1 Implementing the Revised TPA Process for Experienced Teachers Core Module One: A Growth-Oriented Approach to Implementing the Revised Appraisal Process

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Implementing the Revised TPA Process for Experienced Teachers

Core Module One:A Growth-Oriented Approach to Implementing

the Revised Appraisal Process for Experienced Teachers

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Core Module One: A Growth-Oriented Approach to Implementing the Revised Appraisal Process for Experienced Teachers

Part One: Opening

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In this module participants will:• Learn about the revised performance appraisal process

for experienced teachers • Consider school and system contexts within which the

appraisal fosters growth and development of experienced teachers

• Identify and reflect on effective appraisal practices including opportunities provided in the appraisal process to support principal and experienced teacher collaboration

Core Module One: A Growth-Oriented Approach to Implementing the Revised Appraisal Process for Experienced Teachers

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Participant Experience with TPA

• On your own, reflect on your past experience with teacher performance appraisal

• Recall a TPA experience that stands out for you as positive and supportive of teacher growth and development (yours or someone else’s)

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Participant Experience with TPA (Continued)

• Make contact with someone in the room you do not know

• Talk about what happened, who was involved, what made it positive and supportive and how it was an effective appraisal practice

• Join a second pair and together, identify one effective appraisal practice to report to the large group

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Part Two: Background

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• The revised TPA process for experienced teachers was developed in consultation with the Working Table on Teacher Development during fall 2006

Background: Development of the Revised TPA Process for Experienced Teachers

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• Deliberations and recommendations of the Working Table were guided by:

o relevant researcho inter-jurisdictional scan o information collected from implementationo position papers from various stakeholder groups

including the Joint Task Force on Teacher Performance Appraisal, comprised of the teacher, principal and supervisory officer organizations


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• In March 2007, Minister Wynne announced the revised TPA process for experienced teachers

• School boards were given the option of implementing the revised process in April 2007 or no later than September 2007

• The Performance Appraisal of Experienced Teachers Technical Requirements Manual 2007 and the Summative Report Form for Experienced Teachers (approved form) have been posted on the ministry website

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• The revised TPA process for experienced teachers builds on the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) performance appraisal of new teachers that was introduced in June 2006

• The performance appraisal process for experienced teachers is intended to provide a continuum of support as a new teacher successfully completes the NTIP and becomes an experienced teacher


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The development of the revised TPA process for experienced teachers was guided by the following principles:

• Support for teacher professional growth and development

• Improved student outcomes • Strengthened collaboration between experienced

teachers and their principals through ongoing professional dialogue

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The development of the revised TPA process for experienced teachers was guided by the following principles: (Continued)

• Appraisal situated in the context of school and system learning communities

• Enhanced public confidence in public education • Increased capacity for principals in their role as

instructional leaders• Transparency and accountability

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Overarching Goal of Teacher Performance Appraisal

Consistent with the TPA process for new teachers the revised TPA for experienced teachers is designed to:• foster teacher development• provide meaningful appraisals that encourage

continuous professional learning and growth and• identify opportunities for additional support where

required

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Overview of Components of the TPA Processfor Experienced Teachers

• Five-year evaluation cycle• One appraisal in an evaluation year• Two-point rating scale• Pre-observation meeting, classroom observation, post-observation

meeting• One Summative Report Form• 16 competencies based on five domains• Streamlined look-fors provided as a resource• Strengthened Annual Learning Plan (ALP) requirements• Due process for unsatisfactory performance maintained

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Professional Dialogue and Reflection on

Practice

Appraisal Meetings

Standards of Practice for the

Teaching Profession

Collective Vision of

Professionalism That Guides

Daily Practices

Competency Statements

Summative Report

Annual Learning Plan

Rating Scale

Skills, Knowledge and

Attitudes

Rating Decision and Identification of Strengths and Next Steps for Improvement

Vehicle for Teachers’

Continuous Professional

Learning

Demonstrations of Performance in Relation to 16 Competencies

Experienced Teacher Continuous Growth and Development

Figure 1. Performance Appraisal Framework for Experienced Teachers

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Part Three: The Context for Appraisal

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The Context for Appraisal

Who is the “Experienced Teacher”?

