuing license based on the summative evaluation submitted by the principal and in conjunction with input from the school principal.

Required Participants

All beginning teachers are required to participate in the initial licensure program. Initial licenses are issued to teachers with less than three years of appropriate teacher experience (normally considered three years of public school experience) in their initial licensure area. Teachers from states not included in North Carolina reciprocity agreements that have not completed an NCATE – approved teacher education program must participate in the ILP regardless of their length of experience.

Who does not participate?

Teachers with three or more years of appropriate experience are not required to participate in the Beginning Teacher program, nor are student service personnel (i.e., media coordinators, counselors), administrators, and curriculum-instructional specialists. Employers may request an exemption from the initial Licensure Program for teachers with equivalent non-public experience. It is the responsibility of the employer to request the exemption to verify experience. Classroom assignments for which no specific licensure area is mandated are ineligible for satisfying the Beginning Teacher program requirement.

Completing the Beginning Licensure Program requirements in one teaching area satisfies the Beginning Teacher program requirement for all other teaching areas. Once a continuing license has been earned in one teaching area, additional teaching areas do not require a Beginning Teacher experience.

Beginning Teacher Professional Development Plan

Each Beginning teacher must develop a Professional Development Plan in collaboration with his/her principal (or the principal’s designee) and mentor teacher. The plan must include goals, strategies, and assessments of the beginning teacher’s progress in improving professional skills. Throughout the year, formative assessment conferences should be held to reflect on the progress of the initially licensed teacher in meeting the goals established for professional growth. The plan should be updated annually, each year of the Beginning Teacher program. A copy of the plan should be included in the teacher’s Beginning Teacher file.

Observations/Evaluations

In compliance with the Excellent Schools Act and, subsequently, SB 1126 of the 1998 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly, each initially licensed teacher shall be observed at least three times annually by a qualified school administrator or a designee and at least once annually by a teacher. Each observation must be for at least 45 minutes or one continuous period of instructional time and followed by a post-conference. Each must be in the teacher’s licensure area. At least one observation each year must include a pre-conference.

The Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources will provide a calendar and reminders to principals to conduct evaluations on beginning teachers using the following schedule:

The Human Resource Specialist will maintain cumulative files for each Beginning Teacher, including evaluations and PDP. The Human Resources office will promptly comply with the request to transfer a Beginning Teacher’s cumulative file upon request of the teacher or the employing LEA.

Induction

The Human Resource Specialist will be responsible for conducting a formal induction in the summer before school begins. A winter session will be held for newly hired individuals who could not attend the summer induction. This induction will include information on staff development opportunities, mentoring services, curriculum and instruction resources, testing data, and policies and procedures. In compliance with HB 1032, this induction will also include information on working with special needs students.