Evaluation of the NTIP In Practice

Evaluation of the New Teacher Induction Program In Practice

The origins of the NTIP

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 new 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. This appraisal is known as the Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA).

Who is eligible?

According to the OME's NTIP Induction Elements Manual (2009) New teachers are defined as teachers certified by the OCT who have been hired for the first time in Ontario into permanent positions (full-time or part-time). Starting in 2009-10, boards are to include their beginning long-term occasional (LTO) teachers in the induction elements of the NTIP. For the purposes of the NTIP, beginning LTO teachers are defined as certified occasional teachers who in their first long-term assignment, with that assignment being 97 or more consecutive school days as a substitute for the same teacher. In addition, school boards are encouraged to include beginning full-time continuing education teachers in the induction elements of the NTIP. Beginning full-time continuing education teachers are defined as certified teachers who teach two secondary credit courses per quad X four quads per year in a given school year in an adult learning day school. Boards may use NTIP funding to support this group of teachers.

Boards may also, at their discretion, choose to use other board funds to offer the induction elements of the NTIP to other non-permanent first-year teachers such as LTO teachers who have assignments lasting fewer than 97 days.

Emphasis for school year 2009/2010

Due to the feedback from the field and from the evaluation of the NTIP in the last three years, a number of program and funding policy changes have been implemented. The University of Ottawa will again be surveying the new teachers, mentors, and administrators, but with a different focus. The emphasis will be on how school boards can fully embed and sustain the program, as the NTIP becomes fully integrated into teacher professional learning initiatives.

The University of Ottawa research team will launch the Evaluation of the NTIP In Practice questionnaire. All new teachers, mentors, and administrators in the province shall be invited to participate in the on-line survey. Boards who have 15 or more new teachers participate in the survey will receive an individual board report next year. The University of Ottawa will be in contact with each board in early April when the surveys will go on-line. If you have any technical difficulties accessing the survey or have any questions, please contact Adrian Jones at 1-888-562-5207 or by email.

The research

The University of Ottawa under the leadership of Dr Ruth Kane was invested with the responsibility of conducting an evaluation of the implementation of the NTIP across Ontario in its first three years of operation - 2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 - and, in its new format, 2009/2010.

This research study examines the impact of the Ontario New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) and the experiences of new teachers, mentors and school principals. The following research questions were developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education to frame this project.

1. Have there been any changes in retention rates at school board and provincial levels?
2. Have teaching assignments changed since school boards began implementing the NTIP?
3. Do new teachers report, and do principals and mentors report new teachers exhibiting enhanced competency in: classroom management and planning; assessment and evaluation; communicating with parents; and/or, teaching students with special needs and other diverse learners?
4. If so, is this a result of professional development, mentoring or a combination of both?
5. Do new teachers find the NTIP beneficial in helping to improve their teaching practice?
6. Do mentors feel that their teaching practice has improved as a result of the mentoring relationship?
7. What barriers have teachers faced in participating in the program?
8. What were their views regarding the usefulness of the program?
9. Do new teachers feel an increase in confidence and job satisfaction as a result of the NTIP?
10. Do mentors plan to continue in their mentoring roles in ensuing years?
11. Do mentors and administrators feel that the training they received to prepare them for their role in the NTIP was adequate?

For the first three years (2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009) this project comprised a province-wide evaluation of the NTIP and its implementation in schools across Ontario over three annual cycles. The research design drew on data generated through both quantitative (web-based questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) means to ensure both province-wide coverage with the opportunity for the richness of personal experience of the NTIP to be examined. The evaluation of the NTIP was conducted through two distinct but related phases, each of which was repeated in three annual cycles. Phase One comprised province-wide questionnaires for new teachers, mentors and principals who participated in the NTIP. All new teachers, mentors and principals are invited (via email through their school board NTIP contact) to complete a questionnaire targeted to their group. Phase Two involved interviews of new teachers, mentors and principals in 13 different school boards each year to determine their experiences of the NTIP.

For the school year 2009/2010, data shall be collected from province-wide questionnaires for new teachers, mentors and principals who participated in the NTIP. All new teachers, mentors and principals are invited (via email through their school board NTIP contact) to complete a questionnaire targeted to their group. Data shall be analyzed and presented directly to school boards to support their efforts as the NTIP becomes fully integrated into teacher professional learning initiatives.

For more details please contact the Evaluation of the NTIP In Practice Office by email or by phone 613.562.5800 x5207, or Toll-free: 888.562.5207