Beginning teachers are one of our greatest assets. Yet, 17% of teachers leave the career within the first five years (Gray et al., 2015).  Research shows effective professional development is a key factor of teacher retention (Podolsky et al., 2018; Garcia & Weiss, 2019e), and as teachers enter the career, a collaborative community of learners can help teachers transition from their role as a student to that of teacher (Garcia & Weiss, 2019e). This program is part of the Missouri Teacher Development System (MTDS), which is an on-going system of learning for Missouri teachers. MTDS Beginning Teacher Assistance Program Year 1 meets and exceeds year one of Missouri's certification requirements as established by State statute 168.400, RSMo.
 

This opportunity provides:

• networking with other new teachers and educational consultants
• just-in-time learning (critical firsts)
• awareness of the phases of a new teacher
• relationship-building skills
• awareness of legal rights and responsibilities for educators
• competency-based programming 

Beginning Teacher Assistance Program Year 1 meets year one of Missouri's BTAP certification requirements and emphasizes the following MTDS Competencies:

Builds Relationships & Culture 

Creating culturally responsive relationships built on trust and mutual respect for all

Creates & Manages a Learning Environment

Implementing classroom layouts and organizational strategies to: (a) promote student interaction; (b) meet student needs and well-being; (c) minimize disruption; (d) allow teacher movement for monitoring student progress; (e) increase & manage student productivity; and (f) encourage self-directed student learning

Develops Research-Based Instruction

Using research-based lesson planning models/practices to plan lessons that include: (a) lesson targets; (b) activities, tasks, and/or experiences; (c) research-based and/or evidence-based strategies; and (d) methods for monitoring/communicating student progress towards meeting lesson target

Engages Students in Content 

Evaluating lessons to identify engaging qualities of work, higher level thinking, and high-yield instructional strategies.