Please click the link below for the MVUSD Induction Program e-news:

 

Mentoring Matters for December 2021

Please click the link below for the MVUSD Induction Program e-news:

 

Mentoring Matters for November 2021

Please click the link below for the MVUSD Induction Program e-news:

 

Mentoring Matters for September 2021

 

Here is your Mentor Matters e-news for April 2021, to keep you better informed about MVUSD Induction program news and events. 

 

It’s Colloquium Time! 

It’s that time of year again when we prepare to celebrate the efforts of our Induction candidates and provide an opportunity to have them share the results of their professional inquiry projects. If you have a year-two candidate at your site, you will soon receive your formal invitation to join us on Wednesday, May 19, from 4-6pm, for our virtual event. We look forward to seeing you! 

 

Teacher Support Network (TSN) Is Here! 

It’s official! PAR is now Teacher Support Network (TSN). The Joint Committee, after a great deal of consideration and effort, negotiated this transformation in order to reduce the wariness and trepidation many teachers felt about participating in PAR. Much of this was simply due to misconceptions about PAR and its ties to the evaluation system. It is our hope that the new title might afford a fresh start to the program and the support it can offer to any permanent teacher looking for coaching and professional learning options.  

 

Accreditation Update 

We submitted our Common Standards in late February and are on track for our site visit next fall. We officially received our site visit date, which will be October 11-13, 2021. A committee from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialling will visit our program during this time and will conduct interviews with all stakeholders, including district and site administrators, induction program leadership, mentors, and candidates. We are looking forward to the review and receiving feedback about our program. 

 

Wellness Support 

We continue to hear about the need for SEL for Teachers. We also hear stories of the incredible stress and anxiety teachers, administrator, and all of our staff members continue to labor under due to the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in due to the pandemic. Education Services will do its part by re-offering our Introduction to Mindfulness training next month on Wednesday, May 5, at 4pm. All teachers AND administrators are welcomed to attend, even if they have attended previously. Please encourage your staff members who may be experiencing a little emotional overload to join. It is a great way to find some strategies to find balance while getting paid! Registration information in the Workshop Opportunities section below. 

 

Workshop Opportunities for May 

We have the following trainings coming up over the next few weeks: 

 

• Wellness Wednesdays Most Wednesdays (except holidays), 4:00-4:20pm 
• Introduction to Mindfulness, Wednesday, May 5, 4:00-6:00 
• Know Your CalSTRS, Tuesday, May 11, 3:30-4:30 
• Task Management, Wednesday, May 12, 4:00-5:00  
• Tech Support for Teachers Retiring or Leaving the District This Year, TBD 

We also have several online trainings and training resources that can be accessed at any time. To register for these or any training opportunities, teachers can access the Canvas MVUSD Professional Development Course HERE. 

 

Support Stats 

As you may have heard, our program is bigger than expected this year! Here are the current numbers: 

Assigned Mentors: 47 

Year 1 Induction Candidates: 16 

Year 2 Induction Candidates: 28 

Early Completion Induction Candidates: 2 

Intern Candidates (Including STSP & PIP): 11 

TPSL Candidates (Long-Term Subs): 6 

Newly Hired Future Induction Candidates: 4 

 

Thank you for your support! 

Mentor Training and Evaluation System 

One of the hallmarks of the Murrieta Valley Induction Program is the effectiveness of its mentors. They are consistently cited by our candidates and other stakeholders for the quality of the support they provide. Research suggests that one of the most important factors that impacts the success of a new teacher is weekly collaboration with an effective mentor. Therefore, it is imperative that mentors be well-trained and provided on-going, formative feedback to help them continue to grow and develop their craft in supporting teachers.  

The Murrieta Valley USD Mentor evaluation and training system consists of three components: 

1. Mentor Professional Development:

Initial and ongoing training is essential to develop quality mentoring skills. Our mentor training includes the following: 

• New Mentor Training  
• Returning Mentor Training 
• Cognitive Coaching & Adult Learning Theory 
• Ongoing Training Modules  
• Mid-Year Follow Up Training (as needed) 
• Mandatory Online Iris Modules 

• Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Module for all mentors 
• Special Education Mentors Module 

2. Mentor Evaluation and Retention:

All MVUSD mentors will re-apply on a 3-year cycle. The re-application process is modified compared to the original process for becoming a mentor, and includes an Intent to Continue and a Principal Recommendation. Three cohorts based on hire dates will cycle through the re-application process starting this spring. 

