April 2016
Teacher Evaluation
Tips/Updates
We have to think of teacher evaluation
as a collaborative campaign. We cannot
leave each other to work with our
students in isolation. Teaching is not a
contest and neither is teacher
evaluation.
We must share best lessons and strategies as well as our
observation scores with one another. We must advocate
for ourselves in pre/post observation conferences and in
other arenas (like PPC, PPLC, etc). We must mentor each
other whether we are new educators or veterans.
CONTENTS
UPDATES......................................................................................................................2
EDUCATORS CAN ENTER COMPONENT 4B-4E EVIDENCE NOW TO GET EVALUATOR FEEDBACK......................................2
PROBATIONARY APPOINTED TEACHERS NON-RENEWAL NOTIFICATION DEADLINE IS MAY 10TH.....................................3
EOY REACH PERFORMANCE TASK WINDOW REMINDER................................................................................................3
TIPS TO HELP YOUR STUDENTS & YOUR RATING.........................................4
REACH COMPANION GUIDES ARE HELPFUL TOOLS.........................................................................................................4
CLEARING UP MISINFORMATION.......................................................................5
FREQUENT EVALUATION QUESTIONS..................................................................................................................................5
TEACHER EVALUATION RESOURCES................................................................6
CTU TEACHER EVALUATION LIAISONS..............................................................................................................................6
CTU QUEST CENTER..........................................................................................................................................................6
CPS KNOWLEDGE CENTER................................................................................................................................................7
CPS REFLECT AND LEARN.................................................................................................................................................7
April 2016 Teacher Evaluation Tips/Updates
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Updates
Educators Can Enter Component 4b-4e Evidence Now To Get
Evaluator Feedback
A revised Component 4b-4e FAQ document [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/reachfaq] from CPS was made available last month on the CPS Knowledge Center
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/curriculum/instruction/domain-4-professional-learning]. The
component 4b-4e FAQ may be found directly by clicking here [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reachstudents/reach-faq/2015-16%20Guidance%20for%20Components%204b-4e.pdf?
attredirects=0&d=1].
The Component 4b-4e FAQ document [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/reach-faq]
revisits the way in which REACH-evaluated educators receive Component 4b-4e (Professional
Responsibilities) scores at the end of an educator’s evaluation plan. Educators (especially those
who will receive a final summative rating at the end of this school year which is all PATs, tenured
teachers on an annual plan and tenured teachers in year 2 of a biennial plan) are encouraged to
enter narratives and upload representative documentary evidence for components 4b-4e on CPS
Reflect and Learn System (RLS) [reflectandlearn.cps.edu]on or before Friday, April 8, 2016 if they
wish to receive feedback from their evaluator. Evaluators must provide feedback for educators in
the RLS web site on or by Friday, May 6, 2016.
Additionally, educators and evaluators can discuss components 4b-4e at a post-observation
conference at a remaining formal observation and the evaluator should record evidence in RLS.
Educators can still enter component 4b-4e narratives and evidence after the April 8th deadline if they
do not want feedback before evaluators record final component 4b-4e scores in RLS in June.
Educators should submit any additional narratives and evidence for components 4b-4e on RLS on
or by Friday, May 27, 2016 (which is also the last day for evaluators to conduct REACH
observations). Evaluators must share final ratings for components 4b-4e (as well as component
ratings for any outstanding observations where scores had not yet been finalized) on RLS on or by
Friday, June 17, 2016.
Educators in the second year of a biennial evaluation plan, will need to copy/paste anything they
entered in RLS last school year from their archive into their current SY 15-16 Professional
Responsibilities tab. For instructions on how to enter narratives and evidence into the Professional
Responsibilities tab on RLS for Components 4b-4e, download the SY 15-16 RLS User Guide from
the CPS Knowledge Center [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/reflect-and-learn].
April 2016 Teacher Evaluation Tips/Updates
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When writing your Component 4b-4e narratives, be sure to read and have the Framework and
Companion Guide for your Framework [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students] nearby. You
can find all eight currently used Frameworks (Teaching, Teacher-Librarian, School Counselor, Social
Work, Nursing, School Psychology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Educational Support
Specialist) and all 7 of the currently available Companion Guides (Teaching, Teacher-Librarian,
School Counselor, Social Work, Nursing, School Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology) on
the CPS Knowledge Center. See below for additional tips on using Companion Guides. For
additional ideas of evidence and artifacts to include, read the tips for each of the four components on
the "Focus on the Framework" Archive on the CPS Knowledge Center here
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/home/this-week-s-teacher-newsletter/focus-on-the-cps-frameworkfor-teaching]. (Just scroll down to each component 4b, 4c, 4d and 4e and then click the questions to
access the tips).
