Responsibilities of Those Involved in the
Special Education Resident Teacher Program

• Resident Teacher
• Resident Mentor
• UND Mentor
• UND Advisor & Program Director
• Building Principals
• Special Education Director/Superintendent
• Special Education Resident Teacher Program Internship Assignments

 

Resident Teacher

1. Provide all special education services designated by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students assigned to you.
   1. Direct Instruction Minutes in Section I of IEP
   2. Consultative Service Minutes in Section I of IEP
   3. Be responsible for accommodations and adaptations in Section H of IEP (either by doing them yourself or making sure a classroom teacher is doing them)
      
2. Manage all compliance paperwork for students assigned to you:
   1. Set up, facilitate and write IEPs
   2. Conduct assessments, write reports, facilitate integrated written report meetings
   3. Send prior notices as appropriate. A good rule of thumb for prior notice is "When in doubt, send it out"!!
   4. Report progress as noted in IEP objectives section
      
3. Participate in all school meetings and activities required for teachers:
   1. Attend faculty meetings, report card conferences, back-to-school activities, goal-setting conferences, etc. as required by your building
   2. Attend meetings required for special education teachers in your area or unit
      
4. Things you do NOT have to participate in:
   1. New teacher meetings regarding insurance, benefits, etc
   2. NDEA conference (although if you are a member of SNDEA, you would find the conference useful)
   3. First-year teacher products (unit plan, lesson plan, goals)
      
5. Attendance at the state and national Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference, although recommended, is not required. Participation in a professional organization, such as CEC, is beneficial for networking with colleagues and helps you keep current with best practices.
   
6. Communicate with all persons involved in person, via e-mail or telephone. Share what is going well and what questions or challenges you may have. It is important to remain open and responsive to feedback. Be upfront and direct regarding any concerns you have immediately!
   1. On site mentors (weekly)
   2. UND Mentor (monthly in person and biweekly via email or telephone)
   3. Administration (as needed)
      
7. Request assistance proactively related to teaching, assignment clarification, working with school personnel, professional issues. and any personal issues that may impact job performance.
   
8. To implement and share best practices in the field, incorporating what is learned in University classes and on-the-job.
   
9. Provide the University mentor with the following on a monthly basis:
   1. Monthly calendar (including mentor team meetings, lead, and mentor meetings, IEP and assessment meetings)
   2. Daily teaching schedule

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Resident Mentors

1. Review and amend the Team Plan once a month with the University Mentor at the team meeting.
   
2. To provide the RT with a reasonable caseload of my students that will provide he/she with the best "real life" experience. For example, a typical RT's caseload may include 8-9 students with LD, 3-5 students with ED, and 2-3 students with MR. **Note that the caseload must only include students with LD, mild/moderate ED, and mild/moderate MR. Your special education team, principal, and building coordinator will want to figure out together how many students and which ones. Ideally, you should turn over students that you know fairly well, so that you can consult effectively about them.
   
3. Provide support and mentorship to the RT. Depending on their background and previous experience, they may need to watch someone do an evaluation, they may need assistance with their first few evaluations, they could watch someone facilitate an IEP, etc. They will also need guidance with how to do paperwork, including how to use the computer template IEP. Coordinators, the special education director, and the UND mentor are also sources of help for them in these areas. After observing a few, they should begin to do them on their own. It is intended that they do the total job a special education teacher would do, although you will always need to attend their meetings and be listed as case manager.
   
4. Consult on the students you assigned to the RT. Suggest effective instructional techniques, behavior management strategies, etc. Share materials or help them learn how to request materials.
   
5. Consult on the staff they will be working with. Help set up a schedule. Give suggestions as to preferences of particular teachers, things that are important to your principal, etc.
   
6. Consult on working with parents. Point out which parents like a lot of contact and which prefer less, parents that are in the early stages of understanding their child's disability, etc.
   
7. Continue to be listed as the official case manager of the students you assigned to the RT, count the students under your name on the MISO3, and attend all IEP and Assessment meetings regarding these students. (You can decide whether you're needed at other meetings, like report card conferences, etc.) Your role at these meetings is to be an observer and consultant, not the facilitator (although you should facilitate the first few to demonstrate).
   
8. Be a resource for advice and support from everything from hidden curriculum issues (e.g., duplicating, supplies, dress code), to working with colleagues, classroom management, planning, instruction, assessment, and following school and district procedures and due process regulations.
   
9. Be a source of information and suggestions for the UND mentor and special education director as to what is helpful and what is burdensome about this program.
   
10. Visit with the UND mentor monthly via telephone, e-mail, or in person about your observations of the RT's performance.
    
11. Provide constructive and direct feedback, both verbally and in writing with the RT, on a regular basis. UND may provide a form for doing this. Your input will assist the UND mentor in assigning a letter grade for the internship credits the RT is enrolled in each semester.
    
12. To model best practices, as well as be open to implementing new practices as introduced by the RT.
    
13. To complete the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) standards based written evaluation (form provided) on the RT once a month and turn it in to the University mentor, and to share the evaluation with the RT.
    
