History and Overview of the PDAS Jay Dawson Cassie Fredendall Molly Schroepfer October 20, 2005

Objectives ▫To have a knowledge of the general history of the education debate in Texas ▫To see how the PDAS was developed ▫To have a general overview of the contents of the PDAS ▫To have a basic idea of some of the praises and criticisms of education reform in Texas today

History

1981 : House Bill 246, the first teacher accountability law in Texas

1983 : A Nation At Risk

1984 : Educational Opportunity Act and the TECAT

1994 : Learner-centered schools for Texas and the TTAS

1997 : the PDAS

P rofessional D evelopment and A ppraisal S ystem “ To improve student performance through the professional development of teachers. ”

Characteristics ▫Learner Centered ▫Aligned ▫High Standard of Proficiency ▫Teacher Growth and Teacher Improvement ▫Collaboration

Appraisal Steps ▫Teacher Orientation ▫Teacher Self Report ▫Formal Classroom Observation ▫Walkthroughs ▫Summative Annual Report/Conference ▫Teacher Appeal

SUMMATIVE ANNUAL REPORT 5 working days before conference No later than 15 working days before last day of instruction Observation Summary Walkthrough documentation Third party/Teacher documentation Completed TSR Appraisal Period Timeline School Calendar Year Teacher Orientation Within 1 st 3 weeks Observations no earlier than 3 weeks after this orientation Teacher Self Report, Part I No later than three weeks after orientation Teacher Self Report II & III At least two weeks prior to Summative Conference Formal Observation Minimum of 45 minutes or shorter segments Written summary within 10 working days Advanced notice may be given/NOT REQUIRED. Follow district APPRAISAL CALENDAR May have pre- or post-conference at request of Teacher or Appraiser. WALKTHROUGH VISITS To be used at the discretion of the appraiser Documentation shared with teacher within 10 days SUMMATIVE CONFERENCE No later than 15 working days before last day of instruction May be waived in writing by Teacher, NOT APPRAISER If Appraiser is not administrator on campus, principal/asst. or designated supervisory staff will participate. First 12 WeeksSecond 12 WeeksThird 12 Weeks Last 15 Days of INST. ADDITIONAL TIME LINE ISSUES Teacher Response Within 10 working days (Appraiser may extend to 15) May rebut in writing or request 2 nd appraisal within 10 working days after receiving the OSF or Summative Annual Appraisal Report

Domains I. Active, Successful Student Participation in the Learning Process II. Learner Centered Instruction III. Evaluation and feedback on Student Process IV. Management of Student Discipline, Instructional Strategies, Time and Materials V. Professional Communication VI. Professional Development VII. Compliance with Policies, Operation Procedures and Requirements VIII. Improvement of Academic Performance of all students on campus

Domains I through VIII evaluated using the following: ▫Exceeds expectations ▫Proficient ▫Below expectations ▫Unsatisfactory

Performance Tools Q UALITY : focus on the teaching behavior and how it relates to student success Q UANTITIY : frequency and number of students for which the teaching behavior resulted in learning

Continuous Improvement Process Needs Assessment Data collection Analysis Goals & Objectives Strategies & Activities Implementation Who? What? What do we need? Professional Development & Sustained Support Ongoing Formative Evaluation Summative Evaluation Quality Student Performance

no child is left without “ T exas is attempting to ensure that no child is left without – without a higher level of skills and knowledge much closer to what economic and civic participation demand at the start of the 21st century. That is a tall order, even for Texas. ” from the 2002 report by Achieve, Inc. on education reform in Texas

Pros Cons ▫It forces teachers to reflect objectively on their teaching ▫It provides a standard of education that each teacher is expected to reach ▫It presents the opportunity for growth in the classroom ▫It judges a teacher for a whole year based on a 45 minute observation ▫The system is able to be manipulated ▫There are 8 domains with 52 criteria. Some of them may get overlooked.

Education Reform in Texas Today

Texas 8,097 total number of schools total students 4,259, ,686 LEP/ELL students total teachers 288, pupil/teacher ratio from

Criticisms test-driven T exas has a test-driven education system. increased the drop out rate. T his test-driven system and its high- stakes accountability for students has increased the drop out rate.

Evidence of Success ▫8 in 10 students pass all three sections of the TAAS ▫6 in 10 students answer 85% or more of the questions correctly ▫black and Hispanic children have made rapid gains, closing the achievement gap between them and the white students ▫Texas is making national gains in math according to the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) ▫Texas came in first nationally for writing in 2002, with black students outperforming whites in a handful of states

More Evidence of Success ▫the Consortium on Policy Research in Education found a positive relationship between rising 10th grade TAAS results and declining drop out rates ▫the Education Trust reported that high school completion rates have grown in Texas, reversing the trend nationally ▫the Manhattan Institute’s report showed Texas was among the top 16 states for black and Hispanic graduation rates (26th for white graduation rates)

Goals for Texas ▫Make state tests more challenging as promised in the 1999 Education Reform Law ▫Set the academic bar high, and give it time to work ▫Find good teachers, and keep them ▫Don’t take the public goodwill for granted according to Achieve, Inc.

“ W hile the critical refrain heard … is that only tests drive the education system, Achieve found a notable and unusual degree of alignment among standards, tests, curriculum, instruction, and teacher preparation and professional development. ” from the 2002 report by Achieve, Inc. on education reform in Texas