APPR MOA

WTA Appraisal Process

The Appraisal Process outlined in the section was agreed upon to help teachers improve their instructional practices, to enhance communication about effective teaching between and among teachers, and to positively affect student achievement. It is also meant to be a collaborative process between teachers and administrators with the final professional performance rating representing everything that an administrator knows about the teacher as a professional.

The procedures outlined in this section apply to all teachers in the Association. Members of the Association not covered under this section are all social workers, psychologists, speech therapists, guidance counselors, OTs, PTs, COTAs, nurses, teaching assistants, teachers of hearing impaired, teachers of vision impaired, and middle school and high school librarians. The aforementioned excluded members will continue to be evaluated according to the existing appraisal process in place prior to September 2012.

Teachers appraised under the rules and procedures of this section shall be evaluated out of a composite score of 100 points. Teachers receiving a composite score within the range of 91-100 shall be designated as Highly Effective, 75-90—Effective, 65-74—Developing and 0-64—Ineffective. The composite score of 100 will be based upon the evaluation of teachers in three areas: Teacher Performance (60 points), Student Growth (20 points), and Local Measures (20 points). The chart below displays the three areas teachers will be evaluated in with corresponding scores and teacher ratings for each.  

Evaluation Instruments and Procedures

Teacher Performance Instruments

Teachers appraised in this area will be evaluated through the use of the Silver and Strong Thoughtful Classroom Rubric. (See Appendix A). Teachers will be evaluated in the ten dimensions outlined in the rubric and will receive a score of 1-4 points in each dimension.  In each dimension a score will be assigned holistically, not based on the number of boxes checked or not checked.  A total of 40 rubric points can be earned by a teacher. Due to the fact that the Silver/Strong Rubric is based on a 40 point scale, and 60 points can be earned in this area of evaluation, the following point conversion chart will be used to assign teacher evaluation point values towards their composite score.

Teacher Performance Procedures

Each teacher covered under this article will be observed by their administrator at least two times per year. The first observation of the school year will be announced in advance at least one week prior to the scheduled observation and require a pre-observation form (see Appendix B) to be filled by the teacher being observed. A pre-observation conference will be held for all teachers who are non-tenured, or on a Teacher Improvement Plan (TIP). Pre-observation conferences are not required for all other teachers unless requested by the teacher or the administrator.  The teacher is to complete the pre-observation form and submit it to the principal at least one day in advance of the classroom observation, or one day in advance of the pre-observation conference if one is being held.

If the teacher requests a different time for the scheduled formal observation based on special events occurring in the classroom, an assessment being given, or other reason, such requests will not be unreasonably denied.

Any subsequent observations do not need to be announced in advance and do not require a pre-observation form or pre-observation conference.  There is no time minimum on these observations.

In addition to these two observations, it is anticipated that additional information may be needed in order to demonstrate proficiency in the ten dimensions of the rubric. This additional information may be gathered through additional observations by an administrator and/or by giving teachers the opportunity to provide evidence demonstrating their commitment to the various dimensions, especially those that would be difficult to observe in a classroom observation.  Additional observations may be initiated by an administrator or a teacher.  A teacher may provide evidence throughout the evaluation process until June 1 (non-tenured teachers in their final year of probation may provide evidence until April 1). 

Instructional Specialists and Coordinators may observe a teacher for evaluative purposes only if the teacher is notified in advance. Instructional specialists and coordinators may not serve as lead evaluators for any teachers, but will be able to add feedback to the electronic version of the rubric prepared by the lead evaluator. 

No administrator will evaluate teachers unless he or she has been trained in the use of the rubric.

Teacher Performance Evaluation Timeline

Within one week of any observation, the administrator will enter feedback onto the electronic evaluation form of the rubric. If there are extenuating circumstances and the administrator is not able to enter feedback within a week, the affected teacher will be notified.

By March 15, all teachers will be able to view preliminary scores in each of the ten dimensions of the rubric.  Preliminary scores will only be reduced if subsequent observations or evidence differ significantly from prior information obtained by the evaluator.  In those cases, justification will be given for the reduction.

By June 1, teachers will be notified of their final score out of 60 points. Non-tenured teachers in their final year of probation will be notified by April 1. Upon notification of final scores, any member or lead evaluator may request a final conference to discuss these scores.  Under no circumstances will a score be changed after June 1.

Student Growth Instruments and Procedures

Most teachers of ELA and math grades 4 through 8 will have a score assigned by the State.  Teachers of ELA and math grades 4 through 8 with fewer than 16 students will develop SLOs.

Teachers required to have SLOs will develop them in consultation with their principals.  They must be submitted by teachers by December 3.  Principals have until January 7 to approve the SLOs.

Other teachers will have a group metric based on scores of students in the building on high-stakes tests.  The targets will be shared with teachers prior to the start of school pending receipt of necessary information from the State in a timely fashion.

Student growth evaluation scores will be assigned according to the chart below:

Locally-Selected Measures of Student Performance Instruments and Procedures

STAR will be used for K-8 teachers in ELA and math.  The target for those teachers will be that 80% of their students will achieve within 10% of the scaled score projected for them for a test date of 5/10/2013.  Teachers with special education and ESL students will have the ability to adjust targets for individual students in consultation with their principals, because STAR does not take those classifications into account in their projections.

Most other teachers will use a district or State assessment—many will be performance-based rather than paper/pencil. (See Appendix C for specifics for each course.) Targets will be set by representative teachers and the instructional specialist for courses that are taught by more than one teacher.