3. Mentor Individual Learning Plan Process:

The Mentor Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is designed to individualize the professional learning experience to meet mentor needs and provide an opportunity for customized feedback from program leadership. The Mentor ILP is initiated in the fall during a webinar to support mentors through an overview of the process of using the Mentor Continuum of Practice and Mentor ILP. Mentors consider evidence/data from the prior year (survey, ILPs, Exit Interview, mini-inquiries, CTPs, video observations, site administrator feedback) to reflect on their practice, and then conduct a self-assessment using the Mentor Continuum of Practice focusing on 2-3 standards per year. This self-assessment guides mentors toward identifying a focus question and goal for inquiry. They then choose from a menu of professional development options to support their inquiries, providing them with multiple options and ensuring they can explore a learning experience that will be tailored to their needs. 

Upon completion of the inquiry, mentors will then do a post-assessment on the Continuum followed by a reflection on the ILP. The ILP is then submitted in the Mentor Training course in Canvas, where program leadership will review the ILP and provide feedback. 

Check out the Mentor Continuum of Practice by clicking the link HERE  (Links to an external site)and the Mentor Individual Learning Plan by clicking the link HERE. (Links to an external site)  

Wellness Support 

The weeks leading up to winter break have always created bit of a slump in the education world, but the current challenges are creating stressors for students and staff beyond anything many have experienced. As many of you are aware, we have been offering mindfulness workshops to help support the well-being of our staff members. There is nearly 40 years of research demonstrating that mindfulness practice has a positive impact on stress reduction and self-regulation. It can promote awareness and attention focus, and help educators and other school staff maintain motivation and commitment during challenging and stressful times.  

We will be following up on the training we have offered for staff with weekly “Wellness Wednesdays.” This will be a brief, 15-minute session that is designed to help keep those who participated on track with the practice by focusing in on one of the strategies and helping everyone stay on course. It is open to anyone who would like to join live, and will be recorded for those who cannot attend at the scheduled time (see Workshop Opportunities below for time and registration info). 

Additionally, many of our teachers who have been learning about mindfulness have wanted to bring the practice back to their classrooms to help support Social-Emotional Learning. There is a growing body of research suggesting that, like it has done for adults, mindfulness may have promising impacts for students.

We will be offering a training on December 10 to support teachers who would like to learn effective strategies for introducing this to the classroom as a positive addition to SEL programming.  

 

Workshop Opportunities 

We have the following trainings coming up over the next few weeks: 

Wellness Wednesdays Every Wednesday (except holidays), 12:15-12:30 

Google 101 11/19/20, 3-5pm 

Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Should Know 12/3/20, 3-4:30pm  

Teaching Mindfulness to Students 12/10/20, 3-5pm  

We also have several online trainings and training resources that can be accessed at any time. To register for these or any training opportunities, teachers can access the Canvas MVUSD Professional Development Course HERE. 

 

Support Stats 

As you may have heard, our program is bigger than expected this year! Here are the numbers: 

Assigned Mentors: 47 

Year 1 Induction Candidates: 18 

Year 2 Induction Candidates: 29 

Intern Candidates (Including STSP & PIP): 10 

TPSL (Long-Term Subs): 3 

 

 

Happy Friday! 

Here is your Mentor Matters e-news to keep you better informed about MVUSD Induction program news and events. 

 

Meet the New ILP 

We have updated and streamlined our Individual Learning Plan (ILP) in response to feedback from mentors and candidates in order to make the induction experience both more relevant and easier to navigate. We made these changes based on feedback we were receiving on our mid- and end-of-year surveys. 

 

The ILP serves as a “roadmap” for candidates as they develop professional goals and develop inquiries that help them with long-term analysis of their teaching practice. It is grounded in the California Standards for the Teaching Profession, and is designed to help candidates develop growth toward mastery of the standards while fostering reflective practice and an understanding of how to use inquiry for lifelong learning.  

 

The ILP is comprised of four stages, including goal setting, two mini-inquiries, an action research project, and a final reflection. Candidates have the opportunity to observe peers during their work on their ILP, and they are also observed by their mentors, both via video and onsite, on multiple occasions as they implement new strategies throughout the inquiry process. Candidates complete an ILP during each year of their induction participation.  

 

Click HERE to see our new ILP document.  

 

Accreditation Update 

The Murrieta Valley Induction Program (MVIP) takes part in the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing's 7-year accreditation cycle. We are currently in year five of the cycle, which means our site visit will take place next fall. In preparation for this visit, we recently submitted our program’s Preconditions document, which was approved by the Committee on Accreditation (COA) in August. This week, we submitted an in-depth Program Review, which will be reviewed by the COA in the coming weeks. Our leadership team will be updating and submitting our Common Standards document in February as a final step in preparation for the visit. We will continue to update you as all of our stakeholders will be involved (e.g. participating in interviews and other evidence gathering activities) as part of the COA’s accreditation process. 

