There is currently much international interest in the value and impact of induction schemes for teachers, especially their ability to contribute to raising standards and improve teacher retention rates (OECD, 2005). A recent review found that induction programs can have a positive impact on teacher performance, helping Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) address issues of student motivation and assessment; that NQT welcome and value induction, especially where it provides emotional support; and that it has a positive influence in retention rates in the profession (Totterdell, et al., 2008).
In Portugal, a probationary year was made compulsory in 2009/10 for teachers holding, for the first time, a four year position, in a specific subject area (Mathematics, for example) and/or level of education (preschool, primary and secondary), in either private or public schools, and less than five years of experience. Due to exemption criteria that excluded teachers with some experience in the educational system and a “Good” assessment, the biggest part of teachers who were included in the probationary group work in recently created subject areas or groups of teachers in the Portuguese educational system, like Spanish, Special Education or ICT. It also meant that teachers with several years of experience in one subject area (e.g. Portuguese or French) who after a new degree changed to a new subject area (e.g. Spanish) had to undergo the probationary year.
This period has a probation dimension, aiming at assessing and ensuring the quality of the teachers, and an induction dimension, recognizing that the first year of teaching is a time of intense learning and anxiety, involving the socialization into teaching as a profession and into the specific school setting. In this first year of implementation, the probation dimension is in the forefront.
Mentoring and assessment are responsibility of teachers from the school of the teacher in probation. Mentors are appointed by the directors following common guidelines. The national distribution of teachers (centrally organized by the Ministry) lead to a wide dispersion of teachers in probation – maximum 2 per school – encompassing 91 teachers in 84 schools, requiring 86 mentors. The subjects or areas of teaching included are, in descending order: Spanish, Special Education, ICT, Mathematics, Music and Electrotechnics. Finding matching mentors in terms of subject specialism for Spanish and Special Education was very rare since these two areas are recent either as curriculum areas (Spanish) or as new categories for grouping existing teachers (Special Education), and the geographical dispersion of the involved schools didn't allow for grouping all probation teachers with available mentors.
A support, evaluation and research team was set up, by Ministry's invitation, in the University of Aveiro. Its purposes relate to: a) monitoring and supporting the process, by gathering several participants perspectives and solving or forwarding problems to the appropriate solver, b) training of the mentors throughout the school year, c) involvement of school directors in the process, d) publication of guidelines and handbooks, e) assessing and reporting the developed process and the probation in the Portuguese educational system.
