To support Relay students and their programs, each state and licensure pathway may have specific mentor requirements. Below is a summary of expectations for mentors and program-aligned instructional roles, organized by student pathway and state. Please be sure to review your state guidance for additional state specific requirements. 

 State-by-State Requirements
Colorado 

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency first year: Must hold a valid Colorado professional teacher license with 3+ years of successful teaching, and be identified by the principal as a master teacher (resident advisor).
• Residency second year: No Relay mentor requirement; state and district rules may apply.
• Non-Resident first year (alternative licensure): Mentor must be a master teacher identified by the principal with the ability to model for and counsel the candidate, must hold a valid license and endorsement in the candidate’s content area, per Colorado statute.
• Non-Resident second year and Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency 
  • Year 1 – role must align to endorsement area focus under a mentor teacher’s supervision (one grade level above or below the endorsement band is allowable). Role titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, and Paraprofessional. Note: Residents cannot serve as teacher of record – accepting a teacher-of-record role during Year 1 requires transferring to the alternative licensure program, which may add time and/or cost.
  • Year 2 – no additional state role requirement; job title becomes Teacher of Record.
•  Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: Candidate must hold a Teacher of Record position in the endorsement area in both Year 1 and Year 2; job titles include Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher.

Connecticut

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency and Non-Residents (Year 1 and Year 2): Mentors must be employed full- or part-time under a valid certificate in an aligned content area.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 role must align to endorsement area focus.  Job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Full-Time/Long-Term Substitute. 
  • Year 2  candidates must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area. Elementary candidates on a REC must teach in a self-contained classroom, gaining experience across all elementary subjects.
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: Candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area in Year 1 (no additional requirement in Year 2); job titles include Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher. The same self-contained-classroom note applies to elementary candidates on a REC.

Delaware

Mentor Requirements: 

• All programs except Advanced Certificate (Year 1 and Year 2): Mentor must meet Delaware Department of Education requirements, including teaching in a high-need school and sharing the candidate’s licensure/content area, and must have satisfactory DPAS evaluations (not on a DPAS Improvement Plan). 
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 role must align to endorsement area focus. Job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Building Substitute. Note: Residents cannot serve as teacher of record – accepting a teacher-of-record role during Year 1 requires transferring to the alternative licensure program, which may add time and/or cost.
  • Year 2 – candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area.
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role : Candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area in both Year 1 and Year 2; job titles include Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher.

Georgia

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency and Non-Resident first year: Mentor teachers must have 3+ years of teaching, leadership, or service experience. The candidate may be placed with a certified educator in the aligned certification/endorsement area.
• Residency second year: State standards apply; no additional Relay mentor requirement beyond the experience standard above.
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 –role must align to endorsement area focus. Job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, and Paraprofessional. Note: Residents cannot serve as teacher of record – accepting a teacher-of-record role during Year 1 requires transferring to the alternative licensure program, which may add time and cost.
  • Year 2 – no additional state role requirement; job title becomes Teacher of Record. 
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: Candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area.

Illinois

Mentor Requirements: 

• All pathways except Advanced Certificate (Year 1 and Year 2): Must follow Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) standards. Mentor must hold a Professional Educator License (PEL), be employed by the same school, district, or charter network as the candidate, have 3+ years of full-time teaching experience in the previous 10 years, hold a “proficient” or higher rating on the two most recent evaluations, not participate in evaluating the candidate, and be directly engaged in teaching or learning activities in the student-teaching area.
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor requirement specified in state guidance; per Relay policy, mentors generally are not required for Advanced Certificate programs unless state rules apply.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role:
  • Year 1 Candidate must serve as Co-teacher in the endorsement area.
  • Year 2  Job title is Teacher of Record. 
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: Candidate must serve as Co-teacher or Teacher of Record in the endorsement area in both years; job titles include Co-Teacher, Teacher of Record, and Lead Teacher.