Probationary Appointed Teachers Non-Renewal Notification
Deadline is May 10th
According to our contract, school principals now must renew Probationary Appointed Teachers
(PATs, untenured educators) who are projected to receive a “Proficient” or “Excellent” final
summative rating for SY 15-16 but they have the option to renew or non-renew PATs who are
projected (based on the observation scores so far and average PT and VAM scores) to receive a
“Developing” or “Unsatisfactory” final summative rating. (If a PAT’s projected rating turns out to be
incorrect and they do receive a final Proficient rating or better their non-renewal can be later
reversed.)
By this point in the year, CPS has likely already requested that principals submit for approval the
names of PATs who they are recommending for non-renewal. Principals must notify PATs whom
they have chosen to non-renew for next SY 16-17 no later than Tuesday, May 10, 2016.
For more details, please see the CTU/CPS contract Article 23-3.3 [contract.ctunet.com/article:412]
or contact your CTU Field Representative [www.ctunet.com/rep].
EOY REACH Performance Task Window Reminder
All REACH-evaluated teachers and librarians are reminded that they must implement End of Year
(EOY) Performance Tasks (PTs). The EOY window for implementing PTs is from May 9, 2016
through June 10, 2016. CPS asked teachers in their own communications to order central copies of
the EOY PTs by March 18th, so if you have not already ordered your PTs, you will need to
download, print and copy them yourself once the EOY tasks are available on the CPS Knowledge
Center [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/assessment/reach-performance-tasks]. Teachers and librarians
should review the REACH PT Admin Manual to ensure that they are prepared to implement the
EOY PTs properly.
April 2016 Teacher Evaluation Tips/Updates
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Pre-K through 2nd grade teachers and all high school teachers and librarians are reminded that they
need to implement two EOY REACH PTs in accordance with the student growth rules of REACH
this school year. Please review the REACH PT Admin Manual for details.
CPS will likely conduct another random audit of teacher and librarian PT scores, so teachers and
librarians should be prepared to review their relevant Performance Tasks once they are available on
the CPS Knowledge Center [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/assessment/reach-performance-tasks]
before implementing them so that they can communicate with CPS about any problems with the
tasks or rubrics. CPS will expect teachers and librarians to implement the PTs with fidelity to their
policies despite the many problems that have existed with PTs in the past. CPS also expects teachers
and librarians to keep their paper PTs for at least a year. CTU continues to focus on advocating for
further quality control in the PT writing process and CTU staff members have and will try to review
elementary math and literacy PTs in advance of their implementation.
Teachers and librarians are also reminded that it is imperative that they verify the PTs that they gave
to students at BOY and EOY during the Batelle for Kids roster verification process later this spring
to ensure that their PT scores are accurately calculated toward their final rating.
If, once the EOY PTs are available on the CPS Knowledge Center, you find a major problem with
the content of any of the EOY PTs, in addition to notifying CPS by emailing
REACHperformanceTasks@cps.edu, please also notify CTU Quest Center Special Projects
Facilitator for Teacher Evaluation Jennifer Johnson [JenniferJohnson@ctulocal1.com].
Tips to Help Your Students & Your Rating
REACH Companion Guides Are Helpful Tools
Every REACH-evaluated educator can agree that there is too much information to know about
REACH and it’s already an overwhelming process. The CTU bargaining team is fighting to make
REACH less burdensome and more fair, but let’s face it, as long as an evaluation system involves
human beings and especially CPS, it will be flawed and subject to bias. In order to arm ourselves and
enact the CTU’s S.A.M. mantra (Share.Advocate.Mentor.) when it comes to teacher evaluation,
educators should work together to share lessons that work, to discuss issues and discrepancies in
their evaluation procedures and to talk about the REACH resources that are available. That way, they
are prepared to both individually and collectively (through their PPCs, PPLCs and more) to advocate
for fairness in the process and to actually get actionable feedback about their work.
Currently, there are 7 Companion Guides [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students] that are
lengthy supplemental documents which further break down the components of their 7 corresponding
Frameworks.
Each Companion Guide breaks down each component of the Framework (by element for the
Frameworks that have multiple elements per component), and contains things such as suggestions
for practice, ideas for what evidence and artifacts to share in RLS, guiding questions to reflect on
April 2016 Teacher Evaluation Tips/Updates
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and considerations that may be raised with evaluators (such as for SPED and ELL or for how
evaluation a counselor is unique, etc…). These Companion Guides are not exhaustive and entirely
comprehensive, but they do provide some additional details that expand the Framework and may
provide insights that could inform a collegial conversation with an evaluator or inspire an idea for
your instruction or practice.
