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KISD PDAS APPRAISAL GUIDELINES
School Year: 2015 - 2016
I. General Provisions
A. Each teacher shall be appraised in the performance of his/her duties and
shall be assigned an appraiser.
(1) An appraisal is administered every year for the following teachers:
(a) teachers who are probationary according to their contract
(b) teachers identified as “In Need of Assistance”
(c) teachers identified by the campus appraiser and/or teacher
as needing an appraisal (these may include, but are not limited
to, teachers new to campus, teachers new to a grade level or
content area, teachers identified during current school year as
needing an appraisal based on walkthrough or other
documentation). It is the duty of the appraiser to notify the
teacher in writing regarding this change in the appraisal year.
(2) An appraisal is administered every two years for teachers rated as
Proficient or higher in all eight PDAS domains the previous year.
(3) An appraisal is administered every three years for teachers rated as
Exceeding Expectations in all eight PDAS domains the previous year.
(4) A teacher who is not appraised must sign the KISD PDAS Exempt
Agreement Form- Commissioner’s Rules – 150.1003(l), indicating
his/her agreement to not be formally appraised for the current school
year.
(5) Teachers on employment agreements who are hired after April 1
(last PDAS orientation) will not be formally appraised. However,
these teachers shall be assigned an appraiser who shall conduct
walkthroughs and provide feedback.
B. Teachers shall be appraised through the use of the Professional
Development and Appraisal System (PDAS).
C. The results of the appraisal of teachers shall be used for professional
development purposes and shall be used as one component for contract
renewal considerations.
D. Each teacher’s appraiser shall be a trained, KISD Board-approved PDAS
appraiser. Unless otherwise stipulated in these guidelines, a teacher’s
appraiser shall be an administrator assigned to the same campus as the
teacher. At all school campuses having assistant principals, the principal
and assistant principal(s) shall serve as Teacher Appraisers, as determined
by the principal.
Note: On high school campuses, student activities coordinators may serve
as appraisers, as may campus special education coordinators (for special
education teachers only). See “Appraisal of Special Program Teachers” (Section
VIII) for further information.
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E. A teacher’s appraisal shall be based on her/his performance in fields and
teaching assignments for which she/he is certified.
II. PDAS Orientation
A. PDAS Local Guidelines and Appraisal Calendar: Principals/Appraisers shall
provide access to these guidelines and the 2015-2016 PDAS Appraisal
Calendar (located on the Leadership Development website) to all returning
teachers assigned to their supervision at the beginning of the school year (new
teachers will receive copies of both at Induction).
B. Orientation Attendance:
1) Principals and other appraisers shall ensure that all new teachers attend
District PDAS orientation no later than 3 weeks after their first day on
contract and at least 3 weeks prior to their first formal observation.
Principals are responsible for ensuring that teachers attend the first
available PDAS orientation. Sessions are offered on the first Tuesday
of each month. This requirement also applies to current professional
employees who change to a PDAS-appraised position.
2) All returning teachers who have been away from the District for less than
two school years and have previously completed KISD PDAS
Orientation are not required to repeat the training.
3) All returning teachers who have been gone from the District for two years
or more must complete KISD PDAS Orientation within the first three
weeks after their first day on contract.
4) Teachers rehired after less than a year’s break in service and who have
previously completed KISD PDAS Orientation are not required to repeat
the training.
5) 2014-2015 employment agreement teachers hired for the 2015-2016
school year who completed KISD PDAS Orientation are not required to
repeat the training.
6) Teachers new to the district who were hired from another Texas school
district shall attend a 2 hour KISD PDAS Orientation.
7) New teachers who completed PDAS Orientation at Tarleton or Texas A
& M, Central Texas will not need to repeat orientation.
NOTE: Documentation of their 4 hour PDAS orientation must be submitted
to Leadership Development within 1st month of employment.
III. The Appraisal: Observations, Conferences, and Summative Annual Appraisal
Report
A. Pre-observation Conference: An individual pre-observation conference
must be conducted when requested by a teacher or an appraiser within a
reasonable period of time before the teacher’s formal observation occurs.
