The New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP), including requirements for the performance appraisal process for new teachers, was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education following consultation with education partners including the faculties of education, parent groups, the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), teacher federations, principals, and trustees. A comprehensive literature review examining induction in other countries and a pilot project that involved 21 school boards contributed to the final shape of the NTIP which came into legislation through the passing of the Student Performance Bill in June 2006. The NTIP requires that all Ontario publicly funded school boards offer the NTIP to their beginning teachers, and all teachers new to Ontario’s publicly funded schools are required to participate in the NTIP. The NTIP comprises three induction elements (orientation, mentoring and professional development) and includes the requirement for all school boards to appraise their new teachers two times within the first twelve months of employment.
Since 2006/7, an annual evaluation of the NTIP has been conducted by the University of Ottawa under the leadership of Dr. Ruth Kane to determine the effectiveness of the program. As a result of the recommendations from the three first annual evaluations of the NTIP (2006/7. 2007/8 and 2008/9), the Ministry made various program and funding policy changes aimed at including more beginning teachers in the NTIP. As of 2009/10, boards are to include their beginning long-term occasional (LTO) teachers in the three induction elements of the NTIP and, at the board's discretion, may include second-year teachers and/or beginning full-time continuing education teachers in the induction elements. Due to the expansion of the NTIP to include beginning teachers other than new teachers, the Ministry introduced a revised NTIP funding allocation model in 2009/10.
Starting in 2010/11 the University of Ottawa research program, Evaluation of the NTIP In Practice (NTIP-IP) will run for three years (2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13) and will examine the impact of the Ontario NTIP-IP and the experiences of new teachers, mentors and school principals. This project, comprising a survey of all respondents in the NTIP in the 2009/10 school year, seeks to address the key research question:
What is the impact of the program, as well as the impact of the recent program and funding policy changes to the NTIP which came into effect in 2009/10?
The NTIP-IP web-based survey comprised province-wide questionnaires for beginning teachers (note 1), mentors and principals who participated in the NTIP. All beginning teachers, mentors and principals are invited (via email through their School Board NTIP contact) to complete the questionnaire targeted to their group. Frequent communication with the school boards allow school-board personnel to monitor and encourage participation to ensure as many voices are heard and experiences gathered.
For more details please contact the NTIP Evaluation Office by email or by phone 613.562.5800 x5207.
To access the Evaluation of the NTIP In Practice Questionnaires, click here.
Notes
1: The term beginning teachers refers to all teachers who participated in NTIP-IP and includes teachers in their first year of teaching, Beginning Long-Term Occasional (or Extended Term Occasional) teachers, Beginning Full-Time Continuing Education Teachers and teachers who have completed the NTIP and still access NTIP supports and services.