Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/195036
Understanding Your Evaluation As participants learn more about the elements of Component 5 – discussing their own situations – they begin to see where the system does make allowances. They also see where it is not yet fair. As they discuss goal-setting, choosing student measures, the fall conference, determining what group of educators they are in, they express admiration for the knowledge of the system shared with them by DSEA staff. They also tell us that they feel more comfortable and confident with what they know, and are ready to advocate for themselves. Jane Lauginiger, vice-president of NCC Vo-Tech E.A., notes what her group knows about Component 5 and what they'd like to know more about. To the left is Janette Vickers, an Association Rep. and librarian/media specialist in Red Clay. Above is Rachel Williams, a Special Education teacher at Dickinson High School, also in Red Clay. determine "Exceeds" and "Satisfactory" targets for the Measure B and Measure C assessments, depending on the educator group. Keep in mind that it is permissible for evaluators to meet with a group of educators with common measures (i.e. all 4th grade teachers in the building). It is recommended by DOE that fall conferences be completed by October 31. By knowing the contents of the DOE Guide to DPASII-Revised, you will be able to advocate for yourself and your colleagues. Q: What is a SMART goal or target? A: Make sure the growth targets you pick are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. www.dsea.org Q: How do I know what Measure B assessments are available to me? A: All Measure B assessments and Measure C growth goals are located on Performance Plus web site. See your administrator for the correct username and password if you don't have them. Q: I heard that Improvement Plans are discretionary this year. Is that correct? A: Yes. According to Administrative Code 106 A, Section 8.2, "An Improvement Plan may be developed if a teacher's overall performance during an observed lesson is unsatisfactory In instances where . an improvement plan IS to be developed, the evaluator shall first have noted the unsatisfactory performance on the required forms by noting 'Performance is Unsatisfactory' and initialing the statement." Q: I know that my evaluator didn't follow the correct process last year, but I received a great evaluation anyway. No problem, right? A: WRONG! Please let your Assoc. Rep. or UniServ director know about process violations. They may not have affected you, but they may affect your colleagues. It is essential that process violations be reported. Without this information, it makes it difficult to advocate for improvements to the system. We need you DSEA has heard your continuing concerns related to DCAS, including the floor and ceiling limits that can't accurately measure a student's performance two grades below or two grades above what is tested. Rest assured that DSEA will continue to assert these issues with DOE and continue to advocate for reasonable resolutions to these problems. While DSEA leaders and staff advocate for a fair and equitable evaluation process at the state and district level, we need you as an advocate at the building level. Your knowledge of the DPASIIRevised regulations and process, as spelled out in the DPASII Guides, is critical. With procedural knowledge and content area expertise, all educators can advocate for realistic and appropriate student growth targets upon which to measure their performance. Please continue to share your concerns and questions with us. Contact Debbie Stevens, DSEA's director of Instructional Advocacy, at Deborah.Stevens@dsea.org or toll-free at 1-866-734-5834. October 2013 DSEA ACTION! 7