The appraiser shall be responsible for conducting the conference.
B. Teacher Self Report: The Teacher Self Report shall be completed by all
teachers according to the Commissioner’s Rules. Teacher Self Report I is
due within 3 weeks after PDAS Orientation (first 3 weeks of
school/employment) and Parts II and III are due at least 2 weeks before the
summative annual conference.
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C. Formal Observation: Each teacher being appraised will receive at least one
classroom observation of a minimum of 45 minutes. The formal observation
shall be conducted during the appraisal period only on the days allowed in
the appraisal calendar and shall be scheduled by date and time of day.
D. Advance Notice: According to Board policy, classroom observations (45
minutes) of teachers shall be scheduled by date and time of day. Before
the observation occurs, the length of the observation may be waived by
mutual consent at the request of the teacher or the appraiser. In cases
where the length of time is waived, time segments must aggregate to at
least 45 minutes. The teacher must be evaluated in ALL eight (8) PDAS
Domains. (TEC 150.1005)
E. Observation Summary Report: After the formal observation, the appraiser
must complete a written summary. The written summary shall be developed
with the assistance of the KISD selected online system (Eduphoria). A copy
of the written summary shall be shared with the teacher within ten (10)
working days of the observation.
F. Post-observation Conference: All teachers who are appraised must have a
post-observation conference conducted by their appraiser when requested
by the teacher or the appraiser. Even though it is not required, KISD highly
recommends pre-observation conferences for any teacher who is currently
or could potentially be identified as “In Need of Assistance.”
G. Summative Annual Appraisal Report:
1. A written summative annual appraisal document must be created in
Eduphoria and completed. It shall be shared with the teacher no later than
five (5) working days before the summative conference AND no later than
fifteen (15) working days before the last day of instruction for students.
NOTE: Close of business for KISD is 5:00PM.
2. Unless waived in writing by the teacher, a summative conference shall
be held within a time frame specified on the District appraisal calendar and
no later than fifteen (15) working days before the last day of instruction for
students. The summative conference shall focus on the written summative
report and related data sources, including Teacher Self Report,
walkthroughs, and other related cumulative data.
3. Any documentation collected after the summative conference, but
before the end of the contract term during one school year, may be
considered as part of the appraisal of a teacher. If the documentation
affects the teacher’s evaluation in any domain, another summative report
shall be developed and another summative conference shall be held to
inform the teacher of the change(s).
4. The written summative annual appraisal report shall be placed in the
teacher’s personnel file. Original summative annual appraisal reports
shall be delivered to Personnel Services no later than 2 weeks after the
last instructional day (June 16, 2016). All other documentation remains
on campus.
All teachers, both those on contract and those on employment agreement
(hired on or before April 1), must have a written summative annual appraisal
report in their personnel file. This requirement pertains to all teachers who
teach any part of the school year.
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NOTE: If a teacher is on approved leave, resigns or is promoted before the
summative conference, the appropriate letter will be submitted as
documentation (Appendix) along with the written observation summary
report/form of agreement to Personnel Services (if available) no later than 2
weeks after the last instructional day (June 16, 2016).
H. Requirements for Teachers Not Being Appraised:
(1) Teachers who are not being appraised must sign the KISD PDAS
Exempt Agreement Form (found on Eduphoria App) by September
18, 2015.
(2) A fall conference must be conducted for teachers not being
appraised. These conferences should be completed by October 9,
2015. The date of the fall conference must be recorded on the
KISD PDAS Exempt Agreement Form.
(3) Teachers not being appraised must complete the Teacher Self Report,
Sections I, II, and III, and connect professional goals to campus and
district goals. This form is kept on campus. The completion date of
the Teacher Self Report must be recorded on the KISD PDAS
Exempt Agreement Form.
(4) Documentation, including professional goals from the Teacher Self
Report, will be shared with the appraiser during a fall conference.
(5) Additional walkthroughs and/or observations may be conducted at the
discretion of the appraiser.