New Jersey

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency (Year 1 and Year 2): mentor must hold a valid license in a closely aligned endorsement area as the candidate’s content area. 
• Mentor requirements for the Residency pathway are still being finalized in state guidance; candidates should confirm current expectations with their program lead or residency director.
• Non-Resident (Year 1 and Year 2): Mentor must hold an instructional certificate and, when possible, be certified in the candidate’s subject area; must have 3+ years of experience, including at least 2 years of full-time teaching within the last 5 years; must not serve as the candidate’s direct supervisor or evaluator; and must complete a comprehensive mentor-training program covering the district’s teaching-evaluation rubric and practice instrument. Per NJDOE, alternate-route candidates receive 34 weeks of one-on-one mentoring (with additional support in the first four weeks) from an active teacher with 3+ years’ experience and an “Effective” or “Highly Effective” rating on their most recent evaluation; the mentor also evaluates the candidate using the New Jersey Achieve rubric.
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

 

• Program-aligned instructional role – Residency and Non-Residency: Candidate must hold a full-time teaching position requiring instructional certification authorized by the Certificate of Eligibility (CE) issued in the candidate’s endorsement area, in both Year 1 and Year 2. Residency Year 1 roles vary but must qualify for the provisional teaching system; Year 2 job title is Teacher of Record. Non-Residency job titles are Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher in both years.

New York

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency and Non-Resident (Year 1): A mentor teacher (resident advisor) must be assigned with an aligned endorsement/certification area as the candidate. 
• Residency and Non-Resident (Year 2) : Mentoring and supervision is required for the entire period of teaching and enrollment, mentor must be certified in an aligned endorsement area as the candidate.
  • Transitional B candidates: mentoring is governed by a two-stage written agreement: a first agreement, executed before employment, committing to daily mentoring by certified school personnel for the candidate’s first eight weeks of teaching; and a second agreement, drafted with school partners before the eight-week mark, specifying ongoing mentoring, signed by the principal/designee, program faculty, mentor, and candidate. 
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor requirement specified in state guidance; per Relay policy, mentors generally are not required for Advanced Certificate programs unless state rules apply.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

•  Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 candidate should be in a role with an aligned content and/or endorsement area sought; job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Full-Time/Long-Term Substitute. 
  • Year 2 candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area in a New York public school.
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role : 
  • Year 1 – candidate must hold a teaching position in the endorsement area in a New York public school; job titles include Teacher of Record, Lead Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Apprentice Teacher. 
  • Year 2 – candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area in a New York public school.

Pennsylvania

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency (Year 1): Relay faculty regularly observe candidates (in person or via recorded visits). The school must ensure the candidate has a cooperating/mentor teacher (resident advisor), who (1) holds PA certification in the subject taught, (2) has 3+ years of satisfactory teaching experience holding PA certification in that subject, and (3) has at least one year of certified teaching experience in the school where the candidate is placed.
• Residency (Year 2): 
  • No Mentor Teacher assignment is required for general-education candidates who met certification requirements in Year 1. 
  • Special Education candidates teaching on an Experienced Based Certificate (formally Intern Certificate) must have a yearlong mentor through a PDE-approved induction program (instructional, professional, and personal support), with mentors meeting periodically with program staff to discuss progress.
• Non-Resident (Year 1 & 2): The same PA-certification and experience described above for Residency apply to Non-Residency candidates in both years.
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required unless otherwise arranged.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 – role must align to the endorsement area during the fall term, plus student teaching during the spring term (14 weeks full-time in the cooperating teacher’s classroom, including at least 7 weeks leading all instruction under supervision); job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, and Assistant Teacher. Residents cannot serve as teacher of record – if hired into a teacher-of-record role during Year 1, the candidate must transfer to the intern teacher program, which may add time and cost. Student teachers may not substitute for pay until they have received at least one satisfactory observation on a PDE 430 form, and then for no more than 20 days. Year 2 – no additional state role requirement; job title becomes Teacher of Record.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 – candidate must be Teacher of Record or Long-Term Substitute in the endorsement area; job titles include Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher. 
  • Year 2-candidate must be Teacher of Record 

Rhode Island

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency (Year 1): Mentor must hold a valid professional teacher license in a similar content and/or endorsement area.
• Residency (Year 2): No Relay mentor requirement beyond assigning a mentor teacher; state and district rules may apply.
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Program-aligned instructional role: Relay’s Colorado out-of-state pathway for students based in Rhode Island is residency-only. 
  • Year 1 – Must have a role aligned to the endorsement area being sought. Job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, and Paraprofessional. Residents cannot serve as teacher of record – accepting a teacher-of-record position during Year 1 makes the candidate ineligible for program completion and certification/licensure.
  • Year 2 – no additional state role requirement; job title becomes Teacher of Record. 

