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NYS Mentor Teacher Internship Program

Questions and Answers Related to the 2008-09 NYS Mentor Teacher Internship Program grant competition

The Release Time Requirement

1. Does the calculation for required release time include only student contact time or does it include lunch or preparations?

Response: Release time refers to reduction of student contact time. Mentoring activities which take place during the mentors’ or interns’ lunch or preparation periods, or before or after school meetings do not meet the requirement for release from instructional time which is mandated by law for teachers and their mentors who are supported by NYS MTIP funded programs. The intent behind this requirement is that participation in NYS-funded MTIP programs will not constitute an additional burden to the participating teachers, that beginning teachers have a lighter instructional load to allow more time for preparation and gathering resources, and that the time configuration allows for lesson observations and reflection on teacher practice.

2. The district is planning 4 days in August of new teacher orientation to district procedures, technology, initiatives.   The new teachers would attend all four days and the mentors invited to attend, but not required.  Could this be considered in the 10% calculation as well?

Response:  No. While an important professional development activity and good start to the mentoring effort, teacher orientation prior to the beginning of the school year may not accrue towards the 10% release time requirement.

3. The district has 5 days of Staff Development scheduled for next year. All are focused on developing mastery in the district's instructional and classroom management initiatives.  Our new teachers and their mentors would be scheduled to spend the days together so that they would receive common information and also affording them time for reflection and discussion.  Could this be considered as part of the required 10% release from instructional duties?

Response: No. Staff development days represent dedicated professional development time, not instructional time, from which the 10% release must be applied for the MTIP participants.

 Mentor Selection

1. If a qualified mentor is also a department chair and mentors an intern within the department, then that department chair can find himself with a conflict of interest.   A department chair in our school is responsible for curriculum and therefore, provides the very essence of what a new teacher needs in order to know exactly what to instruct.  If that same department chair observes a problem with a new teacher jeopardizing the integrity of the curriculum or sees poor student scores, the dept chair finds himself at a crossroads.  As a mentor, he is unable to fulfill his job as a department chair and discuss student data results with the principal or supervisor in regards to curriculum because this would breach the level of confidentiality that is expected of our mentors.  And what if the other member of the department does not desire a mentoring role or does not fill the criteria of being a strong master teacher?

 Response: The issue of a department chair acting as a mentor may be problematic from the perspective of confidentiality as you describe and it is within the local purview to opt to avoid this design within the MTIP cadre of beginning teachers to be served. This would be something to discuss with others in the district who are involved in developing the proposal, including teacher union representatives. (Depending on the mentoring plan which is described in the district’s PDP plan; this may not be an issue for beginning teachers who are not served through MTIP).  You will also need to look at this from another MTIP perspective: Mentors who provide support under MTIP in a part-time capacity may do so up to 40% of their time, the remainder of their duties must be in teaching. If a department chair acts as mentor under MTIP, he or she would be in violation if his or her duties as chair are carried out during the school day.

        A teacher must demonstrate willingness to be a mentor; this is one of the criteria included in MTIP statutory provisions; no one can or should be assigned to be a mentor who does not wish to be.

2. Is it possible for us to assign a mentor to an intern of a different certificate title if we find that the mentor candidate is a master of pedagogical skills; has [excellent subject matter skills];  superior teaching abilities;  strong interpersonal qualities and has a willingness to participate in the program?

Response: It is possible to assign a mentor to an intern in a different certificate title. If the district wishes to assign an out of title mentor, a Request for Variance of Mentor Qualifications must be completed and submitted with the application to the Office of Teaching Initiatives or as soon as the need arises.

3. On Section V of the rubric, the second bullet indicated that the narrative should include "demonstrable evidence for each of the following mentor characteristics” Will you further explain your expectations for this section?

Response: Reviewers will be looking for criteria or evidence which the district identifies as proof of the presence of the particular characteristic in the mentor candidate. For example: interpersonal relationship qualities may be demonstrated through peer recommendations.

Multi-year funding

1. Now that the Mentor Teacher Internship Program has been established as a multi-year funding source, will a district that does not apply in 2008-2009 have an opportunity to apply in 2009-2010?

Response: Applicants will have another opportunity to apply in 2009-10 ONLY if additional funding becomes available.  The RFP explains that if there is an increase in the total statewide allocation for the MTIP grant competition in Year 2 (2009-2010); Year 3 (2010-2011), or Year 4 (2011-2012) of the cycle, the increased dollars will be reserved for proposals from districts which did not participate in Year 1 (2008-2009) or prior year in the cycle. A Request for Proposals will be re-issued for eligible districts and BOCES and a full review will be conducted. Funding will continue for the remaining years of the four year cycle.

