Equitable Access to Excellent Educators

State Equity Plan Texas’s plan process (2015): Charge to all states: Specific steps that the state education agency will take to ensure that students from low-income families and students of color are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of- field teachers, and the measures that the agency will use to evaluate and publicly report the progress. Texas’s plan process (2015): Analyze data on experience and qualifications Examined gaps between high and low-quartile poverty and minority

2015 State Plan Contents Analysis of state data identifying equity gaps Stakeholder engagement information Identification contributing factors of equity gaps Theory of action for each contributing factor Strategies to address each contributing factor Ongoing monitoring and public reporting on progress Timeline outlining the implementation of the strategies

Percentage of Teachers With Less Than One Year Experience, 2014 All Schools Lowest Minority Quartile Schools (LMQ) Second Lowest Minority Quartile Schools Second Highest Minority Quartile Schools Highest Minority Quartile Schools (HMQ) Lowest Poverty Quartile Schools (LPQ) Second Lowest Poverty Quartile Schools Second Highest Poverty Quartile Schools Highest Poverty Quartile Schools (HPQ) ORIENT THEM TO THE GRAPHIC DATA SOURCES: 2013-2014 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) for the state The TAPR Reports present a wide range of information on the performance of students in each school and district in Texas every year. The reports also provide extensive information on school and district staff, programs, and student demographics. The data we’re presenting come from the campus-level TAPR data for the entire state. 2013-2014 Highly Qualified (HQ) Report for the state NCLB requires states to annually report the percentage of teachers who are not highly qualified to the U.S. Department of Education. Districts submit to TEA campus-level information concerning the number and percent of teachers and number and percent of classes taught by highly qualified teachers. This is collected annually through the Highly Qualified Compliance Report in the eGrants system. The data reported must reflect the “highly qualified” status of teachers at each campus in the district. Percentages double going from lowest to highest quartile

Probationary Certificates *Based on 2014-2015 ECOS and PEIMS data

State Equity Gaps and Areas of Focus Equitable Access Gap Focus: Students from low-income or minority backgrounds are taught by novice or inexperienced teachers at higher rates than other students High-Priority Areas of Focus: Improve training and support for teachers Continue to improve campus leadership Revised Additional Area of Focus: Work with districts to strengthen systems for recruiting, developing, and retaining excellent teachers and principals These two root causes were selected as the most significant factors by stakeholders.

Key strategies: Develop guidance and tools for districts to create and implement local equity plans this is why we are here today Facilitate targeted training and PD for teachers, including teacher candidates Facilitate campus leader training and support Encourage training of and support for mentors of novice teachers.

Districts Equity Plans For all Title I districts: Specific steps that the district will take to ensure that students from low-income families and students of color are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, ineffective, or out-of-field teachers.

Our Vision for District Plans Texas’s District Equity Plan Vision: The value of the plan is in the process itself (analysis of what’s working and what isn’t working) Engage stakeholders, self-assess, reflect, continuously improve processes to recruit, develop, and retain educators (growth) Prioritize and sequence (eventually a 5 year plan?)

Our Vision for District Plans There is no “equity” jail – the process is simply about identifying ways within the district that you can improve instruction and leadership on the campuses in question. District strategies will inform how the state uses federal funds (Title II, Part A) to support district plans.

Plan Specifics First plans would be due in fall of 2017 (end of October) Ultimately, would be a five year plan with annual updates Equity Plan Toolkit to help navigate the process (March 2017) ESC support to work through the process

Plan Specifics Gap analysis for Inexperience and Out-of-Field: 4 or more campuses – comparison of bottom quartile campuses with top quartile campuses or state average, whichever is greater 3 or less campuses – comparison of Title I campuses to state average Gap analysis for Ineffective Teaching: Districts will use multiple data points to determine gaps in student learning Teaching performance Student learning Student engagement

Outcome Hopes Equity planning fits within existing district planning processes Approach is about continuous improvement, not a need to show no gaps Opportunity to assess and improve how we all recruit, develop, and retain educators Sheds coordinated light on where additional support is needed