14. To meet with the Resident Teacher (RT) on a regular basis, but at least weekly with the Lead Mentor and monthly with each of the other mentors. (e.g., provide constructive feedback, answer questions, target areas to focus on next, review UND assignments.)
    
15. To meet with the entire team (i.e., Resident Mentors, RT, University Mentor) monthly to review a) how things are going, b) assignments, c) provide constructive feedback and goals for the RT (e.g., describe one area the RT should focus on next), and d) review team plan.

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UND Mentor

1. Direct observation of RT's monthly.
   
2. Meetings with RM's and RT's: (On a monthly basis, review and revise team plans, review and obtain schedules, and provide technical assistance.)
   
3. Observe one IEP and assessment meeting, providing feedback and suggestions for improvement.
   
4. Communicate on a monthly basis with RM's and with building principals and special education directors/coordinators as needed.
   
5. Complete contact forms and/or evaluations in conjunction with monthly visits, providing feedback and suggestions for improving instructional techniques.
   
6. Complete the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) standards, based written evaluation (form provided) on the RT each semester, including mentor feedback.
   
7. Respond to biweekly communication (i.e., emails, phone calls) by RT's, offering suggestions and support.
   
8. Explain the internship requirements and assign grades for the T&L 584 Internship credits using input from the RMs.
   
9. Monthly monitoring of progress on RT assignments.

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UND Advisor & Program Director

1. Conduct group advising sessions for the master's program.
   

2. Make all arrangements with the University for employment of the RT's as Graduate Teaching Assistants (contracts with schools, appointments, etc.)

3. Oversee all aspects of the program's implementation.

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Building Principals

1. Invite RT's to all school activities and treat them as a typical staff member.
   
2. If possible, do the same evaluation of RT's that you do of other teachers.
   
3. Excuse RT from district workshops held on school time, unless you can provide coverage.
   
4. RT's are encouraged, but not required, to attend the NDEA conference IF they are SNDEA members. They may need these days to work on their UND class requirements, and are not required to submit a plan if they don't plan to attend the conference.
   
5. Visit with your team about how to handle RT illness. There are no provisions for sub coverage. However, if you feel there must be a sub, you can make that call. You would need to provide the sub from your building allotment.
   
6. Provide any information or concerns to building coordinator or special education director.
   
7. Remember that RT's are technically UND employees, and as such should not be listed on MISO3s. Continue to list students under the teacher who is certified in that area of disability - the teacher's name is also listed as case manager on the IEP.
   
8. Observe and facilitate the relationship between the Resident Teacher and the Resident Mentors to ensure healthy and effective working relationships.
   
9. Ensure that the Resident Mentors have the time to follow through on their responsibilities to the Resident Teacher program.
   
10. To share any concerns about the Resident Teacher Program, as soon as they arise, with the University Mentor and the Special Education Director (or Building Coordinator).
    
11. To ensure that the Resident Teacher is not used in place of a full-time special education teacher.

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Special Education Director/Superintendent

1. To provide the same service as you do for all sp. ed. teachers, classroom visits, support at meetings when requested, consultation and technical assistance, ordering materials, evaluation, etc. To communicate any information or concerns to the UND mentor.
   
2. To make sure building team members understand and follow through on their responsibilities to the RT and the program.
   
3. To provide a mentor teacher in each of the disability categories (e.g., LD, ED, MR). Teacher mentors must hold valid endorsements in the disability categories in which they agree to provide mentorship. Teachers holding multiple endorsements may provide mentorship in more than one disability area.
   
4. To ensure the Resident Teacher's (RT) caseload and time between students occur in each of the three disability areas. For example, a typical RT's caseload may include 8-9 students with LD, 3-5 students with mild/moderate ED, and 2-3 students with mild/moderate MR.
   
5. To provide release time for the Resident Mentors to attend any training provided by UND as part of the Resident Teacher Program.
   
6. To ensure that Resident Mentors have the time to meet their commitment to the Resident Teacher program.
   
7. To ensure that the Resident Teacher is not used in place of a full-time special education teacher.

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Special Education Resident Teacher Program Internship Assignments

1. Consultation Project
   -Complete the project on any one student with MR, LD, or ED
   
2. Assessment and IEP Project
   --Complete the projects on any one student with MR, LD, or ED
   --Note that these are two assignments, but they can be completed on one student.
   
3. Functional Skills Project or Alternate Assessment Project (Choose one)
   --Complete on a student with MR
   
4. Behavior Program/Plan (For example, behavior modification, crisis de-escalation, life space crisis intervention)
   --Complete the project on a student with ED
   
5. Social Skills Instruction
   --Complete on a student with ED
   
6. Curriculum Modification Project
   --Complete on a student with LD
   
7. Learning Strategy/Approach Instruction (For example, implement one
   of the "methods cards" from the Advanced LD Methods Course)
   --Complete the project on an LD student
   
8. Communication with Mentor/Supervisor

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