Description of Service Opportunity:  

This Service Agreement is applicable to Mentor Teachers who are paired with one (1) mentee. The mentoring relationship is shaped by the activities that the Mentor and beginning Teacher participate in together. These activities should help the beginning Teacher improve upon practice and develop an understanding of the Massachusetts Standards of Effective Teaching Practice.

Mentoring activities include (but are not limited to):
- Facilitating a strong start to the year. Mentors can help beginning Teachers launch into a productive year by making sure they know where to obtain all needed materials, are familiar with routines and schedules, and curriculum expectations.
- Providing instructional support. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Meeting regularly (both formally and informally) during the school year to conference, reflect on practice, analyze student data, and plan curriculum and lessons.
- Making regular observation visits to the beginning Teacher’s classroom.
- Modeling instructional strategies and facilitating opportunities for the beginning Teacher to observe other effective Teachers (including those in other schools).
- Teaching (or co-teaching) the beginning Teacher’s class so the beginning teacher can observe the Mentor Teacher.
- Providing guidance on classroom management and how to address behaviors that interfere with learning.
- Analyzing and assessing the beginning Teacher’s practice in relation to the CPS Teacher Rubric in order to help the beginning - - Teacher reflect and improve - and ultimately demonstrate proficient practice across the four standards.
- Videotaping lessons and analyzing the video and reflecting on best practices together.
- Providing professional support. Beginning Teachers need to be informed of district, school, and grade level/content team data and goals.
- Providing personal support. Mentors can help relieve the stress of beginning Teachers by introducing them to other faculty members and helping the beginning Teacher to put problems in perspective with support and encouragement.
- Maintaining a confidential relationship with the beginning Teacher. It is important that the beginning Teacher be able to discuss problems openly with the Mentor, so that they may be addressed in a timely and informed manner. The role of the Mentor is to support the beginning Teacher, not to evaluate them.
- Participating actively in CPS mentoring meetings and maintaining all required documentation.

Those who are selected to serve as Mentors must be willing and able to:
- Participate in a virtual one-hour mentor orientation meeting on 9/26 or 9/27.
- Participate in five virtual mentor meetings over the course of the school year (4:30-6:00 PM on 10/19, 12/7, 2/8, 3/14 & 5/30).
- Maintain accurate documentation of mentoring activities through regular updating and submission of an online mentoring log.

Minimum Requirements:

DESE defines the following eligibility criteria for Mentors. To serve as a CPS Mentor, an educator must:
- Have successfully completed at least three years of experience in a teaching role.
- Have demonstrated effective teaching practice in the classroom as shown by receiving a rating of at least proficient on their most recent evaluation.
- Have demonstrated practice that reflects excellent content knowledge of the MA Curriculum Frameworks and the Standards of Effective Teaching Practice and Educator Evaluation System.
- Be an effective communicator and problem solver, especially when working with colleagues.
- Have demonstrated proficiency in a variety of pedagogical strategies/methods to meet a diverse range of learning needs.
- Be knowledgeable about the professional and community resources in the school and district.
- Be able to maintain a confidential relationship.

Individuals who are selected to serve as Mentors for a new teacher under the New Teacher Induction Program will receive a stipend of $2,000 for serving as a Mentor to a new Teacher during the new Teacher’s 1st year in CPS. Stipends will be paid in two installments (in January and June) upon up-to-date and successful completion of the mentoring responsibilities noted above. Should the mentorship be discontinued for any reason, the stipend will be prorated to reflect the amount of time that the Mentor served in the mentoring role. Possible reasons that a mentorship might be discontinued include, but are not limited to:

- The mentee resigning from their teaching position prior to the end of the school year.
- The mentee being terminated from their teaching position prior to the end of the school year.
- The principal and/or the director of professional learning and leadership reaching a determination that the mentor/mentee relationship is not meeting the needs of the beginning teacher.

Length of Contract:

February 1, 2024 through June 28, 2024

Contract Amount:

Flat Rate $1000.00

Cambridge Public Schools is committed to slowing and/or stopping the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, as a condition of employment with Cambridge Public Schools, all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 no later than their first day of work. Written requests for either a religious exemption from this requirement based on sincerely held religious beliefs, or for a medical exemption based upon clear documentation from a medical provider should be submitted to the attention of the Chief Talent Officer.