 

Save the Date—Colloquium Scheduled for May 19, 2021 

We will host this year’s Year 2 Candidate Colloquium on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. All mentors, candidates, and site administrators with year 2 candidates are asked to attend this event where we recognize and celebrate efforts of our induction program graduates. Colloquium always proves to be an inspirational experience as candidates share the creative ways they advanced teaching and learning in their classrooms with support of their mentors. It is too early to say whether we will host our traditional onsite event or go virtual again as we did last year—either way, we look forward to seeing you there! 

 

Workshop Opportunities 

We have the following trainings coming up over the next few weeks: 

Understanding Culturally Responsive Pedagogy 10/29/20, 3-5pm 

Exploring Universal Design for Learning 11/5/20, 3-5pm  

 

We also have several online trainings and training resources that can be accessed at any time. To register for these or any training opportunities, teachers can access the Canvas MVUSD Professional Development Course HERE. 

 

Support Stats 

As you may have heard, our program is bigger than expected this year! Here are the numbers: 

Assigned Mentors: 44 

Year 1 Induction Candidates: 17 

Year 2 Induction Candidates: 30 

Intern Candidates (Including STSP & PIP): 10 

TPSL (Long-Term Subs): 3 

Thank you for your support—enjoy the weekend! 

 

Happy Thursday—Enjoy the Long Weekend!  

 

Induction Progress Reports 

Please be on the lookout for Induction Program Progress Reports, which will be emailed to you from Erica Franklin in the coming weeks. These reports are designed to keep you informed about candidate participation only—there will be no information shared about teaching performance. They will include an update on: 

• Individual Learning Plans 
• Fall Mini-Inquiry Completion 

• Collaboration Hours 
• Attendance 

These are designed to help assure you that your new teachers are on track to complete credential requirements, and are part of our Induction Standards that keep us partnered with you in the induction process. 

 

Spring Professional Development 

We typically share our workshop opportunities as part of our monthly newsletter, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, we will not be offering our planned modules this semester. However, Sue and Sean are available to come to sites to offer any of the previously planned topics during your staff development sessions or to grade level teams/departments during PLCs upon request. For example, we have been out to sites to offer everything from Thinking Maps to Universal Design for Learning.  We can also provide topics such as Teach Like a Champion, Creating Effective Learning Environments/Managing Behaviors, Engaging Families, Mindfulness, and much more. Contact Sean or Sue to discuss possible training options and check on availability. 

 

Induction Data 

We recently conducted our Mid-Year Candidate Survey and are vey pleased with the results. Based on the feedback, it’s clear that despite the size of our program, candidates are feeling very well supported by their mentors. Our focus on ensuring mentors and candidates are meeting collaboration hour targets is clearly having an impact, as is our training on cognitive coaching and supporting the inquiry process.  

 

One area that we will need to continue to work on is mentor-candidate match ups by site as well as by subject-area and grade level. As we shared during our site visits, this will require us to continue to recruit new mentors to increase availability at sites so that we can better match new candidates. We had too many cases where lack of mentor availability meant matching candidates to mentors from other sites and outside of their subject area or grade level. While feedback was typically still positive in terms of the quality of the mentoring such candidates received, they frequently expressed a desire to have an onsite mentor at their grade level or subject area who could provide more subject-/content-specific support. 

 

Below are some highlights from the survey results: 

 

"MVUSD and the Induction program do an amazing job of supporting teachers.  I have never seen so many resources available in such a wide variety." 

 

"After completing an Induction Program outside of this district (through Riverside County), I was very impressed at how everything is put together here. It wasn't the "busy work" I had experienced previously. It has been meaningful, purposeful and relevant to my current assignment." 

 

"The mini-inquiries are perfect because they allow me to see how I teach on camera and I receive immediate feedback from my mentor to improve right away." 

 

"I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my small group instruction, but after collaborating with my mentor, watching videos, observing colleagues, and going to trainings, I have tried a lot of different methods in my small group instruction. It has been very insightful." 

 

"My mentor is truly a gift. Getting to share my struggles and receive advice for relevant issues is amazing." 

 

"Having an induction mentor that I'm fortunate enough to work so closely with has been the best part of the services and support that I have received. She has always been there for me and I feel so grateful to have her expertise, support and simply just a person to talk to at times." 