Tennessee

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency and Non-Resident (Year 1): Mentor must be certified, experienced, and in the same content area as the candidate. 
• Residency and Non-Resident (Year 2): Once a candidate advances toward a Professional Teacher License, there is no formal state-wide mentoring requirement; however, TN DOE still requires a school-based mentor who holds an active Tennessee license with an endorsement in (or closely related to) the supervision area. 
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 – must be in an endorsement aligned role ; Job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Full-Time/Long-Term Substitute. 
  • Year 2 – candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area; dual-endorsement candidates must hold a teacher-of-record position in at least one endorsement area in Year 2.
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Candidates must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area in Year 1 (no additional requirement in Year 2); Job titles include Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher. Dual-endorsement candidates must hold a teacher-of-record position in at least one endorsement area in Year 1.

Texas

Mentor Requirements: 

• All pathways except Advanced Certificate (Year 1): TEA requires every candidate to have a mentor, assigned by the school administrator, who is certified in the same certification category, has 3+ years of teaching experience, and has demonstrated results with students (required). Principals/School Directors cannot serve as mentors.
• All pathways except Advanced Certificate (Year 2): Same certification, experience, and results requirements as Year.  plus mentors must be accomplished educators (as shown by student learning) trained by the educator preparation program – including co-teaching strategies and how to coach and mentor candidates – within 12 weeks before or 3 weeks after being assigned to the clinical teacher. If no one on campus meets all three core requirements, the closest-fit mentor may be assigned with a written explanation, but demonstrated results with students remains mandatory.
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor requirement specified in state guidance; per Relay policy, mentors generally are not required for Advanced Certificate programs unless state rules apply.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 – must be in an endorsement aligned role.Job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Full-Time/Long-Term Substitute. 
  • Year 2 – candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area; candidates pursuing the ESL Supplemental must hold a position that also serves ESL students.
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1 – instructional role in aligned endorsement area; job titles include Teacher of Record and Lead Teacher. 
  • Year 2 – candidate must be Teacher of Record in the endorsement area; ESL Supplemental candidates must serve ESL students.

Washington, D.C.

Mentor Requirements: 

• Residency (Year 1): Mentor must hold a valid professional teacher license with 3+ years of successful teaching, and be identified by the principal as a master teacher (resident advisor).
• Residency (Year 2):  Mentor must hold a valid professional teacher license with 3+ years of successful teaching, and be identified by the principal as a master teacher
• Advanced Certificate: No mentor required.

 

Candidate program-aligned instructional role: 

• Residency Program-aligned instructional role: 
  • Year 1- job titles include Teaching Resident, Co-teacher, Teacher-in-Residence, Assistant Teacher, Paraprofessional, and Full-Time/Long-Term Substitute; 
  • Year 2- job title is Teacher of Record. 
• Non-Residency Program-aligned instructional role: Candidate must be a Teacher in the endorsement area in both Year 1 and Year 2; DCPS requires Teacher of Record status in the endorsement area for both years. 

Notes

• Mentor definitions vary by state, and districts or partner schools may set higher standards than Relay.
• Candidates should confirm expectations with their certifying state agency, program lead and/or residency director to ensure compliance.
• Relay does not require mentors for Advanced Certificate programs unless state rules apply.
• MAT in Special Education and Advanced Certificate in Special Education: Year 1 follows the residency or non-residency instructional-role requirements above, as applicable. In Year 2 (MAT in Special Education) and throughout the Advanced Certificate in Special Education program, the candidate’s role must allow completion of coursework assessments and must include the ability to conduct direct instruction to at least six students officially classified as having disabilities, plus the capacity to tutor a small group of students for the entire school year.