(6) Teachers not being appraised must have a summative annual
conference. The required summative conference for teachers not
being appraised will determine if professional goals were achieved.
Successes and areas for growth shall be identified using the Teacher
Self Report.
(7) The date of the summative conference must be recorded on the
PDAS Exempt Agreement Form.
(8) One copy of the Form of Agreement must be retained in the teacher’s
campus personnel file. Original forms of agreement are to be
delivered to Personnel Services no later than 2 weeks after the last
instructional day (June 16, 2016). All other documentation remains on
campus.
IV. Documentation
A. Walkthroughs: All teachers shall receive two (2) walkthroughs every nine
weeks. However, additional observations and walkthroughs may be
conducted at the discretion of the certified appraiser.
B. Additional Documentation for Teachers Being Appraised: During the
appraisal period, the appraiser shall continually evaluate AND document
performance specifically related to the criteria and the indicators specified
in the PDAS Teacher’s Manual.
C. Third Party Documentation: The appraiser is responsible for documentation
of the cumulative data identified in subsection (b)(5) of Commissioner’s
Rules. Any third-party information from a source other than the teacher’s
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supervisor that the appraiser wishes to include as cumulative data shall be
verified and documented by the appraiser. Any documentation that will
influence the teacher’s summative annual appraisal report must be shared
in writing with the teacher within ten (10) working days of the appraiser’s
knowledge of the occurrence. The principal shall also be notified in writing
when the appraiser is not the teacher’s principal.
V.
Teacher Response and Appeals
A. Written Response or Rebuttal: A teacher may submit a written rebuttal of
the appraiser’s written observation summary, a written summative annual
appraisal report, or any other written documentation associated with the
teacher’s appraisal within ten (10) working days after receiving any of the
above. Under extenuating circumstances, such as bad weather or illness,
this time period may be extended to a maximum of fifteen (15) working
days by the appraiser. The written rebuttal shall be attached to the
appraiser’s documentation and placed in the teacher’s personnel file.
B. Second Observation Requests: A teacher may request a second appraisal
after receiving a written observation summary and/or a written summative
annual appraisal report. Upon a teacher’s request for a second appraisal,
the time line and process shall be as follows:
(a) The teacher shall submit a written request to her/his appraiser within
ten (10) working days of receipt of the written observation summary
or summative annual appraisal report.
(b) The appraiser shall provide the KISD representative a copy of the
teacher’s written request within seven (7) working days of the receipt
of the request.
(c) The KISD designee shall appoint a second appraiser and notify the
teacher in writing the name of the second appraiser.
(d) The second observation must be conducted within fifteen (15)
working days of the second appraiser being appointed. This time
line may be waived upon agreement of both the teacher and the
second appraiser.
(e) Once the second appraiser has been assigned, the teacher and the
second appraiser shall determine a mutually agreed upon day and
time to conduct the observation.
(f) The second appraiser shall appraise the teacher in all eight (8)
PDAS domains. To evaluate Domains I through IV and Domain V,
Criteria 1, 2, and 3, the second appraiser may conduct walkthroughs
as necessary in addition to the formal 45 minute observation. The
second appraiser shall use the Teacher Self Report Form and
cumulative data from the first appraisal to evaluate Domains V,
Criteria 4, 5, and 6 through Domain VIII. Cumulative data may also
be used by the second appraiser to evaluate other domains. (TEC
150.1005)
(g) The second appraiser shall follow the rules of documentation and
shall conduct a conference with the teacher to review the scoring of
the second appraisal document. It is the duty of the second
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appraiser to give the signed copy of the second appraisal document
to the teacher’s campus appraiser.
(h) The KISD designee will combine the scores for the two appraisals.
Scores for the two domains shall be combined with the two domain
totals being averaged (50/50). The average of these two scores shall
be used to determine the rating for each domain for the combined
written summative annual appraisal report. The primary appraiser
shall conduct the conference for the combined report.
(i) After this conference is held to share the combined report, the
primary appraiser shall scan the signed document reflecting the
combined scores into Eduphoria as documentation for the current
year’s records.