Currently, there are Companion Guides for the following 7 Frameworks (Click on the name of the
Framework to go to the page on the CPS Knowledge Center [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reachstudents] where the Companion Guide can be found and downloaded.):
1. Framework for Teaching
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/teacher-practice]
2. Framework for School Counselors
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/counselors-case-managers]
3. Framework for Teacher-Librarians
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/teacher-librarians]
4. Framework for School Psychology
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/related-service-providers-rsp]
5. Framework for School Nursing
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/related-service-providers-rsp]
6. Framework for Speech-Language Pathology
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/related-service-providers-rsp]
7. Framework for School Social Work
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/reach-students/related-service-providers-rsp]
We recommend reviewing your relevant Companion Guide with a colleague or a group of
colleagues, possibly in an informal study group, and noting particular passages that you think are
useful. Reviewing the Companion Guide may give you ideas for future conversations you’d like to
have with your evaluator at your next REACH pre or post-observation conference, for things you’d
like to change or adjust in your instruction or practice or for ideas about PD that you’d like to pursue
for yourself or for you and your colleagues.
Clearing Up Misinformation
Frequent Evaluation Questions
Here are a few of the most frequently asked evaluation questions and answers from our previous
monthly evaluation emails which are archived on the teacher evaluation page
[www.ctunet.com/rights-at-work/teacher-evaluation] of the CTU web site. Please note that dates in
the answers may be outdated, but the answers are still current.
April 2016 Teacher Evaluation Tips/Updates
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Evaluation FAQs:
• REACH Observation Deadlines for SY 15-16
[www.ctunet.com/rights-at-work/teacher-evaluation/august-2015-tips#toc4]
• PAT/Untenured Educator Tenure Rules
[www.ctunet.com/rights-at-work/teacher-evaluation/september-2015-tips#toc18]
• Assignment of Evaluation Plans (PAT, Tenured Annual, Tenured Biennial)
[www.ctunet.com/rights-at-work/teacher-evaluation/september-2015-tips#toc16]
• Not Enough Observations/Inability to Rate
[www.ctunet.com/rights-at-work/teacher-evaluation/august-2015-tips#toc16]
• Informal Observations
[www.ctunet.com/rights-at-work/teacher-evaluation/november-2014-tips#toc15]
Teacher Evaluation Resources
CTU Teacher Evaluation Liaisons
The CTU has continued its Teacher Evaluation Liaison program for SY 15-16 in which members
and union delegates volunteer to participate in extra training on the evaluation procedures and
“Share. Advocate. Mentor.” (S.A.M.) strategies to foster collaboration and advocacy in their
schools. Liaisons help their colleagues get accurate information about evaluation and model
“S.A.M.” strategies to help their colleagues have a fairer and more meaningful evaluation process. In
training liaisons, the CTU wants to be able to provide specific support to educators so that they can
help one another navigate the evaluation process in a way that protects their rights while improving
their practice. Some liaisons are already union delegates, but most are CTU member volunteers who
simply want to help their colleagues succeed. In some schools, more than one member has
volunteered to be a liaison so that they can work together as a team.
To volunteer to become a liaison or to find out if there is a liaison in your school, please email Quest Center
Special Projects Facilitator for Teacher Evaluation Jennifer Johnson [JenniferJohnson@ctulocal1.com].
CTU Quest Center
The CTU Quest Center [www.ctunet.com/pd] currently offers pedagogy courses which have been
aligned to the specific components of the teacher evaluation Framework. New members should note
that the CTU Quest Center is now offering is a full series of courses with the needs of new educators
and new members to CTU in mind. See what the current course for new educators and new members
is on the CTU Quest Center’s web page. Finally, you can let the CTU Quest Center know you’re
your professional learning needs are by completing our survey here [www.ctunet.com/pd-needs].
CTU Quest staff members [www.ctunet.com/for-members/contacts] are available to attend school
union meetings, to schedule special workshops, and to answer evaluation calls and emails that come
up and need to be quickly addressed.
April 2016 Teacher Evaluation Tips/Updates
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CPS Knowledge Center
The CPS Knowledge Center (KC) [kc.cps.edu/] is the main place to go for specific information
and resources related to the teacher evaluation system. Go to the Knowledge Center and use your
CPS username and password to sign in. CPS also has Framework Specialists
[sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/curriculum/instruction/framework-specialists] who are our fellow
CPS teachers who have great ideas for specific instructional strategies that are aligned to the
Framework for Teaching. You can also view and search a database of all the currently available
Framework Specialist developed classroom resources by Framework component, grade and subject
on the CPS Knowledge Center [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/curriculum/instruction/frameworkspecialist-resource-database]. The CPS calendar of professional development (including CTU Quest
Center offerings) can be found here [sites.google.com/a/cps.edu/kc/home/this-week-s-teachernewsletter/professional-development-opportunities].
CPS Reflect and Learn
The CPS Reflect and Learn System (RLS) [reflectandlearn.cps.edu/] is where ALL educators
access and share information for their current SY 15-16 evaluation plan (including sharing and
reviewing evidence for the Professional Practice, completing pre and post-observation conference
preparation and receiving feedback from their evaluator) as well as where educators may view their
final summative rating report for SY 14-15. Go to RLS and use your CPS username and password to
sign in.