Introduction to the Master Teacher Program

Teacher Requirements for Application and Selection

Anyone meeting the following requirements may apply to have their teaching practice reviewed. All applicants whose score on the required Master Teacher Application meets or exceeds 2.75 will be identified as Master Teachers.

Master Teacher Mentors will be chosen from the pool of Master Teachers, pending agreements made by individual districts.

In order to apply for designation as a Master Teacher a teacher must:

• Have a minimum of 5 years teaching experience
• Be fully certified in the subject or grade level you are teaching and show evidence of meeting the Highly Qualified Criteria
• Have positive teaching evaluations, with no formal plans of improvement related to their job performance anytime in the three years prior to application.

For teachers who are selected to be Master Teacher Mentors at qualifying sites, there is a stipend of $5,000 above your current contract amount, unless your district already has a stipend specifically for mentoring/coaching. In that case, the Master Teacher Mentor stipend will be the same as the district stipend or $5,000 whichever is greater.

Teacher Commitment if Selected as a Master Teacher Mentor

• Serve for three years as a Master Teacher Mentor and provide defined mentoring for new teachers in building/district
• Participation in state-sponsored professional development for mentors and established cohorts for the three year period
• Complete all required components of the program each year and participate in program evaluation

District/School Requirements

• Complete an RFP outlining the District’s interest and willingness to meet the requirements of participation
• Provide at least half-time release for Master Teacher Mentors
• Ability to re-assign teachers to mentoring positions and hire replacement teachers
• Demonstrate need and capacity to utilize mentors effectively
• Provide expenses for travel and substitutes as necessary for training