Instructor: Jess Madden-Fuoco, jmaddenfuoco@bostonpublicschools.org

Course Dates and Times:

March 30, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (lunch from 11:30 - 12:30)

May 11, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (lunch from 11:30 - 12:30)

June 1, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (lunch from 11:30 - 12:30)

Course Outline

Purpose:

In this course, participants will learn ways of supporting teachers’ growth through observing and giving feedback. This course will help participants who are interested in being a stronger teacher, a stronger evaluator, a stronger peer leader, a stronger instructional coach, a stronger mentor to student teachers, or a stronger critical friend.

Course Content and Design:

In this course, participants will participate in the Boston Public School’s Observation and Feedback Course, which began in 2013. The course will include classroom visits and opportunities to apply what is learned in class. At the end of this course, if participants have also completed the Evaluator 101 on-line modules, participants will be certified to be evaluators in the Boston Public Schools if they aren’t already. Course participants are eligible to receive PDPs or 1 ALC for successful completion of course requirements.

This course is designed for administrators and teachers (members of the BTU) who are interested in learning how to provide colleagues with feedback and resources to help them improve their teaching. Teachers can take the course if they are interested in evaluating colleagues in the future or are interested in developing the skills necessary to support fellow teachers in improving (outside of the evaluation process).

Jess Madden-Fuoco is the Director of Teaching and Learning at Boston Green Academy and the Coordinator of Professional Learning for the Boston Public Schools. Jess believes that the evaluation process should support teachers’ growth and also that teachers can play an important role in helping their colleagues improve.

Course Requirements:

- Attend all class sessions

- Complete all assignments (see list of assessments and products below)

- If you are not yet a certified evaluator, to become one, you will also need to complete the Evaluator 101 modules on BPS Learns.

Outcomes of the Course:

1. Write high-quality literal notes on classroom observations
2. Provide high-quality feedback in conversations
3. Provide high-quality feedback in writing
4. Accurately and fairly assess teacher performance through observations and use of multiple data sources

Alignment with DESE Rubrics:

Your work in this course will provide you with artifacts for the following elements:

Teacher Rubric:

IV-B-1: Professional Learning and Growth: Consistently seeks out and applies, when appropriate, ideas for improving practice from supervisors, colleagues, professional development activities, and other resources to gain expertise and/or assume different instruction and leadership responsibilities.

School-level Administrator Rubric:

I-D-2: Observations and Feedback: Typically makes at least two unannounced visits to classrooms every day and provides targeted constructive feedback to all educators. Acknowledges effective practice and provides redirection and support for those whose practice is less than Proficient.

I-D-4: Alignment Review: Consistently reviews alignment between judgment about practice and student learning data and makes informed decisions about educator support and evaluation based upon this review.

I-E-3: Improvement of Performance, Effectiveness, and Learning: Uses multiple data sources to evaluate educator and school performance. Provides educator teams with disaggregated assessment data and assists faculty in identifying students who need additional support.

Strategies for Assessing Student Performance

Assessments + Products:

1. Literal notes written on classroom videos (minimum of 2 to demonstrate competency)
2. CSI (Content-Strategy-Impact) written feedback write-ups (minimum of 2 to demonstrate competency)

Grading Policy:

Students must demonstrate all course competencies to get 15 PDPs or 1 ALC for the course. Students will receive an A if their assessments show high competency, and students will receive a B if their assessments show competency. If students do not demonstrate competencies, they will receive an Incomplete.