DSEA Action!

How the president sees it DDOE report not surprising DOE's year-one report on DPAS II held no big surprises. The fact most of the 5,075 educators in cycle last year demonstrated competence is encouraging. It's a transition year in a complicated system and one year of data does not allow anyone to draw conclusions or establish trend lines. What is important is how the data is interpreted and used. The report attracted media attention and raised questions about the system's rigor and implementation by administrators. We must proceed cautiously as we move forward with DPAS II-R. The system is touted as one of "continuous improvement", whose goal is to enhance the performance of all educators. It's designed to strengthen practice so that everyone—even the 1%—is highly effective. There is no need to apologize for most educators performing well D DSEA ACTION! (USPS 010111 ISSN 01995413) is the official publication of the Delaware State Education Association. ACTION! is mailed 7 times a year, (September, October, combined Nov/Dec issue, February, March/April, June and July) at DSEA headquarters located at 136 E. Water St., Dover, DE 19901. Telephone: 302-734-5834, or toll-free: 1-866-734-5834. Our Wilmington office may be reached by calling 302-366-8440. Subscriptions are included in membership: $2.32 a year for teachers and $1.19 a year for ESPs. Subscriptions are $5 per year to those ineligible for membership. Periodical postage paid at Dover, DE 19901. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DSEA ACTION!, 136 E. Water St., Dover, DE 19901. President FREDERIKA JENNER Vice President KAREN CROUSE Treasurer DOM ZAFFORA NEA Director MIKE HOFFMANN Exec. Director JEFF TASCHNER Editor PAMELA T. NICHOLS Program Assistant SUSAN W. KELLER Pres. Jenner comments on the release of the results for the first year of the teacher/specialist evaluation system. on a measurement system designed by DDOE. DPAS II was a highly regarded evaluation framework which allowed educators to set student improvement goals as part of the process. Educators found this productive and there was statewide confidence in the system. However, DPAS II-R, especially Component 5, is a different story . DPAS II-R is a different story Last year's roll-out of the new system seriously compromised the validity of the data it produced. Computer shut-downs during testing, serious technology glitches, and test administration delays into late-October and early-November also created an exhausting level of frustration for educators. Nevertheless, they endured and dealt with problems professionally . Teachers and specialists are exactly that, professional. They do not shy away from accountability for the things which are within their genuine control. There are still concerns about the tests themselves. DCAS is not adap- tive enough. There are floor and ceiling issues with a test that only goes one year above and below grade level—compromising an accurate measurement of a student's true learning growth. Measure B tests do not provide a true indication of a student's grade level abilities and are not helpful in planning or tailoring instruction. Reading and math teachers have never seen the DCAS tests—a key weakness in the system. Alignment between instruction and assessment is critical for both to be effective. I am not championing teaching TO the test, but rather teaching FOR the test. Teachers have no way of knowing where the focus lies or how questions are framed. Confidence and test validity are questionable when alignment cannot be confirmed. By contrast, under the DSTP, teachers could tailor quizzes and tests to the DSTP formats, matching instructional focus to the standards and curriculum areas reflected in the tests. It wasn't cheating—it was smart instruction. Administrator discretion for Component 5 ratings has also raised questions. Discretion gives principals the opportunity to use other data to determine a teacher's level of effectiveness, beyond the number DCAS assigns for their effectiveness. The questioning of administrative discretion again raises concerns about disconnects between the classroom components and Component 5. What does it mean when I do everything right, identified as 'distinguished' in an overwhelming number of the rubric elements for Components 14, yet my students fail to meet their DCAS and Measure B targets? In light of these questions and concerns, how can one account for the indications of educator (and student) success found in the YearOne report? In the past four years, a number of initiatives were undertaken with the intent of showing substantial progress. They include: • developmental coaches and leader fellowship programs to strengthen school leadership • data coaches, academic deans, and teacher leaders using data to strengthen classroom practice • using PLC's, school, district, and state PD to increase student success through collaboration • Experience using the Danielson model to identify critical elements of instruction and define unambiguous pathways for teachers and instructional leaders If these reform efforts did not tangibly enhance teaching and learning, then accountability is a much larger issue than identifying a greater number of ineffective teachers. We want everyone to continue searching for ways to meet the criteria set by Sec. Murphy—but the process must be fair, transparent, easy to understand, respectful of the profession, and not disruptive to the learning environment. Let's wait for additional data before drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of the evaluation system, those charged with implementation at the district level, and those whom the system intends to evaluate. THERE IS POWER IN THE UNION. Frederika Jenner, President frederika.jenner@dsea.org Leading the way. . . his month we feature Brenda Abrams, membership chair of the Brandywine School Nutrition Association. She has worked at Concord High School's cafeteria for almost 14 years. Prior to being membership chair of BSNA, she was co-president with Dana Finnegan. T 2 Nov./Dec. 2013 DSEA ACTION! What accomplishments as a leader are you most proud of? We were able to get more people interested in coming to meetings and getting involved. What is your local's biggest challenge this year? We need to help more people better understand the benefits that DSEA has to offer. Before getting involved, I had no real understand- ing of all of the work that takes place behind the scenes. Once I got involved and started going to RA meetings and other conferences, I had a better grasp of all the work that goes into making DSEA successful. "In the perfect world at work, "we would have enough workers and time to do our jobs more efficiently ." @dseafan www.dsea.org

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