Section 35.30   Requirements of the Program

Each new principal shall complete a mentoring program that complies with the requirements of this Section, provided that there is a sufficient appropriation for the program applicable to the fiscal year that includes the individual's first school year of service as a principal (see Section 2-3.53a of the School Code and Section 35.20 of this Part).

a)         Mentors who meet the requirements of this Part shall be paired with new principals by providers approved under Section 35.60 of this Part, on the basis of the factors identified in Section 2-3.53a(d) of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/2-3.53a(d)].  Each approved provider shall notify the affected district superintendents of the assignments made, and each affected superintendent shall acknowledge the new principals' obligation to participate in the program.

b)         The role of each mentor shall include:

1)         forming a supportive professional relationship with the new principal;

2)         assisting the new principal in adjusting to his or her new role and in developing skill as an instructional leader;

3)         coaching, observing, and providing feedback to the new principal on aspects of organizational management;

4)         helping the new principal identify significant problems and issues that act as barriers to school improvement, as well as meaningful solutions to these; and

5)         providing structured opportunities for the new principal's reflection on his or her educational practice.

c)         The mentor and recipient principal shall spend no fewer than 50 contact hours in activities demonstrably involved in the mentoring process, as delineated in subsection (b) of this Section.  The mentor and recipient may conduct some or most of their contact using means of telecommunication but shall meet in person at least:

1)         near the beginning of the school year, in order to initiate the mentoring relationship;

2)         near the middle of the school year, in order to complete the survey of progress required by Section 2-3.53a(e) of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/2-3.53a(e)]; and

3)         at the conclusion of the school year, in order to complete the verification form and certify completion of the program as required by that Section.

d)         Each mentor and his or her employer, if any, shall be responsible for reaching a mutually agreeable arrangement regarding the mentor's availability for activities that necessarily occur during paid time, such as observing the first-year principal.

e)         Time spent traveling by the mentor or recipient to meet with the other party shall not be counted as part of the required contact hours.  The mentor shall bear the cost of any travel unless otherwise agreed with the mentor's employer.

f)          Each recipient of mentoring under this Part shall maintain a log of his or her work with the assigned mentor that includes at least the date of each contact, the purpose, and the amount of time spent.

g)         At the conclusion of the school year, the recipient shall prepare a summary of the mentoring experience, indicating how selected aspects of his or her practice have been affected by the interaction with the assigned mentor.

h)         The year-end summary shall be included in the verification to be signed by both individuals to signify completion of the program.  This document shall be prepared in a format specified by the State Superintendent of Education and shall also be signed by the recipient principal's supervisor and by the mentor's supervisor, if any, to signify completion of the work outlined in the log and the summary.  Each mentor shall submit the verification to the provider with which he or she is enrolled, and the provider shall compile for the State Superintendent a list of the mentors who have provided the required services under the program and for whom payment is due.

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 17768, effective October 30, 2008)