NTL Home | Program Description | Entry Requirements | First Year | Second Year | Testing Information | General Information
- The NTLP office receives the on-line application, the program fee electronically AND the required admission documents by mail. Applications are reviewed for program requirements and approved/denied by the NTLP office (may take up to two weeks.) Those admitted receive a Letter of Acceptance announcing the date and time of the mandatory orientation meeting.
- Participants MUST attend the mandatory orientation meeting held in June. Site assignments are distributed at this meeting. This assignment will indicate where the individual will attend all summer and monthly instructional modules.
- Information will be distributed and questions answered at orientation.
- It is important that the participant be at the orientation session on time
- NTLP instructional sites are in all regions of the state. Every effort is made to assign each participant to a site closest to the home address given at the time of application.
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Participants receive an Employment Eligibility Form as verification to a school district that the participant is eligible to be hired pending the successful completion of all summer modules. This form should be used during the job search process. Participants should make copies of the form to submit with application packets when applying for teaching positions. The original document must be signed by the hiring district. NTLP requires that teachers be hired in a full-time teacher of record position which requires an Arkansas teaching license.
Appropriate teaching position:
- On a full-time contract with the school district
- In a position requiring a teaching license
- Teaching a minimum of five (5) class periods per day or the equivalent
- Teaching in the appropriate licensure area, based upon assessments
NTL teachers may only be employed by:
- Any public school district or charter school in Arkansas
- An Alternative Learning Environment (ALE) school only if the NTL teacher is teaching in the licensure area and level indicated on the Employment Eligibility Form. For example, acceptable employment is if the NTL teacher is hired in an ALE setting to teach English grades 7-12 full-time and is only teaching English to students in grades 7-12.
- An accredited private school, providing the school can assign a Pathwise® certified mentor. These mentors and novices will not receive a state mentoring grant.
- An ABC program under the auspices of a school district or educational cooperative
NTL teachers may NOT be employed in:
- A distance learning setting where a teacher is not actively engaged with students
- A position teaching via the Internet (cyber schools)
- A position in the Juvenile Detention facilities or Department of Human Services facilities
- An Alternative Learning Environment (ALE) school where the teacher would be required to teach out of the licensure area and/or level indicated on the Employment Eligibility Form.
- An ABC Early Childhood program that is not under the auspices of a school district or educational cooperative
- Any Special Education setting
For any other circumstances, the NTL teacher must contact the NTL office and speak with a Program Advisor to verify that the employment situation is acceptable.
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If acceptable employment is not found by the time the applicant is due to begin the NTLP Summer Instructional Modules, the applicant may choose to either:
- Withdraw the application, OR
- Attend the NTLP Summer Instructional Modules
If the applicant withdraws the application:
- The program fee will be refunded and all application documents will be returned to the applicant.
- The applicant will NOT be eligible for a teaching license.
- The applicant may choose to reapply to the program in the future, meeting the requirements that are current at that time.
NTL Program Fee Refund Policy – Deadline: August 1
If the applicant chooses to attend the NTLP Summer Instructional Modules:
- The program fee is NOT refundable if the participant has attended any portion of the instructional modules, as this fee is used to pay for the instruction, books and materials associated with the program
- The applicant will receive a teaching license upon completion of summer modules and securing a teacher-of-record position.
- The applicant may continue to look for and accept a teaching position through
September 1.
- As of September 1, if acceptable employment is not found, the applicant automatically goes “On Hold” in the program.
On Hold
- Participants in the NTLP have three (3) years to complete the two year program. If a participant has completed the NTLP Summer Instructional Modules and is unable to find appropriate employment by September 1, the participant would be on “hold” in the program.
- Individuals “on hold” do not attend any monthly (Saturday) Instructional Modules, but may continue to search for a teaching position in the appropriate licensure area(s). Once the participant is hired in a full time position he/she would begin attending monthly Instructional Modules in the month employment is gained. He/she is responsible for making up any missed modules. This could result in the program lasting more than two years for some participants. However, under no circumstances could a participant take more than three (3) years to complete the two years of the program.
- Participants may be on hold in the program for one year ONLY, either the first or second year. If the participant did not find employment and by September 1 of the second year had not obtained a teacher of record position, the application is null and void and the participant is administratively withdrawn from the program. The former participant may choose to re-apply to the program in the future starting with year one and meeting all program requirements in place at the time of re-application.
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NTLP Instructional Modules address the necessary knowledge and skills required of new teachers to be successful in the classroom. These instructional modules cover the four broad areas of learning (Standards, Assessments, Accountability, Professional Knowledge) that mirror the key components of the mentoring model used for all new teachers. These modules are offered during the summer and on monthly Saturdays over the course of two years.
Attendance at EVERY NTL Instructional Module is MANDATORY. Attendance is strictly monitored and enforced. All assignments and assessments must be successfully completed, with tests receiving a passing grade.
Attendance at NTL modules takes precedence over a school district’s professional development activities or school functions associated with the teaching position. Failure to adhere to the NTL Attendance Policy may result in administrative withdrawal from the program.
Instructional Modules include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Training in the Pathwise® Model
- Classroom management
- Positive classroom discipline strategies, handling misbehavior
- How to develop and meet goals and objectives for P-12 student learning
- Lesson planning/curriculum mapping/developing thematic units of learning
- Choosing materials, methods, and activities appropriate to students and aligned with learning goals
- Making standards work: assessment and rubric development
- Curriculum alignment
- Legal responsibilities and issues
- Student record keeping and reporting
- Diverse learning needs of P-12 students
- How to teach reading and writing strategies in the content area
- Cooperative learning, peer coaching, team learning
- Student motivation, communicating learning expectations to all students
- Arkansas Content Standards and Benchmarks for P-12 students
- Arkansas current practices and issues (i.e. Smart Start, Smart Step, Next Step)
- Data driven decision making about classroom instruction
- Technology integration in instruction
- Thinking skills strategies
Each NTLP teacher is assigned a site-based Pathwise® certified mentor to provide support and guidance during the program. Mentors are identified by the employing school district as master level teachers who have chosen to serve in an advisory capacity. NTLP teachers receive “front end mentoring” in the beginning of their first year to orient them to school practices and culture. NTLP teachers and mentors collaborate on a weekly basis throughout the two years of the program.
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