Relay students enrolled in the Relay Teaching Residency will have Gateway assessments, which serve as checkpoints to both identify and communicate whether Residents are on track to becoming full-time teachers. As such, proficiency levels determine Residents’ ability to continue in the program with their cohort. Residents are evaluated by the Relay faculty and their school-based Resident Advisors on Gateway rubrics, with Relay faculty determining the final score for Residents. There are three possible responses to the Gateways:
- If Residents score proficient, then they will move to the next Gateway.
- If Residents fail to pass a Gateway on their first attempt, then they will receive additional guidance and support and will have the opportunity to be assessed again.
- If Residents fail a Gateway multiple times, therefore failing to demonstrate readiness to take on further instructional responsibilities and move on with their cohort, they may be dismissed from the Relay Teaching Residency program. Once dismissed, students can appeal the dismissal by submitting an academic appeal form to the Academic Review Board. The Academic Review Board will review the appeal and make a final decision. If the appeal is denied, program-dismissal procedures will continue, and students will be dismissed. Students may be eligible to reenroll after being dismissed, each reenrollment application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Residents must secure a lead teaching/teacher of record position by the first day of the second fall term in order to continue in the Residency program. In some states, Residents’ lead teaching experience in the second year of the program counts as their qualifying clinical experience for educator preparation program completion, and Residents must ensure that their teaching positions are aligned with their certification/endorsement areas and meet state-and/or program-specific requirements for qualifying clinical experiences.
An overview of Residency Gateways for first year students in CT, IL, TN, and TX can be found in the Academic Catalog.
For all other students, an overview of Residency Gateways can be found in the Academic Programs Guide.