• When does the Resident Educator two-year program take effect?
• When and how do schools and districts need to update their local Resident Educator Program requirements, policies and procedures in anticipation of the two-year program?
• What are the requirements of the two-year Resident Educator Program, effective for the 2023-2024 school year?
• Who is eligible to participate in the Ohio Resident Educator Program?
• When does the Resident Educator (RE) Program registration process begin?
• Are educators entering Ohio’s teaching profession from out-of-state required to complete the Ohio Resident Educator Program?
• What happens if a resident educator transfers to another school or district during the school year?
• Can teachers earn credit for prior teaching experience toward residency?
• Are teachers in an “exempt district” required to participate in the Ohio Resident Educator Program’s mentoring requirements?

• Will Resident Educator Mentors trained for the four-year program be required to attend additional training for the two-year program?
• Can administrators serve as resident educator mentors?
• What are the requirements to serve as a mentor?
• What is Focused Mentoring and what resources are available to Mentors?
• When are the 12-Hour Resident Educator Mentor Academy trainings available?
• What is the cost of the mentor training?

• Can a district choose not to register a resident educator who meets eligibility requirements for the Resident Educator Program?
• Are leadership activities required in the Resident Educator Program?

• Are educators teaching career-technical courses exempt from the local Resident Educator Program requirements?

• What changes are anticipated to be made to the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)?
• What counts as an “attempt” to pass the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)?
• Are all resident educators in Year 2 required to take the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)?
• If a school board elects not to conduct an evaluation of an educator who is taking the RESA for the first time, how would the district indicate this?

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To be eligible to participate in the Resident Educator Program, educators must meet all eligibility requirements listed on this webpage: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Resident-Educator-Program/Program-Eligibility-Requirements. 

Teachers hired as substitutes or tutors are considered eligible for the Resident Educator Program if they meet the criteria listed on the page linked above.

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Annually, between August 1 and November 15 of each year (dates may vary), the program coordinator (PC) for the district/school must register eligible REs in the ODE CORE database. The PC will also report at the end of each year if the RE completed the local and state requirements for that year. REs can verify the data entered by their PCs via “My RE Summary” by logging into their OH|ID account.

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Registration is portable from one school to another district/school within Ohio. Resident Educators (REs) should meet with their program coordinator (PC) to ensure that they are enrolled at their new school or district and that their CORE registration indicates the correct school and program year.

PCs are responsible for updating registrations of REs who moved to their school, and REs are responsible for keeping all documentation of the work they have completed with their mentors (e.g., lesson plans, collaborative logs, focused mentoring activities).

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Effective with the 2023-2024 school year, credit for teaching experience will no longer be granted towards the required years of the Ohio Resident Educator Program. Credit that was granted preivously will not apply towards Years 1 or 2 of the program.

Teachers who come to Ohio with two or more years of out-of-state teaching experience should work with the Office of Educator Licensure to determine if they are eligible for the 5-year professional educator license. Please see the Licensure office's webpage on out-of-state licensure to learn more.

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An “exempt district” as defined in Ohio Revised Code 3302.151(D)(1-2) does not have to administer the Ohio Resident Educator mentoring requirements with newly licensed teachers who hold either resident educator or alternative resident educator licenses as long as the district uses a local approach to train and support new teachers. The local board of education of an “exempt district” will adopt a district policy explaining the district’s approach to train and support these new teachers.

 The district’s Resident Educator Program coordinator must continue annually to:

1. Register these teachers in the Department’s CORE RE online system; and
2. Indicate the completion criteria for these teachers at the end of the school year.

An "exempt district’s” resident educators are not exempt from the Resident Educator Summative Assessment.

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To participate in the program as a mentor, individuals must meet the following qualifications:

• Hold or have previously held (e.g., retired teachers) a 5-year professional license, senior professional, lead professional or permanent license
• Successfully completed the 12-hour state Resident Educator Mentor Academy training

Along with these qualifications, the district/school may have additional requirements such as a mentor application process or targeted training. Local districts/schools will make the decision on who is selected to be a mentor based on their local criteria.

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Availability of the 12-Hour Resident Educator Mentor Academy trainings vary; most are scheduled from June through November. Registration is open in the Training and Registration application (STARS) through the OH|ID account; search keywords resident. Contact your local Educational Service Center (ESC) with questions about training availability.

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No. Ohio Administrative Code 3301-24-04 states that any entity that employs a resident educator, either directly or pursuant to a contract, shall be required to provide a two-year resident educator program; and Ohio Revised Code 3319.223 states that teachers holding a resident educator license or alternative resident educator license shall participate in the Resident Educator Program. Additionally, districts should have specific Resident Educator Program policies and procedures in place approved by local boards of education outlining this requirement. In rare cases when a resident educator may have a serious/extended family crisis, military deployment or medical situation, program coordinators are encouraged to work with Department Resident Educator Program staff to discuss available registration options: REProgram@education.ohio.gov

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• An online module titled Exploring Teacher Leadership is available to engage resident educators in exploring and thinking about leadership. To access Exploring Teacher Leadership, please go to your Ohio Department of Education OH|ID account. Once you are signed into your OH|ID account, choose Learning Management System and click on ok for "navigating to an external application". This will bring you to the department's Learning Management System (LMS). You may then choose this course from the Course Catalog.
• Prepare to work with a Local Professional Development Committee
  • See this document for further guidance
• Deepening Content Expertise
  • Create and teach an interdisciplinary unit
  • Assume and document a leadership role in a department team, teacher-based team, or data team
  • Model instruction for Year 1 resident educators
  • Explore National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification
• Collegial Professional Explorations
  • Organize and participate in a lesson study with at least one colleague
  • Organize and conduct a professional book study with at least one colleague
  • Co-teach with a Year 1 or 2 resident educator
  • Meet with the Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC) to learn about the expectations and responsibilities of professional licensure, learn about the processes and requirements of the LPDC, and consider professional goals to establish for an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)
• Teacher Leadership
  • Lead a school academic initiative (e.g., day to celebrate famous people or events)
  • Lead a school initiative to engage the community (e.g., celebrate local veterans, collect contributions for charity, organize visits to community centers)
  • Organize or assist in a student academic competition at the school or district level
  • Organize and facilitate a special day to engage families and caregivers in student learning opportunities
  • Assist a state-trained mentor in supporting a resident educator cohort
  • Serve as a peer observer
  • Explore the Ohio Teacher Leadership Framework

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An attempt will be counted if a resident educator is eligible for the Resident Educator Program and is registered to take the RESA. A registered RESA candidate who does not submit an assessment receives a Not Passed score.

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