 

"There are too many benefits to list them all here (guidance, support, etc.). If I had to pick the most important for me, it would simply be just having someone there for me. Last year, in my previous school, I felt like I was on an island. I don't feel that way here." 

 

Support Stats 

As you may have noticed, our program has grown! Here are the current numbers: 

Mentors: 71 

Year 1 Induction Candidates: 33 

Year 2 Induction Candidates: 27 

New Hire Candidates: 47 

Intern Candidates (Including STSP & PIP): 17 

TPSL (Long-Term Subs): 8 

 

Thank you for your support—enjoy the weekend 

Happy Friday!  

Site Visits 

Sue and I are wrapping up our visits to each of the sites. It has been great meeting with each principal to hear how your new teachers are doing and learn how we can better serve them through our mentoring and professional development efforts. We know how busy school leaders are, so we not only appreciate the time principals take to work with us in the endeavor, but we are always amazed by how attuned they are to the needs of new staff. It greatly enhances our ability to customize support. 

Got Behaviors? 

Grappling with challenging behaviors seems to be the issues of the day, for new and veteran teachers alike. Our Teach Like a Champion and Creating Effective Learning Environments trainings addressed many of the issues that teachers are struggling with, but unfortunately, many teachers did not have an opportunity to attend these when they were offered this past summer and earlier this fall. While we will be offering them again in the spring, and making them available as an online training opportunity soon, we know many teachers want help sooner--and that you may also hoping to have options for your staff to explore during the January Professional Development breakout sessions. To this end, we are working to develop a menu of online resources that will be accessible for teams to explore under the theme “Managing Challenging Behaviors.” We will share how you and your teachers can access these once they are available so that they can be investigated during the breakout sessions in January.  

Managing Professional Responsibilities 

As you may have heard, we have been offering a series of professional development opportunities for staff members geared toward California Standard for the Teaching Profession 6.6: Managing Professional Responsibilities to Maintain Motivation and Commitment to All Students. In the induction world, this standard focuses on maintaining energy and resiliency so that teachers can continue to meet the needs of their students. Supporting the physical and mental health of staff members is essential to meeting this objective.  Our well-being series focuses on some key areas that can help staff members maintain balance and keep regulated in the face of the many stressors encountered in the world of education. Topics include mindfulness, email and task management, and effective communication—all geared toward supporting stress reduction and emotional well-being (see the workshop opportunities below for specific information).  

I am often asked by administrators if they can join in on any of these sessions—and the answer, of course, is yes! In fact, administrators also have a standard related to their mental and physical health: CSPEL 5A-5: Sustain personal motivation, commitment, energy and health by balancing personal and professional responsibilities. Please consider using the registration links to join in on these or any other trainings you might be interested in—and note that if you are unable to come to any of the sessions coming up next month, we will be offering them again next semester! 

Workshop Opportunities 

We have the following trainings coming up over the next month: 

 

Teaching for Depth Using the 5 Practice with Word Problems, 11/20/19, 4-6pm  

 

Stress Free Email and Task Management, 11/21/19, 4-6pm 

 

Advanced Mindfulness, 12/5/19, 4-6pm  

 

Thinking Maps Frame of Reference Webinar, 12/12/19, 4-5pm  

 

Fractions for Understanding, 12/18/19, 4-6pm 

 

We also have several online trainings that can be taken at any time. To register for these or any training opportunities, teachers can access our Professional Learning Hub HERE. 

Support Stats 

As you may have noticed, our program has grown! Here are the current numbers: 

Mentors: 71 

Year 1 Induction Candidates: 33 

Year 2 Induction Candidates: 27 

New Hire Candidates: 46 

Intern Candidates (Including STSP & PIP): 16 

TPSL (Long-Term Subs): 5 

Thank you for your support—enjoy the weekend! 

 

Happy Friday!  

We are reinventing our blog (formerly the MVUSD Induction Junction) as a monthly email blast to keep you better informed about program events now that mentoring support has expanded well beyond the induction world.  

 

Classroom Observations 

One of the most powerful professional learning experiences is observation. Our induction candidates are required to BOTH observe other accomplished colleagues AND be observed by their mentor to receive formative feedback as part of their credentialing requirements. Observations of colleagues take place once in the fall and again in the spring, and we encourage them to do this with their mentors so that they can debrief on the observed strategies and classroom environments. Mentors also observe their candidates in person in the fall and spring, as well as through video, providing formative feedback to support mini-inquiries and Individual Learning Plans. Our induction program provides the release time for these classroom observations (candidates and their mentors receive 2 release days per year under LCAP Induction), and while we know it can be a challenge to be away from the classroom, the power of observation and formative feedback makes it worth the investment. While the observations are only required for induction candidates, we also make it an option for interns and non-induction new hires. 

