Question

Answer

General

How can my Regional Education Facilitator (REF) help me?

REFs are happy to help with designing a BTSP Plan, planning or presenting at BT Orientation, delivering mentor training or mentor update training, facilitating the Peer Review process, and preparing for BTSP monitoring.

How can I contact my Regional Education Facilitator (REF)?

Contact information for REFs may be found at: bit.ly/NCDPIREF .

Are teachers with alternative licenses (Permit to Teach, Emergency, and/or Residency License) required to participate in a Beginning Teacher Support Program (BTSP) or must they wait until they have an initial license (SP1)?

State Board Policy TCED-016 specifies initial licensed teachers  with fewer than 3 years of teaching experience are required to participate in a BTSP.  It is best practice to also include all teachers in their first three years of teaching regardless of what type of license they hold.  

There are two reasons for this:  

• All teachers starting their education career can benefit and need the support the BTSP provides.  
• All teachers are required to complete three years in the BTSP before they can convert to a continuing license.

What is the “recent graduate survey”?

It is a survey sent directly to the BT during the BT's first year of teaching (Initial License) as part of the requirements to measure the performance of Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) as stated in GS 115C-269.35. An employer survey is also sent directly to the BT’s principal. The surveys must be completed at the end of the first year of teaching.

For additional questions around the “recent graduate survey”, reach out to Dr. Andrew Sioberg <Andrew.Sioberg@dpi.nc.gov> .

How can I secure training for my mentors?

Regional Education Facilitators are available for updated training and refreshers.  Online training is also available in NCDPI Online Professional Development Modules.  Resources for mentor training and directions to access online training can be found on the NCDPI Mentor Training webpage.

How can I find out the specific licensure requirements my BTs need to fulfill and the timeline for completion?

For case-by-case licensure questions, please reach out directly to your Regional Alternative Licensing Center (RALC) Contact or a Licensure Specialist at NCDPI. They can provide guidance based on the individual teachers' needs.

Can an employee new to us be a mentor?

According to State Board Policy TCED-016, prospective mentors must meet specific qualifications including being rated at least proficient on their most recent Summative Evaluation prior to being assigned as a mentor.  Teachers without evaluation data for two or more consecutive years shall not be eligible to serve as mentor teachers, unless the mentor is a retired teacher. You or the prospective mentor can contact the previous employer for the most recent evaluation data in order to determine if the teacher qualifies as a mentor.  

BTSP Monitoring Visit

When will my district/school be monitored?

The year your district/school will be monitored can be found on the monitoring schedules posted on the BTSP Monitoring page.  Your REF will contact you to determine the specific dates within the year for your pre-visit and monitoring visit.

What documentation should be collected for a monitoring visit?

Your REF will set up a pre-visit meeting with you and review all the documentation that should be shared for the monitoring visit.  The monitoring process involves reviewing a complete year of data, therefore you will provide evidence/documentation from the previous school year.  This also includes evidence of mentors’ summative evaluation ratings from the year before they served as BT mentors.  You can find a list of sample evidence/documentation posted on the BTSP Monitoring page under the BT Monitoring Visit information.

What will be used to monitor my district/school?

Your district/school BTSP will be evaluated based on its compliance with NC State Board of Education Policy TCED-016. The BTSP Monitoring Instrument used for this process is on the BTSP Monitoring page.  

Charter Schools

Does my charter school have to submit a BTSP Plan?

Does our school have to submit a BTSP Plan even if we don’t hire BTs?

Yes, according to NCSBE Policy TCED-016, all public school units in North Carolina must have an approved BTSP Plan on file with NCDPI.

To whom should the BTSP Plan be submitted?

The BTSP Plan should be submitted to your Regional Education Facilitator. The BTSP Plan is not submitted to the Licensure Division; instead, the Licensure Division receives the Licensure Renewal Plan.

How are the BTSP Plan and the Licensure Plan different?

Although there is some overlap in the two Plans, they each have their own requirements which are outlined on different documents:

• NCSBE Policy TCED-016 provides the requirements for the BTSP Plan.
• The Licensure Renewal Plan requirements are outlined in the document “License Renewal Procedures for Charter and Non-Public Schools.”

Does my charter school have to participate in BTSP Peer Review?

Yes, all public school units in North Carolina must participate in BTSP Peer Review.

Do my mentors have to be trained?

According to NC State Board Policy TCED-016, all mentors must be trained based on the North Carolina Mentor Standards.