• There is no definition of an “experienced teacher” in the Education Act or in the regulations

• A teacher ceases to be a new teacher and is considered “experienced” for the purposes of performance appraisal once he or she successfully completes the New Teacher Induction Program or, subject to any extension provided for in the regulations, his or her 24-month new teaching period has elapsed

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Activity One: Appraisal with the “Experienced Teacher” In Mind

Introducing…• Marg Dalhousie who teaches grade 8 in a JK- grade 8 elementary

school located in a suburb of Toronto• Denise Beaulieu who teaches a blended grade two and three class in

an inner city school• Peter Stockard who teaches grade six core subjects including visual

arts, drama and physical education• Seema Mohammed who teaches in a secondary school and has a

timetable that includes Grades 11 and 12 university-destination biology and chemistry courses and one grade 9 applied science course

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Roles and Responsibilities

• Teachers, vice-principals, principals and supervisory officers all play key roles in the performance appraisal process for experienced teachers

• In fulfilling these roles collaboration, mutual respect and shared responsibility are essential

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Roles and Responsibilities (Continued)

• This sets a climate within which experienced teachers learn, plan, prepare, teach, pursue individual and shared goals, and strive to be successful in bringing about high levels of student achievement

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Parent/Student Input

• Seeking parental and student input is an important vehicle for fostering positive relationships. A sense of openness and fairness, and an atmosphere of trust and respect are features of a school that is a learning community inclusive of parents and students

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Parent/Student Input (Continued)

• Parental and student input support and enhance the quality of teaching and learning in schools

• Teachers gather this information through a wide range of learning activities on a daily basis throughout the year

• Teachers communicate with parents formally and informally and depending on the level of support required by the student

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Activity Three: Quote Exchange

• Select a partner you do not know and share a personal connection to your quote… what does it mean to you? Focus on beliefs and values related to school and/or system culture

• Trade quotes• Repeat with at least two partners• Individually identify one or two insights/connections you made

to share with your table group• At your table group appoint a recorder/reporter• As a table group identify two or three common themes and

insights to report to the large group

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Activity Three: Sample Quote for Quote Exchange

Coming together is a beginningKeeping together is progressWorking together is success

-- Henry Ford

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Activity Four: “Synectics”

A growth-oriented school context is like ___________ because….A growth-oriented school context is NOT like _______ because….

AND/OR

A growth-oriented school system is like ___________ because….A growth-oriented school system is NOT like _______because….

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Activity Five: Jigsaw

The following activity asks participants to consider several articles commenting on the roles of principals, supervisory officers, school and system culture, and change.

* Note: Facilitator will need to provide materials/articles appropriate for the activity. (See page 39 for suggestions of titles that were used in past training sessions.)

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Activity Five: Jigsaw Debrief

• What do growth-oriented school and system contexts look, feel and sound like?

• What roles do teachers, vice-principals, principals, and supervisory officers play in growth-oriented school and system contexts?

• How are growth-oriented school and system contexts relevant to the experienced teacher performance appraisal process?

• What are the implications for the role of teachers, vice-principals, principals, and supervisory officers in the experienced teacher performance appraisal process?

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Activity Six: School Culture

Introducing…• Marg Donaldson’s JK to grade 8 elementary school• Denise Bealieu’s inner city school• Peter Stockard’s JK to grade 6 elementary school • Seema Mohammed’s secondary school

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Part Four: Components of the TPA Process for Experienced Teachers

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Scheduling and Frequency

For experienced teachers:

• Experienced Teachers are required to have one appraisal in an evaluation year every five years

• Experienced teachers new to a board must have one appraisal during their first year of employment with the board

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For new teachers who have successfully completed the NTIP:

• New teachers who have moved to experienced teacher status are placed in the five-year experienced teacher performance appraisal cycle

• Once their evaluation year is established, a cycle is established so that there are four non-evaluation years before their next scheduled evaluation

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• Additional appraisals and an Improvement Plan are required if an appraisal rating is Unsatisfactory

• The principal has the authority to conduct additional appraisals if the principal considers it advisable to do so in light of circumstances relating to the teacher’s performance

• In a non-evaluation year, teachers may request performance appraisals in addition to those required

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Supervision and Appraisal

The appraisal process and schedule is not intended to interfere with the principal’s supervisory responsibilities including:• observing teachers’ practice• meeting with teachers to discuss performance• requesting samples of teachers’ work• providing feedback to teachers and • supporting teacher growth and development at any time

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Competency Statements and Examples of Good Teaching Practice (Look-fors)