 

Teaching Channel 

In support of our candidate coaching efforts, our induction program now has its own Teaching Channel platform for video-based coaching. While the Teaching Channel has long been used as a great resource for professional learning, our private space can be used for candidates and mentors to upload, view and annotate videos of their own classroom observations—all with complete privacy. This provides mentors an opportunity to make additional virtual observations of their candidates without having to take more release time, and then provide timely, formative feedback online. We recently provided a training for candidates and mentors where they learned how to use the system and created a private collaborative area where they could work within the platform. We hope this becomes a tool that more teachers have the opportunity to access to advance teaching and learning in their classrooms—we will keep you posted! 

 

Workshop Opportunities 

We have the following trainings coming up over the next month: 

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Part 1, 10/24/19, 4-6pm 

OneNote Class Notebook , Part 3 Training , 10/29/19 , 4-6pm  

Math Discourse  (SMP #3&6) , 11/5/19 , 4-6pm  

Introduction to Mindfulness , 11/7/19 , 4-6pm  

Difficult Conversations, Webinar , 11/13/19  

 

We also have several online trainings that can be taken at any time. To register for these or any training opportunities, teachers can access or Professional Learning Hub HERE. 

 

Support Stats 

As you may have noticed, our program has grown! Here are the numbers: 

Year 1 Induction Candidates: 33 

Year 2 Induction Candidates: 27 

Non-Induction New Hire Candidates: 46 

Intern Candidates (Including STSP & PIP): 16 

TPSL (Long-Term Subs): 5 

Teacher Support Network (TSN) aka: Voluntary PAR: 5

Mentors: 71

 

 

Thank you for your support—enjoy the weekend! 

Sue Hall Named District Support Person of the Year for 2016-17!

 

Induction Program Coordinator Sue Hall was recognized at last week’s District and Site Employee of the Year celebration for her outstanding service to all of the teachers of the Murrieta Valley School District.  Superintendent Patrick Kelley shared how much her tireless efforts meant to the lives of teachers and their students.  In addition to her work in the induction program, Sue supports the implementation of the district’s intervention programs, including Read 180, Math 180, and System 44, and is an advocate for the special education and foster youth programs.  Sue also faced an extra challenge last school year running the Induction Program while Staff Development Coordinator and Induction Program Director Sean McCarthy was on leave during the spring semester.  This was a much deserved recognition for the wonderful work Sue does on behalf of teachers and students!

 

Mentors Named Site Employees of the Year

In addition to Sue Hall, some of our outstanding induction mentors were also honored as their school site's employees of the year.  These included Ocean Walker from Dorothy McElhinney Middle School, who teaches intervention programs, and PE teacher Emily Ham and mathematics teacher Jennifer Uecke-Barnett who are both at Thompson Middle School.  We are so proud to count them among our excellent mentor teachers!

 

Network Meetings in Full Swing

 

The new Induction standards are in full implementation, and with that a new program-wide focus on mentoring and individualized support that began last year with the current class of Year 2 candidates.  Our monthly sessions now revolve around Network Meetings that provide candidates an opportunity to explore key components and assess themselves against essential standards as a springboard to launching into professional inquiry.  

 

Our 21 Year One Candidates have already had a busy Induction experience, starting with their Orientation, which, in addition to an overview of the program and its requirements, included an acceptable use talk from Director of Technology Ken Balliger who explored the do's and don'ts' of digital interactions with parents and students. Candidates also had the opportunity to attain their Social Media clearance at this orientation.  We also launched right into our first Network Meeting inquiry topic: How Do I Create Safe and Effective Learning Environments for My Students?  This provided candidates an opportunity to immediately interact with and connect with their mentors while becoming familiar with using the Continuum of Teaching Practice as a tool for self-assessment and reflection. The September Network Meeting gave the candidates a chance to do a little review while jumping into the next Component: How Do I Collaborate with Families, Colleagues, and/or the Community to Support Teacher and Student Learning?  

 

For our 22 Year 2 Candidates, the September Network Meeting was also jam packed. In addition to reviewing program requirements, Candidates were introduced to their Action Research Project requirements, which will be the focus of their efforts during the fall semester.  These projects will give them an opportunity to do a deep dive into a topic of their choice to enhance teaching and learning in their classroom while also developing their ability to conduct effective professional action research and inquiry. After this introduction, they then explored the September Year 2 Component: How Do I Design and Deliver Culturally Responsive Pedagogy?