Locally selected measures of student performance evaluation scores will be assigned according to the chart below:

Special Considerations

A teacher who is absent from school more than eight calendar weeks will not have a composite score generated.  This would include a teacher who is hired more than eight weeks after the start of the school year.

APPR Appeals Process

Every effort should be made to provide final scores for teachers as soon as they are available.  In the cases where the State has determined part of the score, the rest of the score should be provided to the teacher without waiting until the scores have been provided by the State.

Any teacher who receives a final composite score in the developing or ineffective range shall have the right to appeal their professional performance rating to the APPR Hearing Panel.  See Appendix D for Hearing Panel Guidelines.

According to State regulations, a teacher may appeal their professional performance rating on the following grounds: the district’s adherence to the standards and methodologies required for such reviews pursuant to Education Law 3012-c, the district’s adherence to the Commissioner’s regulations applicable to such reviews, the district’s compliance with the negotiated annual performance procedures outlined in this document, and the district’s issuance and/or implementation of the terms of the teacher improvement plan.  If the State regulations (section L of guidance document) change to include more grounds for appeal, teachers may also appeal on the added grounds.

Any member wishing to appeal their final professional performance rating may request a meeting of the hearing panel with the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources no later than one calendar week after the receipt of their final composite score.  The request for appeal must include the grounds for appeal.

Upon receiving a hearing panel request, the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources shall verify the receipt of this request in writing to the appealing member, the appealing member’s lead evaluator, and the WTA President.  Upon receipt of this verification, the appealing member and the lead evaluator will have ten calendar days to submit any pertinent evidence or materials they feel would be helpful to the hearing panel in reaching an impartial decision.

The appealing member will submit their hearing panel materials/evidence to the WTA President who shall then provide copies to the members of the panel.  The lead evaluator will submit the materials/evidence to the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources who shall then provide copies to the members of the panel.

The panel hearing will be held within fifteen calendar days after evidence/materials were received by the WTA and Assistant Superintendent. The WTA President and Assistant Superintendent can mutually agree to extend this deadline if they feel additional time is needed to ensure a fair hearing.  At this point, the WTA President and the Assistant Superintendent will verify that the appeal meets the criteria established by the State.  If both agree the appeal does not meet the necessary criteria, the appeal will not be heard by the hearing panel.

The APPR Hearing Panel will be comprised of four members (two members from the WTA and two administrators), jointly selected by the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and the WTA President. Panel members shall be selected from two pools: a WTA pool and an administrative pool each consisting of 6-9 members with each instructional level (elementary, middle, and high school) being represented. All panel members will receive special training on the policies and procedures of the appraisal process and the APPR Hearing Panel before serving on said panel. The President of the WTA and the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources or the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction will observe the meeting as non-participants to validate the correctness of the proceedings.

When the hearing panel convenes, both the member and the evaluator will have the opportunity to make a brief (no more than five minutes) opening statement specifying the rationale for the appeal or rating.  The panel shall then have the opportunity to question the appealing member and the lead evaluator while both parties are present in the room. Once the panel has asked its questions, both parties will be given the opportunity to share any pertinent information they feel should be considered by the panel that was not discussed during the question phase of the hearing.

The panel shall discuss and debate in a closed door session the information presented by the member and the lead evaluator as well as all written documentation received.

The panel shall strive to reach consensus on all matters before them. However, if a majority decision cannot be reached after one hour of discussion, then the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources or the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, whichever was present for the hearing, shall make the final decision.  The panel has the authority to sustain, modify, or set aside the evaluation.

The decision of the panel shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the teacher, the WTA President, and the Superintendent not later than five working days after the date of the hearing. The decision of the panel shall be final and binding on all parties.

Teacher Improvement Plans

Teachers who receive a rating of developing or ineffective must be placed on a Teacher Improvement Plan (See Appendix E for form).

The plan must define specific standards-based goals that a teacher must make progress toward attaining within a specific period of time and shall include the identification of areas that need improvement, a timeline for achieving improvement, the manner in which improvement will be assessed, and, where appropriate, differentiated activities to support improvement in these areas.

The plan should clearly describe the professional learning activities that the educator must complete. These activities should be connected directly to the areas needing improvement. The evidence that the teacher must produce that can serve as benchmarks of improvement and as evidence for the final stage of the improvement plan should be described, and could include items such as lesson plans and supporting materials, including student work.

The supervisor should clearly state in the plan the additional support and assistance that the educator will receive. In the final stage of the improvement plan, the teacher should meet with his or her supervisor to review the plan, alongside any artifacts and evidence from evaluations, in order to determine if adequate improvement has been made in the required areas outlined within the plan for the teacher.

If the areas for growth and improvement identified by the principal fall within the teacher performance section of the appraisal, the teacher will be assigned a mentor who will work with the teacher to help him/her improve. The mentor will be a colleague who is jointly selected by the principal and teacher. If they cannot agree, the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and WTA President will jointly select the mentor. The mentor’s role is that of a colleague and he/she will not participate in the appraisal of the teacher.

Review and Expiration

This MOA will expire at the end of the appeals process for the 2012-13 school year, although members on TIPs will continue on those plans for the duration of the 2013-14 school year.  During the 2012-13 school year, the WTA and district administration will continue to meet to address questions and concerns that may came up about the appraisal process.