C. Grievances
KISD Policy DGBA (Local) addresses grievance procedures.
D. Formative Observation for Professional Growth
A teacher may request that a different campus appraiser conduct another
observation for formative purposes at any time. Formative observations
shall not become part of the personnel file or the written summative
annual appraisal report. If a teacher “officially” requests a second
appraisal follow the process in IV. B.
VI. In Need of Assistance
NOTE: Intervention plans may be developed at any time at the discretion of
the certified appraiser when the certified appraiser has documentation that
would potentially produce an evaluation rating of “below expectations” or
“unsatisfactory”.
A. A teacher whose performance meets any of the following circumstances will
be designated as a “teacher in need of assistance”:
(1) a teacher who is evaluated as Unsatisfactory in one or more domains;
or
(2) a teacher who is evaluated at Below Expectations in two or more
domains
(3) An intervention plan may be developed at any time at the discretion of
the appraiser when the appraiser has documentation that would
potentially produce an evaluation rating of “below expectations” or
“unsatisfactory.”
B. The Teacher in Need of Assistance form should be completed within
fifteen (15) working days of the “need” being determined.
C. When a teacher is designated as a teacher in need of assistance, the
appraiser and/or the teacher’s supervisor shall, in consultation with the
teacher, develop an intervention plan as soon as possible that includes the
following:
(1) domain(s) that designate a teacher as a teacher in need of assistance;
(2) directives or recommendations for professional improvement activities;
(3) evidence that is used to determine successful completion of professional
improvement activities;
(4) directives for changes in teacher behavior;
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D.
E.
F.
G.
VII.
(5) evidence that is used to determine if teacher behavior has changed; and
(6) a specific timeline for successful completion.
In cases when the teacher’s appraiser is not the teacher’s principal, the
principal shall be involved in the development and evaluation of the
intervention plan.
A teacher who has not met all requirements of the intervention plan for
teachers in need of assistance by the time specified may be considered for
separation from the assignment, campus, and/or district.
The intervention plan shall include options for professional development
activities designed to enhance teacher proficiency. At least one option shall
not place significant financial burden on either the teacher or the school
district.
Multiple intervention plans may be developed for an individual teacher if
necessary.
Assessment of Teacher Performance
The teacher must be evaluated in ALL eight (8) PDAS Domains. (TEC
150.1005)
A. Each teacher shall be appraised on the following domains:
(1) Domain I: Active, successful student participation in the learning
process;
(2) Domain II: Learner-centered instruction;
(3) Domain III: Evaluation and feedback on student progress;
(4) Domain IV: Management of student discipline, instructional strategies,
time and materials;
(5) Domain V: Professional communication;
(6) Domain VI: Professional development;
(7) Domain VII: Compliance with policies, operating procedures and
requirements; and
(8) Domain VIII: Improvement of academic performance of all students on
the campus (based on indicators included in the Academic Excellence
Indicator System).
B. Each domain shall be scored independently. The evaluation of each of the
domains shall consider all data generated in the appraisal process. The
data for the appraisal of each domain shall be gathered from observations,
the Teacher Self Report and other documented sources.
C. Each teacher shall be evaluated on Domains I through VIII using the
following categories:
(1) exceeds expectations;
(2) proficient;
(3) below expectations; and
(4) unsatisfactory.
D. The teacher evaluation in Domain VIII shall include the following areas:
(1) efforts to enhance academic performance;
(2) efforts to enhance student attendance;
(3) efforts to identify and assist students in at-risk situations; and
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(4) campus performance to include the most recent campus performance
rating as reported in the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR)
and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as designated in the campus
AYP Report.
E. The district performance rating for Domain VIII shall be reported (not
scored) for new teachers, teachers new to a campus and teachers NOT
assigned to a campus.