 Maximum grant award requests

 1. We hire between 30-40 new teachers every year...with the formula stated in the doc, this grant would only provide for 15 new hires ( 15 X 5000 = $75,000) based on the size of our district (population 48,000).  We are a high needs district with over 6200 students.   We are the largest district in the area. The fact that we are high needs district, can I request funding for 30 to 40 new hires? 

Should the 2008-09 MTIP grant proposals of Tier 3 school districts be limited to the expressed cap of $75,000?  If more than $75,000 becomes available to Tier 3 school districts later on, will those schools who did not apply for more than the cap be at a disadvantage?

Response: The district may demonstrate additional need in terms of number to be served on the Funding Request Form page; however, $75,000 is the maximum grant award in Tier 3 category of districts available if the proposal is successful in the competition.  Occasionally, funding becomes available once the project year gets underway, if grant awards, in part or in full, are turned back by the recipient district. If additional funds become available, the Department may implement  a competitive application process in consideration of requests for additional funding based on need.

2. The grant refers to Median Teacher Salary…what is it?

Response: Median Teacher Salary is an estimated salary across the state which at which half of teachers’ salaries across the state are above and half are below. This is used in determination of grant awards in that it represents a reasonable basis on which to estimate program costs which reflect statutorily prescribed reimbursement to districts for replacement teacher costs. Historically, the majority of costs to districts for MTIP programs goes for replacement teacher  and other personnel costs  associated with implementing the MTIP model of teacher mentoring.

This does not mean that each new teacher is given or allocated $5000; it is simply a means of calculating grant award amounts which will reflect actual costs to districts to implement these programs . Actual costs per teacher may be a little more or less,  depending on other local features of the MTIP program, and may not nor is it intended to meet the entire need of the district in terms of teachers to be served. Given the need statewide and limited statewide funding allocation, local district support for mentoring is necessary in the majority of districts.

Allowable expenditures

1. I am retiring as Mentor Coordinator.  I have had this full-time position for 6 years.  July, August and September are critical times for the program.  This is the time to make matches, introduce the aspects and requirements of the program, discuss confidentiality and often the beginning of the year brings many questions and concerns.  I would like to submit a stipend into the grant for me to serve as a mentor for the new coordinator for those critical months.  Is this permissible expense under the salaries section? 

Response: Yes. Program coordination costs are allowable expenditures and since the project year begins July 1, expenditures could be charged to MTIP, once the district receives notification that a grant has been awarded under the 2008-2009 competition.

2. Travel Expenses - Can we include costs of conferences and workshops for mentor/intern pairings or is this strictly for mentor coordinators? What can and can not be included?

Response: Professional development costs, such as workshops, conferences, seminars for mentors and interns can and should be supported by MTIP funds, as indicated by the project assessment of mentor and intern needs.  Registration fees, mileage, airfare, lodging and meals all may be charged to the MTIP budget, assuming approval by the program office, the Office of Teaching Initiatives.

Accessing the Request for Proposals (Application) forms  

1. How do we access all the forms needed prior to writing the grant for 2008-2009? We are a “continuing” district and understand that we must write the narrative this year.

Response: The Request for Proposals materials, that is, the application forms for the 2008-2009 NYS Mentor Teacher Internship Program grant competition, may be accessed at the following URL: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/pdf/rfpmentor0809.pdf. This URL is located on the Office of Teaching Initiatives website. The materials are available in PDF format, to be printed locally.

2. I would like to know if I can still apply for the Mentor Teacher-Internship Program grant ? I just received this information a few minutes ago. I would like to know, if this is the same program that is offered through colleges in NYC like Mercy College? Are there other colleges that are in competition for the same grants? Can an individual apply for the same programs?

Response: The duration of this year’s grant competition is March 26, 2008 until May 16, 2008. All proposals to be considered for review and funding must be received in the Office of Teaching Initiatives with a postmark of May 16, 2008. We are currently within the competition period.

Neither individuals nor colleges and universities are eligible to apply for funding under the NYS Mentor Teacher Internship Program. Public school districts and BOCES are the only eligible applicants for this funding. Please see the following URL address on the Office of Teaching Initiatives for more information about this grant program: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/mentorinternship.htm#1.

Eligibility of participants

1. Our district is presently implementing a Mentor Teacher Internship Program grant. During the current school year, the district hired three new teachers who have participated in the current program (since February 2008). Can those teachers who have participated for only a portion of the current year be included in our estimates of the number of intern teachers to be served through MTIP funds in 2008-2009?

Response: Yes. Those teachers could be supported by MTIP funding up through December 2008 only, that is, the first half of the next project year. 

