September 2014

Beginning Educator Support Program

  1. Purpose: Based on research that demonstrates that “the single greatest leverage point for assuring that all students achieve at high levels is the quality of the teacher in the classroom” (Berry, 2004), the purpose of the Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) program is to:
  • accelerate early-career educator growth in instructional or leadership effectiveness;
  • retain novices in Washington’s public schools; and
  • develop instructional leadership among veteran educators serving as mentors.
  1. Description of services provided: A high quality induction and mentoring program moves new teachers beyond mere survival to increasingly positive impacts on student learning (Villar, 2005 and 2007). BEST grantee districts and regional consortia are tasked with implementing the following research-based program components:
  • orientation to school and district culture and expectations;
  • assignment of a qualified instructional mentor;
  • development of a Professional Growth Plan aligned with Professional Certification
    standards of performance;
  • release time for the mentor to observe and provide feedback to the mentee; and
  • professional development designed specifically for novices (e.g. classroom management, assessment for learning, tailoring instruction to learner needs, etc.).

FY 13 - $1 million and 0.30 FTE

Of the $1 million allocated for FY 2014, $250,000 is set aside to benefit school districts throughout the state by providing access to high quality professional development for instructional mentors through the OSPI Mentor Academy Series. This training focuses on mentor acquisition of the specific knowledge and skills (including cognitive coaching) necessary to assist new teachers in becoming as effective as possible as early as possible in their careers.

Mentor Academy occurs over three days and provides mentors with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective supports to new teachers. During the past year, 123 mentors were trained from districts all across the state. In addition, 48 experienced Academy graduates attended a two-day event focused on mentoring for cultural proficiency.

The seven districts were funded to serve 232 first year teachers and also included 39 second year teachers, even though their participation was unfunded.

In order to maximize shared learning, leadership teams from all seven districts participated in a two-day event in March, 2014. During that event, teams examined mid-year data, shared strategies, engaged in problem-solving to overcome challenges, and began to write their service plan for 2014-15.

In addition, the program standards for new teacher support and the performance standards for mentors were updated. Connections to the revised teacher evaluation system were added and resources were updated. The revised document can be viewed at:

The Legislature added $2 million in additional funds for the 2014-15 school year, making possible support for 32 more districts. Additional funding in will allow expansion of the program beyond the 39 currently funded.

  1. Criteria for receiving services and/or grants:

To qualify for consideration for competitive BEST grant funding, districts commit to providing the following:

  • Adherence to Washington State standards for effective support for beginning educators in hiring, orientation, mentoring, professional development, and assessment for teacher growth;
  • Assistance by carefully selected, well-trained mentor teachers for first and second year teachers;
  • Compensation for mentors;
  • On-going professional development for mentors, including training in cognitive coaching and observation skills and strategies;
  • Professional development for beginning teachers, including an orientation; individualized assistance prior to the start of school to prepare them for the beginning of the school year; classroom management; curriculum and instruction; assessment; communication skills; professional conduct; instructional planning; and cultural competency/working with diverse learners;
  • Release time for mentors to observe their mentees, and for mentees to observe exemplary peers; and
  • Willingness to collect and share data about program impact
  1. Beneficiaries in 2013-14 School Year:

Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) Program / 2013-14
Districts receiving full funding through competitive grants:
Burlington-Edison, Clover Park, Eatonville, Kent, Moses Lake Quillayute Valley and Yakima School Districts / 7
# Beginning Teachers (first year teachers only) / 232
# Districts eligible to access mentor professional development / 295
Mentors trained / 171
  1. FY14 Funding: State Appropriation

$1 million and .30 FTE

  1. Are federal or other funds contingent on state funding?
    No.
  1. Funding history and educators served:

Funding for this purpose was first provided by the legislature in 1987 through the former
Teacher Assistance Program (TAP). TAP funding was appropriated and then divided among all first year teachers across the state. The Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) program was implemented by the legislature in FY 2009-11. BEST grants are awarded to districts on a competitive basis, with the intent of assuring that participants receive a comprehensive program. These grants are pilots; the state continues to learn from participating districts about how to best support early-career teachers. Ideally, with sufficient funding, all new teachers and principals would enjoy an effective induction program.

Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) Program (FY 2010 - Present):

Fiscal Year / No. of 1st Year Teachers
Participating / Amt. per 1st Year Teacher / No. of 2nd
Year Teachers / Amt. per 2nd Year Teacher / No. of 3rd
Year Teachers / Amt. per 3rd Year Teacher
FY 14 / 232 / $2,500 / 0 / $2,000 / 0 / $500
FY 13 / 204 / $2,500 / 103 / $2,000 / n/a / n/a
FY 12 / 133 / $2,500 / 132 / $2,000 / n/a / n/a
FY 11 / 286 / $3,500 / 192 / $2,100 / Not funded due to cutbacks / n/a
FY 10 / 197 / $5,000 / 316 / $3,000 / 384 / $500
Fiscal Year / Amount
FY 14 / $1 million
FY 13 / $1 million
FY 12 / $1 million
FY 113 / $2 million,
reduced to $1.88 million
FY 103 / $2.348 million / # of Beginners
Participating in TAP / Amount per Beginner
FY 09 / $2.348 million / 2,314 / $880
FY 08 / $2.348 million / 2,674 / $790
FY 07 / $2.348 million / 2,675 / $810
FY 06 / $2.348 million / 2,536 / $800
FY 05 / $2.348 million / 2,330 / $880
FY 04 / $2.348 million / 1,973 / $1,000
FY 03 / $2.348 million / 2,165 / $875
FY 02 / $4.695 million / 2,830 1 / $1,500
FY 01 / $3.150 million / 2,545 / $1,270
FY 002 / $3.150 million / 2,307 / $1,365
FY 992 / $1.305 million / 1,842 / $708
FY 982 / $1.305 million / 1,667 / $782
FY 972 / $1.305 million / 1,527 / $854
FY 962 / $1.305 million / 1,146 / $1,138
FY 951 / $1.450 million / 977 / varied
FY 941 / $1.450 million / 915 / $1,780
FY 93 / $1.040 million / 498 / $1,780
FY 92 / $1.156 million / 563 / $1,780
FY 91 / $1.775 million / unknown / $1,780
FY 90 / $1.775 million / 987 / $1,780
FY 89 / $1.450 million / 688 / $1,700
FY 88 / $1.450 million / 859 / $2,100
FY 87 / $1.417 million / 689 / $1,700

Includes $200,000 for a pilot project providing services to experienced teachers having difficulties.

2 Includes $180,000 for a pilot project providing services to experienced teachers having difficulties.

[1] Includes $200,000 for a pilot project providing services to experienced teachers having difficulties.

[2] Includes $180,000 for a pilot project providing services to experienced teachers having difficulties.

3 FY 10 and 11 are the first years of BEST program funding; FY 87 through FY 09 reflect TAP funding.

  1. Programmatic changes since inception:

With a steady increase in the number of new teachers since 1987, and a TAP appropriation that remained constant, the amount allocated per new teacher declined. The allocation for 2008-09 was $880 per new teacher. This amount was not sufficient for districts to carry out the directives of the TAP legislation, let alone offer a quality induction program that includes research-identified components for effectiveness. Magnified by the 20-year impact of the increased cost of living, the result was that some districts, unable to afford to meet the RCW criteria, did not even apply for funding. Many more districts were forced to supplement the state allocation from other unstable federal, state, and local funding sources (e.g. Title I, Title II, I-728, local levy funds, etc.) in order to provide effective programs. Still other well-intentioned districts were forced to cobble programs together which fell short of the level of support that research indicates can make a difference in improving both teacher retention and student achievement (Strong, 2005; Villars and Strong, 2005 and 2007).

Recognizing these issues, the legislature provided funding for beginning educator support to develop and implement BEST in FY 2010. With the same level of previous TAP funding, OSPI’s Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) program was funded to provide comprehensive induction and mentoring programs in “five to fifteen districts and/or regional consortia” (ESSB 6444) through a competitive grant process. Support for first, second, and third year teachers, and assistance to candidates for Professional Certification was initially funded in grantee districts. During the 2010 legislative session, BEST funding was reduced from $2.348 million to $2 million which necessitated the elimination of district support for third year teachers and assistance to ProCert candidates. In October, 2010, across-the-board state cuts further reduced BEST funding to $1.88 million which impacted the ability of grantee districts to fully address all required program components. With the piloting and implementation of the statewide Teacher/Principal Evaluation system in 2012, BEST funding continued to focus on first and second year teachers and began focusing provisional status teachers with a new teaching assignment. FY 2013 and 2014 funding continued at the reduced level of $1 million.

In 2013-14, BEST provided two-year grants to seven districts across Washington. The list of grant recipients appears below. Those districts served 220 first year teachers and enhanced the expertise of their mentors.

