                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

MENTOR TEACHER PROGRAMS (§ 22.1-305.1)

A. The Board of Education shall establish, from such funds as may be
appropriated by the General Assembly, mentor teacher programs utilizing
specially trained public school teachers as mentors to provide assistance and
professional support to teachers entering the profession and to improve the
performance of experienced teachers who are not performing at an acceptable
level.
			The Board shall issue guidelines for such mentor teacher programs and shall
set criteria for beginning and experienced teacher participation, including
self-referral, and the qualifications and training of mentor teachers. Such
guidelines shall provide that the mentor programs be administered by local
school boards, with the assistance of an advisory committee made up of teachers,
principals, and supervisors, and that mentors (i) be classroom teachers who have
achieved continuing contract status and who work in the same building as the
teachers they are assisting or be instructional personnel who are assigned
solely as mentors; (ii) be assigned a limited number of teachers at one time;
however, instructional personnel who are not assigned solely as mentors should
not be assigned to more than four teachers at one time; and (iii) guide teachers
in the program through demonstrations, observations, and consultations to
promote instructional excellence. Local school boards shall strive to provide
adequate release time for mentor teachers during the contract day.

B. The local school board shall serve as fiscal agent for the participating
school boards in matters concerning the mentor teacher programs. The Department
of Education shall allocate, from such funds as are appropriated, moneys to
participating school divisions for the purpose of supporting such programs which
shall include, but not be limited to, compensation for mentor teachers.

HISTORY: 1989, c. 516; 1999, cc. 1030, 1037; 2013, cc. 588, 650.