• In assessing the teacher’s performance, the principal must consider all 16 competencies set out in Schedule 1 of Ontario Regulation 99/02, as amended

• The 16 competency statements are based on the standards set out in the Ontario College of Teachers’ Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession

• Boards will continue to be able to provide for additional competencies to be used in the performance appraisal of teachers

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Competency Statements and Examples of Good Teaching Practice (Look-fors)

• In preparing the summative report, the principal provides comments identified in discussions with the teacher as the focus of the teacher’s performance appraisal (the principal may also comment on other competencies that were assessed through the performance appraisal)

• A streamlined list of 90 examples of good teaching practices (look-fors) is available as a resource for principals and teachers in identifying possible ways the competencies may be shown in practice

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The Annual Learning Plan (ALP)

• Each experienced teacher must have an ALP each year that includes the teacher’s professional growth objectives, as well as his or her proposed action plan and timelines for achieving those objectives

• In conducting this annual review and update, teachers, in consultation with their principal must take into account their learning and growth over the year and the summative report of their most recent performance appraisal

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• In the first year that a teacher is no longer considered a new teacher, he or she must develop an ALP

• The ALP is teacher authored and directed and is developed in a consultative and collaborative manner with the principal

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• Teachers are encouraged to take parent and student input into account in developing, reviewing and updating their ALP each year

• In an evaluation year, the teacher and principal must review and update the teacher’s current ALP in a meeting as part of the performance appraisal process

• In a non-evaluation year, a meeting is not required but is recommended. A meeting is required to take place at the request of either the teacher or the principal

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Appraisal Meetings

Three appraisal meetings:1. Pre-observation meeting2. Classroom observation3. Post-observation meeting to discuss observation and

growth opportunities. Principals use this information to complete the Summative Report Form

These meetings are repeated in each appraisal

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Appraisal Meetings

“Neighbours” opportunity for dialogue

The broadest function of the appraisal meetings is to “improve or enhance job performance by engaging in

a reflective conversation on the complexities of teaching and learning.”

~ Stronge and Tucker, 2003

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Summative Report Form

The Summative Report Form has been revised to provide principals with the opportunity to: • comment on competencies identified in discussions with the teacher

as the focus of the teacher’s performance appraisal (the principal may also comment on other competencies that were assessed through the performance appraisal)

• provide an overall rating of the teacher’s performance• recommend professional growth goals and strategies for the teacher

to take into account in developing, reviewing and updating his or her ALP

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Summative Report Form

This form must be used for each appraisal. The duties of the principal may be delegated to a vice-principal in the same school or to an appropriate supervisory officer

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Rating Scale

Two-point Rating Scale:• Satisfactory• Unsatisfactory

If the teacher receives a Satisfactory rating, the principal is encouraged to provide further feedback on strengths andpossible areas of growth for the teacher

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Process Following a Performance Rating that is

Unsatisfactory

• Development of an Improvement Plan after first Unsatisfactory rating

• On Review status after two consecutive Unsatisfactory ratings

• Recommendation for employment termination after three consecutive Unsatisfactory appraisals

• The Ontario College of Teachers is notified after termination

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Process Following a Performance Rating that is

Unsatisfactory

While the teacher is On Review status, the principal and supervisory officer can jointly decide to omit the third appraisal and recommend the termination of the teacher’s employment to protect the best interests of students

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Role of Supervisory Officers and Directors of Education

• Mandated responsibilities in relation to teachers that receive an Unsatisfactory performance rating, including being updated about teachers who receive Unsatisfactory ratings on their appraisals and consultation with the principal regarding teachers on Review status

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Part Five: Closing

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Free-Write

Write a personal statement about the TPA process for experienced teachers and growth-oriented school or system contexts. Consider these questions for your free-write.

• What does revised performance appraisal process for experienced teachers look like in a growth-oriented school or system context?

• In my role as teacher/principal/

supervisory officer, what are some ways that I encourage a growth-oriented appraisal process?

• What indispensable message do I want to communicate about the TPA process for experienced teachers to the educators I work with?

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Guided Reflection

Reflection is what allows us to learn from our experience: it is an assessment of where we have been and where we want to go next.

~ Kenneth Wolf

Documents

1 Implementing the Revised TPA Process for Experienced Teachers Core Module One: A Growth-Oriented Approach to Implementing the Revised Appraisal Process