Resident Educator FAQs

General Questions

Mentor Questions

Program Coordinator Questions

Career-Technical License Question

Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)

General Questions

    When does the Resident Educator two-year program take effect?
    The Resident Educator two-year program takes effect beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.

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    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?
    Effective with the 2023-2024 school year, schools and districts should have established with their administrators, local school board and school treasurer local requirements, policies and procedures for a two-year program. If applicable, the district’s collective bargaining agreement should be reviewed. 

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    What are the requirements of the two-year Resident Educator Program, effective for the 2023-2024 school year?
    The two-year Resident Educator Program will continue to provide resident educators with mentoring by a trained mentor and counseling (similar to what was provided to resident educators in the first two years of the four-year program); and resident educators must attempt the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA) in the second year of the program and be assigned a trained RESA facilitator. The Resident Educator Mentor and the Resident Educator Facilitator may be the same person if that individual meets the local requirements of the two positions and has received the specified trainings.

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    Who is eligible to participate in the Ohio Resident Educator Program?

    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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    When does the Resident Educator (RE) Program registration process begin?

    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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    Are educators entering Ohio’s teaching profession from out-of-state required to complete the Ohio Resident Educator Program?

    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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    What happens if a resident educator transfers to another school or district during the school year?

    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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    Can teachers earn credit for prior teaching experience toward residency?

    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 three 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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    Are teachers in an “exempt district” required to participate in the Ohio Resident Educator Program’s mentoring requirements?

    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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Mentor Questions

    Will Resident Educator Mentors trained for the four-year program be required to attend additional training for the two-year program?
    All new Resident Educator Mentors are required to complete the 12-hour Mentor Academy training before they mentor resident educators. 

    Mentors trained prior to the 2023-2024 school year will not be required to attend additional training. However, it is recommended that mentors trained five or more years ago complete the following two Learning Management System courses found on the Department’s website: Advanced Mentor Training, and Exploring Teacher Leadership.

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    Can administrators serve as resident educator mentors?
    No. The resident educator mentor should be a peer. The mentoring process is for the purpose of professional growth and eventual professional licensure, not an evaluative process for the purpose of employment. Every effort should be made to keep the formative assessment occurring in the resident educator (RE) program separate from the teacher evaluation conducted by the site administrator. For more information on the role of school administrators in the RE Program, please see the RE program standards.

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    What are the requirements to serve as a mentor?

    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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    What is Focused Mentoring and what resources are available to Mentors?
    Focused mentoring was added as a component of the Resident Educator Program in the 2017-2018 school year. While mentoring overall addresses the instructional support resident educators need as they begin their professional teaching careers, focused mentoring is specific and targeted to address teacher competencies. Focused mentoring is delivered in two parts; the first part focuses on communication, collaboration and professional growth, and the second part focuses on formative and summative assessment. The Department also offers two courses in the Learning Management System (LMS) that address focused mentoring.

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    When are the 12-Hour Resident Educator Mentor Academy trainings available?

    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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    What is the cost of the mentor training?
    The cost for the training is determined locally. Check the contact information for the specific session provided in the Training and Registration application (STARS) of the OH|ID platform for information about the exact amount and how the payment is to be made and to whom. The Ohio Department of Education does not manage these trainings. Do not make a payment to or draw purchase orders for the Department.

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Program Coordinator Questions

    Can a district choose not to register a resident educator who meets eligibility requirements for the Resident Educator Program?

    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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    Are leadership activities required in the Resident Educator Program?
    Effective with the 2023-2024 school year, the Ohio Resident Educator Program is a two-year program and Year 4, otherwise known as the "Leadership Year" is no longer required. However, leadership activities should be integrated into mentoring that takes place during the two-year program. Local policies and procedures determine the specific leadership activities of the Ohio Resident Educator Program. Programs may choose to use and/or modify the following suggested activities, or create their own unique experiences:
    • 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
    • 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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Career-Technical License Question

    Are educators teaching career-technical courses exempt from the local Resident Educator Program requirements?
    Educators teaching career-technical courses under the provisional license for workforce development are exempt from participating in the local Resident Educator Program. The district’s resident educator program coordinator will not register these educators in CORE.

    All other educators teaching career-technical courses do participate in the local Resident Educator Program.

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Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)

    What changes are anticipated to be made to the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)?
    None. The requirements for the RESA submission will remain the same for the 2023-2024 school year.

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    How many times can an educator attempt the Resident Educator Summative Assessment?

    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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    What counts as an “attempt” to pass the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)?

    An attempt will be counted if a resident educator is eligibile 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 which counts as one of three allowable attempts.

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    Are all resident educators in Year 2 required to take the Resident Educator Summative Assessment (RESA)?
    Resident educators registered in program year 2 in CORE must take the RESA if they have not already received a passing score for the assessment per Ohio Revised Code 3319.223(A)(3). If a resident educator does not submit the RESA in year 2, the program coordinator enters Not Complete for the year and the resident educator repeats year 2.

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    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?
    The district will indicate “exemption” in the OhioES. This exemption option is a one-time exemption per educator, and the educator will be due for a full evaluation the following year. Consult the OhioES Help Page if needed: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/OhioES-Help.

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Last Modified: 3/14/2023 3:56:35 PM