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CBTE MENTOR NEWSLETTER - FALL 2024
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Welcome to the fall edition of the Mentors' Newsletter. This newsletter provides important reminders and updates. We hope that it is helpful for you!
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Ensure you check the grading rubrics in the “Notes” section when grading competencies
One of the challenges of mentor-based assessment is consistency of grading. Northwest entrusts our mentors to grade fairly, accurately, and consistently. This not only means student to student, but also mentor-to mentor. Hence, to achieve this, Northwest provides a grading rubric for every competency of an outcome.These rubrics are found in the “Assessment of Mastery” section in the “Notes” tab above the comment box.
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When you click on the “Notes” tab you will find the grading rubric for that competency.
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Mentoring best practice is to read each metric description and assign a grade based on the description that most accurately aligns to the student’s demonstrated competency. If you need further clarity, click on that grading rubric to be brought to a page that gives a detailed description of grading competencies with examples. Mentors should never pass a competency that does not meet at least the 12/14 description on the rubric. As well, a student should have documented evidence as proof of their competency outlined in their response on the Assessment of Mastery competency grading page.
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Please make use of the grading rubric each and every time you are considering a student’s competency.
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Lead mentors: are you (or they) steering the ship?
One of the main ways that students succeed in CBTE is by maintaining a steady stream of progress and input from their mentor team. If things start to get off track, it is a primary responsibility of the Lead Mentor to help correct course for the ship before things get too far out of line.
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So, the question is, is your team’s Lead Mentor doing this? Are they encouraging regular meetings? Are they helping to keep the student on track and the mentor team a cohesive unit?
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If it isn’t clear: we need lead mentors to take the lead.
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Of course, Lead Mentors are not responsible for a student to get to work, but they are a major contributor for coaxing the student on as their coach from the sidelines. Sometimes Lead Mentors need to help corral the other mentors together as well.
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So, if you are a Lead Mentor, please, take the time to lead the mentoring group. If you are not a Lead Mentor, feel free to encourage the Lead Mentor to keep up their role so that the student can flourish in their program.
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Academic mentor audit and engagement with
Critical Reading and Research assignments
Last year Northwest held an audit for academic mentors. There were professional development sessions for each of our partner networks in which it was emphasized that academic mentors need to provide in-depth engagement for Critical Reading and Research assignments. These should be the places where we see academic mentors really do some heavy lifting and flex those academic muscles! Northwest even provided new metrics for assessing these kinds of assignments.
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We would like to encourage all academic mentors (and the other mentors as well) to ensure they are engaging with a student’s work to the level of engagement emphasized in the training last year. It should be noted that another academic mentor audit has taken place this year to ensure these standards have been maintained.
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Our academic mentors are a pillar of our model and, as affiliate faculty, we rely on you to maintain strong academic standards commensurate with the level of education you are mentoring within.
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Thank you so much for your hard work this past year!
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Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies
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