Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/40928
Your evaluation Refresher: Highlights of Component 5 for 2011- 2012 Since Component 5 (the student growth component) isn't developed yet, no teacher or specialist will have their due process rights denied or have an Improvement Plan developed because of an Unsatisfactory rating on this Component. Improvement Plans for Unsatis- factory ratings in Components 1-4 will still be applicable, however. 30% 30% of Component V will be a school-wide average DCAS result in either mathematics or English Language Arts (whichever score is better), and will be used for all teachers and specialists (called Part I). 20% For educators in DCAS-Tested Our goal remains the creation of a fair and reliable evaluation system. We're not there yet, which is why understanding how the 2011-2012 Interim Year will work is so crucial to your employment. We know more about how "Student Progress" - Component 5 - will work next year • Component 5 will only "count" during this interim year for teach- ers and specialists who exhibit high levels of student growth and are rated Satisfactory in all four of the other components. "High levels" is still being defined. The Delaware Dept. of Education and U.S. DOE are trying to work through what will be acceptable, given the com- mitments in the state's Race to the Top application. • During the year, developing or finding other "multiple meas- ures" of student progress will con- tinue. Nothing new here. • However, DoE has recently announced that the 35 groups of teachers and specialists that were working last year will only be com- bined to form just ten groups this year. As a result, the groups will span greater areas and/or grades. And, their task this year will be to create measures of growth based on Delaware Standards, for each of the non-tested grades and specialty areas. DoE is pulling the develop- ment of portfolios and perform- ance-based measures off the table for this year. Coaches for administrators can help, but touchy sub- ject for many As described on page 9, some building administrators – at least one per district – will have a devel- opment coach to help them perform effective evaluations. We have told the people in this area at DoE and DASL (Delaware Academy for School Leadership out of the University of Delaware who have contracted with DoE to hire, train and run the program) that it should come as no surprise that a teacher or specialist would feel uncomfortable with a stranger in the room during their pre and post conferences, for example. Yes, these coaches will be with their administrator during pre and post conferences, as well as the actual observation, making sure the process is followed properly; provid- ing feedback about what was said, what was seen, and how to inter- pret data. According to DASL, the development coach's role "… is to ensure that the school leader is using the frameworks appropriately and is providing recommendations to improve teaching and learning." DASL leaders recognize that peo- ple will have a hard time ignoring an extra person in the room, but assure us of the complete confiden- tiality of what they witness, as well as the fact that coaches are not there to evaluate. They have told us that there are challenges at their end too, matching coaches and prin- cipals. areas, the cohort of students will include all students that the educa- tor teaches in that tested content area. For educators in non-DCAS tested subjects and areas, with agreement of the building adminis- trator, these teachers and special- ists will identify a DCAS-tested area from which to select a cohort of stu- dents that they work with regularly. The identification of the cohort should be supported by data analy- sis for the educator's/specialist's specific school. 50% 50% of Component 5 will be a content-area specific assessment measure (not DCAS), if available (called Part III). Very few have been approved by DoE to date. Development work continues this year. See left. If only Part I and Part II are available to you, schoolwide meas- ure will be 30% and cohort measure will be 70% of Component 5. If only Parts I and III are avail- able, then the school-wide measure is 30%; and content-specific is 70%. If only Part I is available then the school-wide measure is 100% of Component 5 next year. www.dsea.org September 2011 DSEA ACTION! 11