VIII. Appraisal of Special Program Teachers & Teachers Assigned to More
One Campus
Than
A. The principal or assistant principal shall serve as the appraiser for special
program teachers based on a specific campus. Special program teachers
not assigned to a specific campus shall be assigned an appraiser from their
educational program office. All appraisers shall be Board-approved PDAS
appraisers. Other non-principals who shall serve as appraisers are:
1. Executive Director/Coordinator/Asst Principal for KISD Career Center
2. Coordinators for Special Education
B. JROTC Instructors
JROTC instructors shall be appraised with the PDAS instrument using the
appraisal procedures outlined in this document
C. Teachers Assigned to Multiple Campuses
The campus at which a teacher teaches in the afternoon will be the home
campus for PDAS purposes unless notified by Personnel Services.
D. Teachers Not Assigned to a Specific Campus
Teachers who are not assigned to any specific campuses will receive the
district performance rating instead of the campus performance rating in
Domain VIII, Criterion 10.
IX. Other Campus Based Professionals
Campus-based personnel serving in other positions will be appraised using the
KISD instrument developed for each position. The appraisal process outlined
for each position will be followed.
X. Appraisal Calendar 2015 – 2016
A. In 2015-2016 there is a single appraisal period for all teachers from August
14, 2015 through June 3, 2016 (see 2015-2016 PDAS calendar). The
appraisal period must include all of the days of a teacher’s contract.
Observations during the appraisal period must be conducted during the
required days of instruction for students during one school year. The
appraisal period:
(1) shall exclude the first fifteen (15) days of instruction;
(2) shall prohibit observation on the last day of instruction, before any official
school holiday, or on any other day deemed inappropriate by the school
district board of trustees; and
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(3) shall indicate a period for summative annual conferences which ends no
later than fifteen (15) working days before the last day of instruction for
students;
(4) shall include all instructional days except:
August 24-September 14, 2015
November 10, 2015
November 24, 2015
December 18, 2015
January 18, 2016
January 22, 2016
February 12, 2016
March 11, 2016
March 24, 2016
May 11- June 3, 2016
B. Observations should be excluded for one day prior to and one day following
any grade, content or campus-specific TAKS/STAAR testing. This applies
only to those teachers whose students are being tested (refer to local and
state testing calendars for all pertinent dates).
C. Other information pertaining to the appraisal calendar is as follows:
(1) When weather dictates the conversion of holidays to instructional days
those days as well as the instructional days immediately proceeding the
converted holidays shall be available for formal observations.
(2) Additional testing dates which are grade level and campus specific have
not been designated as non-observation dates and shall be deemed
appropriate for observations at the discretion of the campus principal.
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PDAS Scope and Sequence
1. Appraisal calendar and collection of documentation begin (beginning date
of teacher’s contract). TEC 150.1003
2. Campus PDAS Orientation (no later than final day of first three weeks
of school or new teachers’ hire dates). TEC 150.1007
A one-hour campus PDAS orientation is required for all new teachers
regardless of hire date except employment agreement teachers who
are hired after April 1, 2016. This orientation must be conducted by a
PDAS certified appraiser.
3. Teacher Self Report Part I due (within the first three weeks after PDAS
Orientation). TEC 150.1003 (b) (3) (A, B, and C)
4. Pre-observation conferences conducted at request of teacher or appraiser
5. Formal observation (45 minutes) scheduled by time and day (no sooner
than three weeks following teacher orientation)
6. Written summary of formal observation returned to teacher
Note: Intervention plans for “Teacher In Need of Assistance” are developed
at appropriate times throughout the appraisal calendar. TEC 150.1004
7. Post-observation conferences conducted at the request of teacher or
appraiser
8. Requests for second appraisals could occur, following procedures. TEC
150.1005
9. Teacher Self Report, Parts II and III, due (at least two weeks prior to
summative annual conference). TEC 150.1003
10. Written summative annual appraisal report (no later than five working days
before summative conference and no later than fifteen days before the last
day of instruction for students). TEC 150.1003
11. Summative annual conference conducted (as specified on district appraisal
calendar and no later than fifteen working days before the last day of
instruction for students). TEC 150.1003
DATE: July, 2015
CONTACT PERSON:
Executive Directors of Leadership Development