NTIP Eligibility
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NTIP Required Teachers
The board shall provide NTIP to:
- 1st Year Permanent Hires - Teachers certified by the Ontario College of Teachers hired into a permanent position – full-time or part-time – by a school board to begin teaching for the first time in Ontario’s publicly funded school system
- 2nd year permanent hires who do not successfully complete NTIP in their first year
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Mentors
The board shall support:
- NTIP Mentors - Experienced teachers supporting NTIP required teachers
Long Term Occasional Teachers
Boards are encouraged to provide the induction elements to:
- 1st Year Long Term Occasional Teachers with assignments of 97 days or longer - Certified occasional teachers in their first long-term assignment, with that assignment being 97 or more consecutive school days as a substitute for the same teacher
Additional NTIP Eligible Teachers
Any teacher in their first 5 years who falls outside of the NTIP required definition is eligible for support. The inclusion of these teachers as eligible to participate in any of the NTIP induction elements is designed to provide boards with flexibility to respond to local hiring realities and potentially to support new teachers for a greater length of time. Boards may decide to include an entire category of NTIP eligible teachers or base the supports they offer on a case by case basis.
NTIP eligible teachers include:
- Beginning Daily Occasional Teachers
- Beginning Short and Long Term Occasional Teachers (any duration of assignment)
- Beginning Continuing Education Teachers
- Beginning Permanent Hires past year 1
- Mentors supporting any beginning teacher (e.g., Teacher-Candidates, Occasional Teachers etc.) - Associate Teachers hosting a teacher-candidate from a faculty of education are included in this definition as are teachers mentoring Indigenous language educators
Evaluation of New Teachers
In addition to the NTIP induction elements, new permanent hires are evaluated twice within their first 12 months of employment through the Teacher Performance Appraisal process. (click here for more information)
Participation in NTIP for newly hired Long Term Occasional (LTO) Teachers refers to the induction elements only. There are no changes in the current board level evaluation processes or requirements for LTO teachers.
Aligning NTIP supports to evaluation thresholds is important to the success of new teachers. For example, newly hired LTO teachers with four month (80 day) assignments would benefit from accessing the induction elements at the onset of their assignment.
The 4Rs of Authentic Learning
As we seek to put learners at the centre of NTIP, the 4Rs of authentic learning can serve as a provocation for thinking about how NTIP can be constructed by the learner.
Authentic Professional Learning is…
Relational
- Relational trust creates an inclusive learning space with all partners in the learning process listening to each other (students, educators, parents and school community)
- All learners collaboratively construct communities of practice that build upon their strengths, attributes and experiences
Responsive
- Learners are listened to and their individual and collective voices directly inform learning designs
- The “how” and “what” of the learning designs employed are based on authentic learning goals identified by the participants
- Learning “makes sense” to the learners and involves authentic collaboration, choice and voice and agency
Recursive
- Rich learning tasks reflect embedded beliefs that learning itself is a messy, iterative, recursive process
- Protocols for application of learning, follow-up, and evaluation of impact are embedded into the learning process
Real World
- Learners construct learning together that is relevant and has authentic real-world connections and applications
- Learning designs that leverage peer-to-peer networks for deep learning and foster the intentional sharing of knowledge and practice are utilized
- A direct connection to student learning and well-being is clearly evident (i.e. students are at the centre of the learning)
Roles & Relationships – Principals
Principal encouragement has emerged as a key factor in the growth of new teachers. New teachers, who highlighted the important role their principal played in their development, trusted their principal. They felt they could speak openly about their learning without the worry of being judged. Simply put, new teachers felt they had their principal’s support.
The next few pages contain examples of how principals can support the professional learning and growth of new teachers by embedding the foundational mentoring skills outlined below.
- Introducing new teachers to multiple mentors in their school
- Helping connect new teachers to mentors beyond their school with experience related to their specific teaching context (e.g., French as a Second Language [FSL], Indigenous Language Education, Special Education)
- Modelling inclusion, openness and collaborative practice
- Engaging in goal setting conversations
- Listening
- Working towards reconciliation and responding to the TRC Calls to Action
Facilitating Learning Focused Conversations
- Demonstrating flexibility of stance and role (consultant, collaborator, coach) based on the needs of each person
- Deepening understanding of challenges specific to particular teaching contexts (e.g., FSL, Indigenous Language Education, Special Education)
- Being available for ongoing questions, conversations and feedback
- Utilizing protocols like scaling questions and appreciative inquiry to help new teachers reflect on practice, build confidence and develop efficacy
Utilizing Powerful Mentoring Designs
- Facilitating opportunities for new teachers and mentors to engage in classroom observation and debriefing in their own school or other schools
- Allocating time and resources to support collaboration with multiple mentors
Individual NTIP Strategy
A school-based learning culture is critical to making the Individual NTIP Strategy (INS) meaningful. In a collaborative learning culture, the INS creates an important opportunity for ongoing learning focused conversations between the principal, mentors and the new teacher, about the new teacher’s professional learning goals.
When the principal meets with a new teacher to discuss goals and strategies, suggest resources and offer support, the INS transforms from something that is touched once and never visited again to a living document. As a living document, the INS may well become a “messy plan” that is modified throughout the year.
In addition to new permanent hires, all new occasional teachers are encouraged to use the Individual NTIP Strategy to document their learning journey over time.
Customizing the INS
Boards may consider modifying this INS format – while retaining the required fields, to maximize its potential to be an evolving professional growth plan and portfolio that focuses on the learning process.
We are in the process of considering how to update the INS to best foster learning and collaboration and would welcome your input at ptpsb@ontario.ca.
Teacher Performance Appraisal for New Permanent Hires
The Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) process is an opportunity for dialogue, reflection and professional growth. It is a collaboration between new teachers and their principals to provide a meaningful, growth-oriented evaluation of teacher performance.
The Teacher Performance Appraisal: Technical Requirements Manual (2010), provides detailed information about the timelines, processes and steps to be followed in the appraisal process for both new permanent and experienced teachers.
As per the manual, new permanent hires are evaluated twice within their first 12 months of employment. In order to successfully complete the NTIP requirements, they must receive two Satisfactory appraisal ratings within 24 months. The flow chart of TPA outcomes for new teachers contained on pages 39 and 40 of the manual provides an at a glance summary of the appraisal process.
Upon successful completion of 2 satisfactory NTIP evaluations, boards are responsible for submitting the names of new teachers to the Ontario College of Teachers within 60 calendar days. A notation reflecting completion of NTIP is placed on the teacher’s certificate of qualification and registration which appears on Ontario College of Teachers’ public register.
NTIP Resources
New Teachers | Mentors | Principals | Board Leaders
Induction Elements Manual | Induction Elements eBook | Mentoring eBook