2. May a teacher who has taught previously in another district be considered an “intern” if he or she is in his or her first or second year at a district applying for a 2008-2009 Mentor Teacher Internship Program grant?

Response: If the teacher is in his or her first or second year in teaching, the teacher may be supported by MTIP funding in the applicant district. However, if the teacher has had two or more years of teaching in any district, he or she is not eligible to be served through MTIP funds and should not be included in the estimated number of interns to be served in a 2008-2009 MTIP project. These teachers should be supported through local efforts and funding.

 3. On page  of the RFP, the definition of the intern states that he or she must be full-time with no great than a 90% instructional assignment and be in his or her first or second year of service,. Does this mean that interns supported in a 2007-2008 NYS Mentor Teacher Internship (NYS MTIP) project can be supported with a 2008-09 NYS MTIP project in the same district as second year interns?

Response: No.  A teacher can only be supported with NYS MTIP funding one year. If the district deems additional years of support is desirable, this support needs to be provided through local district resources. 

4. Our Mentor-Teacher Program is a 2-year program.  According to the Part 85 Regulations, an intern is a person who has not participated in the mentor teacher-internship program in the previous year.  Can you further define this in relationship to a 2-year program?  In other words, if a district has a 2-year program, can we ask for support with stipends for mentors of the same intern for 2 years?

Response: No. MTIP funds can only support a teacher one year. Local district funds must be used for additional years’ support for any one teacher.

5. Beacon has been awarded the Mentor Teacher Internship grant for the last two years and had some difficulties meeting the terms for direct contact time between intern and mentor resulting in a partial give back of funds. In meeting with my new teachers and planning the program for next year I’ve identified a need for our intern related service providers; psychologists, speech language pathologists, social workers and guidance counselors to receive very individualized mentor support by mentors with the same certification areas and project I would have far greater success with meeting the 10% weekly meeting time with this group.  Would the grant be considered if it targeted one subgroup of professionals rather than all new teachers?

Response: Yes. The statute and regulations pertinent to the NYS Mentor Teacher Internship Program (MTIP) allow local discretion as to the beginning teachers in the district who will be “targeted” for support through MTIP funding in a given project year; e.g. a particular grade level; elementary or secondary level; or a content area. Beginning teachers holding certificates in the area of pupil personnel services area; e.g. school counselor; school psychologist; may be served through MTIP providing all compliance provisions are met.  Caution: If serving individuals in the PPS titles,  the district needs to adhere to any professional standards in place for these student support providers, particularly pertaining to student confidentiality in counseling situations, as with MTIP,  replacement PPS staff take over the assigned students for the PPS professionals. 

Application format

1. With the 10 page narrative limitation are the pages to be single or double-spaced; may a 10 or 11 point font be used; may Arial Narrow be used; may footnotes/references be in 8 and 10 point?

Response: It is suggested that a 10 or 12 point Arial type font or 12 point Times New Roman type font be used for the proposal narrative.  It may be single or double-spaced.

2. It appears that one cannot use a laptop to fill in the application. Is that correct? Must we print it or use a typewriter?

Response: The pages of the application which require specific data, such as the Cover Sheet or Mentor Selection Committee form, may be typed if possible or printed (legibly please). However, upon request, selected pages of the application, included those mentioned above, can be sent to the applicant district as Word documents if absolutely necessary. All such request should be sent to MTIPRFP@mail.nysed.gov. 

3. I have some documents that I believe would clarify or enhance the description on the text of the grant.  However, if I embed them in the document, it will take considerable space from the allowable ten pages.  If I use a supplemental section of the grant, I am interrupting the flow of reading for the Reader.  Which is the best format to use when adding documents to the grant?

Response: Significant documents may be attached as appendices to the proposal narrative and not included in the allowable ten pages. However, reviewers will be looking for the full description for each narrative item for thoroughness; they are not obliged to look beyond the actual narrative for completeness of response.

Proposal Narrative

1. Section VIII - There is no 'b' listed, just an  a and c.  I just wanted to make sure that there isn't something missing?

Response:  That is correct, there are only two items in Section VIII. There is an error in the lettering.

1. Is there are notification timeline once the grant deadline has passed?

 Response: We anticipate notification to be in early August, subject to change.

 Miscellaneous

1. When answering grant questions that require mentioning committees, such as advisory/ selection, is it necessary to list the members for each question every time, or can the list of members go in the appendices, to be referred to by the reader?

Response: It is not necessary to list the names of any advisory or steering committee for every question. For an advisory/steering committee, it is recommended that you list the membership once, either in Program Management, if they are involved in program coordination or as an appendix. For Mentor Selection Committee members, their names must be placed in the appropriate form from the RFP (application).

4/25/08