TLE Changes APPROVED

Post date: May 12, 2016 10:43:21 AM

A bright spot amidst the fiscal gloom of spring 2016 is that Governor Fallin has now signed House Bill 2957, which eliminates the quantitative component of the TLE Appraisal System. The state never developed a viable quantitative system and wasted teachers' time with failed pilot efforts in Other Academic Measures and Student Learning Objectives along with multiple years of the senseless Roster Verification for several years of Value Added Measures that never became part of teacher evaluations.

Bartlesville's own Senator Ford co-authored the bill; we are grateful that he has seen the light and, in his final term, led the effort to abandon quantitative measures in teacher appraisals.

Teachers should abandon the current Roster Verification process. It has been rendered moot by the new law. 

Provisions

• Quantitative components eliminated

  • Appraisals have been entirely based on qualitative ratings since TLE began and that will continue; latest language for both qualitative and quantitative measures stricken

• Student performance must be discussed

  • Student performance, including performance on the statewide criterion-referenced tests if available, shall be discussed with the teacher and MAY be one of the considerations for the teacher's rating, but no Value Added Measures, Other Academic Measures, etc. are part of rating

• Career teacher status (which brings less frequent appraisals, termination hearing due process rights, and less stringent mandatory dismissals) is granted to:

  • teachers employed prior to 2017-2018 who have completed three or more consecutive complete school years in a district

  • teachers employed for the first time by a district in 2017-2018:

    • who complete three consecutive complete years in a district with a "superior" rating in 2 of the 3 years -OR-

    • who complete four consecutive complete years in a district with an average rating of "effective" or higher and "effective" or higher for the last 2 years of the 4-year period -OR-

    • who complete four or more consecutive complete years in a district IF the principal of the school petitions the district superintendent and the superintendent and local school board approve career teacher status

• Appraisals every three years allowed for "superior" or "highly effective" ratings

  • Currently career teachers receiving a "superior" or "highly effective" rating only have to be evaluated once every two years; that is extended to once every three years

    • Bartlesville currently only exercises this once every two years option at elementary schools, and then only if both the principal and the teacher agree

• NEW individualized professional development mandate

  • A new requirement that each teacher have an individualized program of professional development, tied to the qualitative TLE component is to be piloted by the state department of education in 2016-2017, piloted at the district level in 2017-2018, and mandated in 2018-2019

    • Establish an annual professional growth goal developed by teacher in collaboration with evaluator

      • tailored to address a specific area or criteria identified through the qualitative component of the TLE

      • allow teacher to actively engage with learning practices that are evidence-based, researched practices that are correlated with increased student achievement

      • supported by resources that are easily available and supplied by the school district and the State Department of Education

    • Professional development completed shall count toward the total number of point teacher is required to complete; not to be construed as increasing the existing number of required points

    • Individualized programs may include but are not limited to the following learning practices:

      • presenter-led workshops

      • individual or faculty studies of books, scholarly articles and video productions

      • peer observations

      • committee studies to address student achievement issues

      • work related to a specific subject area or areas associated with obtaining an advanced degree or professional certification

      • action research projects designed to improve student achievement

      • participation in local, regional or state initiatives associated with the development or implementation of curriculum standards

• Relaxed mandatory firings

  • Career teachers

    • Beginning in 2017-2018, career teachers who receive "ineffective" ratings for 2 consecutive school years still dismissed but new exception added: UNLESS superintendent recommends and local school board approves continued employment

    • Beginning in 2017-2018, career teachers who receive "needs improvement" or lower for 3 consecutive school years MAY (no longer SHALL) be dismissed

    • No longer a requirement of an average "effective" rating over a five year period

  • Probationary teachers

    • Beginning in 2017-2018, probationary teachers who receive "ineffective" for two consecutive school years MAY (no longer SHALL) be dismissed

    • Beginning in 2017-2018, probationary teachers who do not attain career teacher status within a four-year period MAY (no longer SHALL) be dismissed

  • Principals

    • Beginning in 2017-2018, principals who receive "ineffective" ratings for 2 consecutive school years MAY be dismissed instead of SHALL be dismissed

  • Broadening of mandatory teacher dismissal reasons from 'sex offender registration act, felony offenses, 'criminal sexual activity' and 'sexual misconduct' to now include a finding that the teacher 'has engaged in acts that could form the basis of criminal charges sufficient to result in the denial or revocation of a [teaching] certificate'