Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/94843
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT What Every Teacher Needs to Know About the New Teacher Evaluation Framework By the next school year, school districts must adopt and use evaluation systems for teachers and principals with new performance classifi- cations. This change is due to a law (HB2823) passed by the Arizona Legislature. In 2010, the legislature mandated that evaluations include quantitative data on student academic progress. The data accounts for between 33 and 50 per- cent of each evaluation outcome. During the last legislative session, the Arizona Legislature passed another evaluation law. Originally HB2823 had many punitive measures in it, and AEA worked with legisla- tors to ensure teacher evaluations provided more professional development and support to help teachers struggling in the classroom. AEA's Quality Teaching and Learning and Advocacy Departments have identified some key changes to teacher evaluations outlined in this article. Performance Classifications By December 12, 2012, there shall be four, final, overall performance clas- sifications in an evaluation framework. The framework for these classifications are changing and the final framework will be decided by the Arizona State Board of Education (SBE). These classifications are: • Highly Effective - Consistently exceeds expectations. Students made excep- tional academic progress. Demonstrates mastery of the professional teach- ing standards. • Effective - Consistently meets expectations. Students made satisfactory levels of academic progress. Demonstrates competency in the state board of education adopted professional teaching standards. • Developing - Fails to meet expectations, requires a change in performance. Students made unsatisfactory levels of academic progress. Demonstrates an insufficient level of competency in the state board of education adopted professional teaching standards; may be appropriate for new or newly-reas- signed teachers. • Ineffective - Fails to meet expectations and requires a change in per- formance. Students made unacceptable levels of academic progress. Demonstrates minimal competency in professional teaching standards. Public Meeting Requirements Governing boards must discuss the aggregate performance ratings of their teachers and princi- pals on an annual basis in a public meeting. In other words, the districts will take the frame- work from SBE and have their own definitions of these classifications. 16 Winter 2012/13 x AEA Advocate New Teacher Duty Teachers are now statutorily required to "make student learning the primary focus of the teacher's professional time." According to the new law, every teacher shall: 1. Make student learning the primary focus of the teacher's professional time.