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Dallas ISD is committed to supporting beginning teachers in their first or second year of teaching. In partnership with Professional & Digital Learning, Human Capital Management follows best practices in Texas Administrative Code §48.114 and §21.458. The Teacher Mentor Program provides much needed support for beginning teachers, resulting in high-quality instruction, improved student performance, and retention of new educators joining the teaching profession.
The Teacher Mentor Program:
- Provides a campus-based mentor to beginning teachers in their first or second year of teaching
- Provides effective support to beginning teachers to successfully transition into their teaching assignment
- Coaches beginning teachers to improve their performance
- Orients beginning teachers to district and campus policies and procedures
- Assists beginning teachers with connections to district curriculum and curricular resources, including formative and summative assessments
- Helps beginning teachers build positive relationships to ensure student success
- Provides professional development that includes mentorship best practices to mentors and appropriate campus staff throughout the school year
Mentor Mentee Mixer
Spring Semester Timeline for Mentor Teachers
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| DATE | TASK/ACTIVITY | DESCRIPTION | ||
| JAN. 12 | SNAPSHOT | All mentors identified; names submitted to HCM (via Google Docs) by the snapshot date. Mentors cannot be accepted/added after the fall snapshot date for the fall semester; therefore, compensation cannot be granted. | ||
| MENTOR/MENTEE PAIRS | Mentors should be appropriately paired with novice teachers (mentee) by content or grade level, when possible. | |||
| JAN. 20 & 21 | MOY MENTOR PROGRAM ORIENTATION |
Mentor teachers will gain knowledge on:
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| JAN. 22-FEB. 6 | STIPEND AGREEMENT | Mentor teachers acknowledge the mentor stipend agreement in Cornerstone. The agreement outlines the mentor requirements, deadlines, and compensation. | ||
| FEB. 27 | MENTEE NON-EVALUATIVE OBSERVATION |
Mentors conduct a non-evaluative observation and submit 3 documents: Pre-Conference: A structured meeting between the mentor and mentee before the observation. The purpose is to discuss the mentee's lesson, establish the specific teaching area or goal to be observed, clarify the context of the class, and set the focus for the observation. Non-Evaluative Observation: A scheduled time when the mentor sits in on the mentee's lesson to objectively and neutrally collect data on the agreed-upon focus area. This is a data-gathering phase only; no judgment or critique is offered during this time. The focus is solely on documenting what happens, not why it happened. Feedback Session: A reflective conversation between the mentor and mentee after the observation. The mentor shares the collected observational data, guiding the mentee to self-analyze the lesson's effectiveness and identify areas of strength and potential growth. This session is collaborative and focused on developmental planning. |
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| MARCH 10 & 11 | MENTOR TEACHER TRAINING |
NEW MENTORS: TBD |
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| RETURNING MENTORS: TBD | ||||
| APRIL 15 | STAY CONVERSATION | Mentors and mentees engage in a proactive meeting with the purpose of understanding what keeps the mentee motivated, what challenges are pushing them toward burnout, and how the mentor, campus administration and district mentor program can ensure they feel supported. | ||
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APRIL 30 |
SPRING SEMESTER DOCUMENTATION DUE |
ALL MENTOR DOCUMENTATION IS DUE APRIL 30, 2026 |
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| MAY 1 - 15 | MOY MENTOR SURVEY | Mentor teachers will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the mentor program and their experience. | ||
Resources
- Mentor Teacher Monthly Maps
- Training Video Archive
- Fall 2025 Mentor Stipend Agreement (Sample)
- Data Driven Instruction
- Student Engagement
- Lesson Planning
- Classroom Management
Mentor Teacher Monthly Maps
Training Video Archive
Employee Experience
Human Capital Management | 9400 N Central Expy | Suite 1400 | Dallas, TX 75231
CONTACT US
Support
MentorProgram@DallasISD.org
NewTeachers@DallasISD.org
(972) 925-4080 | 7:30 AM - 5 PM, Monday through Friday