The Legislature added $2 million in additional funds for the 2014-15 school year, making possible support for 32 more district and a total of 1979 early-career teachers. The state continues to hire approximately 2300 first year teachers annually. Additional funding is needed to expand beyond the 39 school districts currently funded and improve student learning for the students of more early-career teachers.

New teacher induction in Washington school districts is a landscape of “haves” and “have nots.” Novice teachers fortunate enough to begin their careers in a BEST-funded district receive assistance to accelerate their instructional growth. With a few exceptions, those in unfunded districts do not. The Quality Education Council recommended phased-in, statewide implementation of BEST for all first, second, and third year teachers beginning in FY 2012.

  1. Evaluations of program/major findings:

Academy participants from 2012-13 were surveyed in the fall of 2013. Mentors supported beginning teachers through a variety of roles, based on the needs in their context and the systems in place to allow mentoring to occur. More than half of the respondents hold formal mentoring roles. Others utilize their skills learned as Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA) or Instructional Coaches. Still others reported supporting their colleagues without any formal title, stipend or recognition.

When asked about how the skills learned in Academy support their role as mentor, they reported strong connections between the application of their skills, growth in the teacher, and positive impact on student learning.

Which set of knowledge/skills has been most important in your mentoring role(s)?
Gathering data
while observing / Connecting teacher behaviors
with
student learning / Providing timely,
specific and standards-
based feedback
53% / 32% / 15%

One mentor wrote about the power of gathering data while observing the early career teacher she mentors, explaining, “Evidence speaks for itself. Whether it is tracking who is called on and how often, or filming a teacher, mentees draw powerful inferences and next steps from the facts. That drives their improvement and increases students’ success in the classroom.” Mentor/Instructional Coach, large urban school district

Another mentor described the impact on teachers she supports. “ I use learning focused conversation techniques to help teachers connect their behaviors with student learning. I ask questions that help the teacher reflect on the effectiveness of their actions/lesson through comparing and contrasting what they experienced with what they anticipated. This creates opportunities for change—self-identified, self-initiated changes in classroom practice.” Mentor/TOSA, small rural school district

All seven project districts reported program impact related to the BEST program standards. Some examples include:

  • Aligned hiring with instructional framework: interview questions that reflect the district’s instructional practices; adopted by all buildings this year.
  • Eliminated paperwork from orientation schedule - sessions on differentiation and added GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Development).
  • Offered a second round of orientation to accommodate late hires.
  • Created a collaborative mentoring plan with district leaders, school leaders and union leaders.
  • Moved to providing a mentor at hiring, rather than later.
  • Improved service plan based on mid-year data and participant feedback.
  • Established partnership with School Improvement staff.
  1. Statutory and Budget Language:

Budget Proviso: ESSB 6002, Section 511 (12): $1,000,000 of the general fund – state appropriation for fiscal year 2014 and ($1,000,000) $3,000,000 of the general fund – state appropriation for fiscal year 2015 are provided solely for a beginning educator support program. School districts and/or regional consortia may apply for grant funding. The superintendent shall implement this program in 5 to 15 school districts and/or regional consortia. The program provided by a district and/or regional consortia shall include: A paid orientation; assignment of a qualified mentor; development of a professional growth plan for each beginning teacher aligned with professional certification; release time for mentors and new teachers to work together, and teacher observation time with accomplished peers. $250,000 may be used to provide statewide professional development opportunities for mentors and beginning educators.

  1. List of districts receiving assistance:

FY 2014:

All 295 school districts in Washington are eligible to participate in the professional development opportunities provided by OSPI for instructional mentors. While the Legislature provided a .3FTE to support the program, OSPI was not able to hire a qualified applicant. Instead, Puget Sound ESD and ESD 112 (Vancouver) shared the responsibility and coordinated seven Mentor Academies and four “tune-up” for Academy graduates, provided facilitators for seven learning communities for mentors that met monthly through the year, provided coaches for the BEST district team leads and facilitated a three-day convening for BEST district teams.

FY14 contract data

Puget Sound ESD 121 - $42,800

ESD 112 - $81,640.50

BEST grants are competitive. These districts received two-year grants (2013-14 and 2014-15) totaling $786,000:

Burlington-Edison School District $36,500
Clover Park School District $139,500
Eatonville School District$21,500
Kent School District$268,500
Moses Lake School District$106,000
Quillayute Valley School District$45,000
Yakima School District$169,000