PPfT Appraisal
January 2016 Newsletter
Dear PPfT Appraisal Teachers,
Welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing winter break.
January’s PPfT Appraisal Newsletter includes pertinent information and deadlines regarding the PPfT Appraisal and will cover the following topics:
- Spring PPfT Details and Deadlines
- Instructional Practice Information and Reminders
- Professional Growth and Responsibilities Information and Reminders
- SLOs Details and Deadlines
- Resources and Recommended Learning Opportunities
Spring PPfT Appraisal Deadlines:
- April 22, 2016- Last day an announced observation can occur by appraiser.
- April 29, 2016 - Complete final SLO submission form must be complete by teachers.
- May 20, 2016- Spring Announced Observations must be verified by teachers.
- May 27, 2016 – Summative report must be signed by teachers.
Be sure to review the PPfT Appraisal Timeline for additional important details and deadlines.
Instructional Practice:
- January 11 – April 22, 2016: Announced Observation Spring Window
- January 5, 2016- April 29, 2016: Classroom Visit Spring Window
One specific area that PPfT aims to focus on is how to help teachers improve their instructional practice to benefit the students in the classroom. Observation feedback and scores should be shared with you within 10 school days, and a post conference is required after your spring announced observation is shared with you.
Please be sure to check out the Instructional Practice resources available to you:
- Instructional Practice Online Resource Site
- PPfT Support Guide (pages 5-14 include teaching strategies and procedures)
Professional Growth and Responsibilities:
The second component of the appraisal is Professional Growth and Responsibilities. This piece of the PPfT Appraisal provides a system that concentrates on teacher growth and collaboration (Growth) while acknowledging compliance activities (Responsibilities). Professional Growth focuses on the demonstration of teacher development and collaboration through important practices that increase student learning such as participating in ongoing professional development, reflecting on instruction and student growth, goal setting, adapting teaching and instruction in response to research and data, and collaborating with the school community. Responsibilities highlight compliance and professional ethics, contributions to school and community, assessment and data use, and relational communication.
Professional Growth and Responsibilities accounts for 25% of your overall appraisal score, and includes a rubric that encompasses five strands associated to professionalism:
• Strand 1: Professional Development and Reflection
• Strand 2: Collaboration and Contributions
• Strand 3: Lesson Planning and Data Use
• Strand 4: Relational Communication
• Strand 5: Compliance
* The Office of Educator Quality will offer an online Professional Growth and Responsibilities Learning Opportunity that will be available February 2, 2016 to help you learn more about Professional Growth and Responsibilities. Register for PPfT Appraisal Mid-Year Review for Teachers: Professional Growth and Responsibilities (section # 80287) in the HCP. This online course will review related tools and resources to assist you throughout the school year, scoring and expectations and sources of evidence and/or artifacts appraisers will review to assign a score. *
Student Learning Objectives:
1) Teaching and Progress Monitoring:
- At this point in the year, teachers should look for ways to plan lessons and align activities that include the standards of the SLO into their daily instruction. They can spiral the curriculum to consistently address the standards and monitor student progress toward mastering the learning objective by planning assessment checkpoints throughout the year. After each checkpoint, teachers can then adjust their instruction based on the data they have.
- January 4 - February 5, 2016 - Teachers can request revisions to their SLO (due to changing assignment or severe roster changes)
- Request must be made in writing to the appraiser and SLO Team
3) New-Teacher Hire Cutoff:
- January 15, 2016 - All teachers hired by this date must complete and submit 1 SLO
- New teachers have 20 working days to submit SLO
- Contact SLO team with further questions regarding new teachers (or teachers returning from leave)
- New teachers have 20 working days to submit SLO
4) Spring Semester SLOs:
- February 5, 2016 - New-student enrollment cutoff date
- February 12, 2016 - SLO submission deadline
5) Post-Assessment Window:
- March 21 - April 29, 2016 - All spring semester and year-long SLOs must post-test all students
6) Final Teacher SLO Submission Deadline:
- April 29, 2016 - All spring semester and year-long SLO teachers must enter post-test scores on roster and complete all fields on SLO verification form
PPfT Appraisal Resources and Recommended Learning Opportunities:
Do not forget about the PPfT Appraisal resources available to help you throughout the year:
- The AISD PPfT Appraisal Website provides links to resources for instructional practice, appraisal rubrics, timelines and the support guide.
- The PPfT Appraisal Support Guide provides detailed information about components and policies, as well as directions and guidelines for how to complete the appraisal.
- The Instructional Practice Online Resource Site provides a teacher toolkit for each strand of the rubric, links to instructional strategies, links to videos of expected standard and above expected standard teaching, a classroom showcase of AISD teachers and recommended reading for teachers.
- The PPfT Appraisal Mid-Year Review for Teachers: Professional Growth and Responsibilities Online Course reviews related tools and resources to assist you throughout the school year, scoring and expectations and sources of evidence and/or artifacts appraisers will review to assign a score. (available February 2, 2016)
- HCP includes appraisal resources, professional development opportunities and access to Edivation videos.
- SLO Database
Recommended Learning Opportunities are also available to you at the bottom of your PPfT Appraisal plan. Click on the Recommended Learning Opportunities activity link to view any courses that have been recommended to you by your appraiser.