The Ohio Resident Educator (RE) Program is a four-year induction system of support and mentoring for new teachers. Successful completion of the residency program is required to qualify for a five-year professional educator license. Click here for the Annual Resident Educator Program Requirements for each year of the program.

Resident Educators work collaboratively with their mentor to complete the local RE Program requirements for Years 1 and 2 by:

• Using the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System forms for self-assessment and goal-setting
• Demonstrating use of authentic teacher work, such as lesson plans and student assessment data analysis
• Reflecting on teacher work that shows the continual implementation of the “Plan, Teach, Assess, Reflect, Revise” teaching-learning cycle
• Participating in Instructional mentoring and Focused Mentoring I and II
• Analyzing student work

• Successfully complete the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA) to become eligible to advance to professional licensure
• Engage in learning and professional development activities as determined by the district or school

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To be eligible to participate in the Resident Educator Program, beginning teachers must:

• Hold a valid resident educator license or alternative resident educator license of any type, or a one-year out-of-state educator license
• Be employed by an ODE-chartered educational entity, ODE or ODJFS licensed preschool, Ohio correctional facility or a private educational agency located in Ohio
• Teach at least two classes or work at least 25 percent full-time equivalent in their area of licensure or in the area in which the teacher holds a supplemental teaching license during the school year
• Be responsible for planning and delivering standards-based, PreK-12 curriculum to students and evaluating their progress during the school year
• Work during the school year a minimum of 120 days as defined in Ohio Revised Code 3319.09
• Be assigned an ODE-certified mentor, facilitator or colleague by their employer

Note: Teachers hired as substitutes or tutors are considered eligible for the Resident Educator Program if they meet the above criteria.
 
Individuals teaching career-technical courses under an alternative resident educator workforce development license or a provisional license for career-technical workforce development are exempt from participating in the local Resident Educator Program and should not be registered in the program.

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Between August 1 and November 15 of each year (dates may vary), the program coordinator (PC) for the district/school will 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.
 
NOTE:  Annually, the district/school’s PC must register each eligible RE in CORE. REs who are eligible for the program are required to take the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA) in year 3 (or in year 2 upon consultation with their local program coordinator and mentor based on local policies and procedures). If the teacher is not successful, the PC will register the RE for RESA in subsequent years.
 
NOTE:  If REs do not successfully complete the state and local requirements of their Resident Educator Program in a program year, then they will be marked as “no” for completion criteria for that year and will not receive credit for that program year.  When resident educators are registered for the following year, they must repeat the program year that they did not complete successfully.

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Out-of-state teachers entering Ohio’s teaching profession with fewer than three years of teaching experience and who meet the program eligibility requirements are required to participate in and complete the Ohio Resident Educator Program in order to advance to the 5-year professional license. 

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Registration is portable from one school to another or 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 they are entered into CORE for the correct program year. 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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Resident educators cannot advance their licenses until all four program years have been successfully completed; however, districts/schools may grant one or two years of credit for prior teaching experience to eligible teachers. See this page for more information: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Resident-Educator-Program/Credit-for-Teaching-Experience-Toward-Residency. 

REs who hold alternative resident educator licenses are required to teach four years under their alternative licenses; therefore, they are not eligible to advance their teaching license early, even with prior years of teaching credit. 

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Individuals with out-of-state teaching experience or Ohio teaching experience under certain circumstances may be given consideration for credit toward the Resident Educator Program. See the webpage on credit for teaching experience to learn more about why and how program coordinators may grant credit.
Teachers who come to Ohio with three or more years of out-of-state teaching experience should work with the Office of Educator Licensure to determine if they are eligible to apply for the 5-year professional educator license. Please see the webpage on out-of-state licensure to learn more

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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 RE Mentor Academy Days 1 and 2

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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Resident Educator Mentor Academy Day 1 and Day 2 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 or mentor.

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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 four-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.

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Ohio Administrative Code 3301-24-04(D) states that resident educators “…shall be permitted no more than three total attempts to successfully complete the performance-based assessment.”

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An attempt will be counted if:

• a resident educator is eligible for the Resident Educator Program and is registered for the RESA in year 2 (upon consultation with program coordinator and mentor based on local policies and procedures), or
• a resident educator is eligible for the Program and registered in year 3 or beyond and has not yet passed the RESA

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