Relay Teaching Residency features Relay’s traditional master’s program plus four distinct program pillars that serve to prepare residents to be effective first-year teachers. The program pillars serve to create differentiated and targeted support as residents acquire and integrate new knowledge and skills to hone their craft.

Deliberate Practice

Practice is one of the most valuable things a teacher can do to develop their craft. 

At Relay, we believe that practice helps teachers build clarity and confidence in planning and delivering lessons. Deliberate practice (DP)—a focus on the concrete and specific teaching skills necessary to maximize impact in the classroom—is a cornerstone of the resident training experience. Residents participate in weekly DP sessions to develop and hone their teaching skills. These DP sessions complement and support Relay’s master’s classes and residents’ clinical (school-based) experiences. For example, in conjunction with Relay classroom culture coursework, residents practice responding to common classroom culture scenarios by applying strategies they learn in their coursework. Residents review instructional videos, participate in short bursts of practice to isolate teaching skills, take part in lesson study, and rehearse portions of upcoming lessons. Throughout DP, Relay faculty and peers provide individual feedback to residents, then ask residents to apply that feedback and reflect to continuously improve. DP serves as a performance accelerator to help prepare residents for full-time teaching. 

Assessments and Gateways

Relay employs performance assessments throughout the residency year to determine whether residents are making adequate progress toward becoming full-time teachers. Assessments vary by content and are scored based on customized performance rubrics. Residency Gateways are one such assessment. 

Gateways 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 are proficient, then they will move ahead. 
• If residents fail to pass a Gateway on their first attempt, then they will receive remediation support and will be assessed again. 
• Should 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.

If residents do not receive full-time teaching offers by the end of the spring term in their first year of the program, they have until the first day of the following fall term to secure employment in order to continue in the program. For academic year 23-24, if residents do not receive full-time teaching offers by June 5, 2023, (last day of the spring 2023 term), they will have until September 11, 2023, (first day of the fall 2023 term) to obtain a full-time teaching placement or face program dismissal.

Gateways topics include:

• Gateway 1: Mindsets and Expectations: Residents will demonstrate the mindsets of an effective teacher, including high expectations, personal responsibility, intentionality, continuously improving effectiveness, humility, and respect. 
• Gateway 2: Classroom Culture: Residents will demonstrate proficiency in upholding a safe, welcoming, and engaging classroom culture. Residents will set clear expectations, ensure strong engagement, and respond appropriately to off-task behavior to keep students invested. 
• Gateway 3: Introducing New Material: Residents will demonstrate proficiency in introducing new material to ensure they are able to clearly plan and deliver content. Residents will be expected to effectively introduce new material and concepts to students while addressing key points and misconceptions.
• Gateway 4: Teaching a Full Lesson: Residents will be observed teaching a lesson in their schools to determine their readiness to take on more classroom responsibility and run a classroom the following year. They will demonstrate proficiency in teaching a full lesson without assistance and ensure that students are moving toward meaningful outcomes.
• Gateway 5: Full-Time Teaching Placement: Residents will demonstrate readiness to be a full-time teacher of record by interviewing and being hired for the upcoming academic year.