Texas TAP System
What is TAP?
The System for Teacher and Student
Advancement is a comprehensive,
research-based school improvement
model that seeks to advance teacher
instruction and the achievement of
their students.
Four Key Elements of
Success
Multiple Career Paths
Traditional Model
•
•
•
Teacher position only
All teachers essentially
have the same
qualifications,
responsibilities, authority
and are assessed in the
same way
Principals are there to
provide support, impose
discipline and assess
teacher effectiveness
TAP Model
• Allows for advancement
while allowing the teacher to
remain in the classroom:
- Career Teacher
- Mentor Teacher
- Master Teacher
• Each step on the career
path requires increased
skills and knowledge and
offers additional authority,
responsibility and
compensation
• Mentor and master teachers
become part of the TAP
Leadership Team led by the
principal.
Ongoing Applied
Professional Growth
TAP Model
Traditional Model
• Individual teachers go to
selected training sessions
and try to implement new
practices on their own.
• Provides time during the
school day for teachers to
help one another to learn
about and use effective
teaching practices in their
classrooms.
• Provides the structure to
effectively implement
curriculum and doesn’t act
as an “add on”.
TAP Steps for Effective Learning
Step 1
Identify
the problem
or need
Evidence of need
(using pre-test) is
clear, specific,
high quality &
measurable in
student outcomes
and addresses
student content
learning with links
to teacher strategies
and the rubric
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Obtain
new teacher
learning, aligned
to student need
and formatted
for classroom
applications
Develop
the new
learning with
support in the
classroom
Apply
the new
learning to the
classroom
Evaluate
the impact
on student
performance
Evidence
through
observation,
peer coaching
& selfreflection
applied to
student work
as a formative
assessment
Evidence
includes
student
assessment
(post-test)
aligned with
data
analysis &
the new
teaching
strategies
Using credible
sources
Proven
application
showing student
growth
Development
through
demonstration,
modeling,
practice, teamteaching, and
peer coaching
with follow-up
analysis of
student work
Instructionally Focused
Accountability
Traditional Model
• Uses evaluation
standards that are often
unclear or inadequate.
• Teacher evaluations are
usually infrequent and
provide little follow-up
help and then only for
problems, never for
growth.
• Rarely are rewards linked
to how well a teacher
does on the evaluations.
TAP Model
•
•
•
•
Uses clear comprehensive
teaching standards that all
teachers are trained to meet.
Ongoing classroom support
and coaching is provided to
all teachers for improvement,
not just for remediation.
Good evaluations are
rewarded financially.
TAP evaluations ensure that
all teachers have the
opportunity to grow and
become better instructors so
that their students will
achieve more.
Instructionally Focused Accountability:
Skills, Knowledge, & Responsibilities
Planning Instruction
Instructional Plans
Student Work
Assessment
Learning Environment
Managing Student Behavior
Expectations
Environment
Respectful Culture
Responsibilities
Staff Development
Instructional Supervision
School Responsibilities
Reflecting on Teaching
Implementing Instruction
Standards and Objectives
Motivating Students
Presenting Instructional Content
Lesson Structure and Pacing
Activities and Materials
Questioning
Academic Feedback
Grouping Students
Teacher Content Knowledge
Teacher Knowledge of Students
Thinking
Problem Solving
Rubric Example
Lesson
Structure
and
Pacing
Exemplary (5)
Proficient (3)
Unsatisfactory (1)
• All lessons start promptly.
• Most lessons start
promptly.
• Lessons are not started
promptly.
• The lesson’s structure is
coherent, with a
beginning, middle, and
end.
• The lesson has a
structure, but may be
missing closure or
introductory elements.
• Pacing is appropriate, and
sometimes provides
opportunities for
students who progress at
different learning rates.
• Pacing is appropriate for
less than half of the
students, and rarely
provides opportunities for
students who progress at
different learning rates.
• The lesson’s structure is
coherent, with a
beginning, middle, end,
and time for reflection.
• Pacing is brisk, and
provides many
opportunities for
individual students who
progress at different
learning rates.
• Routines for distributing
materials are seamless.
• Routines for distributing
materials are efficient.
• No instructional time is
lost during transitions.
• Little instructional time is
lost during transitions.
• Routines for distributing
materials are inefficient.
• Considerable time is lost
during transitions.
Example of a
completed
observation.
TAP Teacher Evaluations vs.
Traditional Teacher Evaluations
TAP:
Percent of Teachers
Lowest
Ratings
TAP teacher evaluations nationwide
Other: Weighted average of teacher evaluations in five major urban school districts,
based on data from The New Teacher Project’s “The Widget Effect.”
Middle
Ratings
Highest
Ratings
Web-Based Observation System
CODE
Texas Elementary - Overall Averages by Observer (2009-2010)
Total
Observer 12
Observer 11
Observer 10
Observer 9
Observer 8
Observer 7
Observer 6
Observer 5
Observer 4
Observer 3
Observer 2
Observer 1
Performance-Based
Compensation
TAP Model
•
•
Traditional Model
Compensation is based
on years on the job and
training credits/units
accumulated and ignores
individual performance
and effort
•
•
•
Compensation is given for taking
on increased responsibility and
authority
Salary augmentations for mentor
and master positions
Bonus awards are earned based
on performance:
- 50% skills, knowledge and
responsibility
- 30% classroom-level valueadded achievement gains
- 20% school-level valueadded achievement gains
TAP salary enhancements are all
over and above traditional salary
schedule.
What is Value-Added?
• Value-added is the statistical
method that helps educators
measure the impact schools
make on students’ academic
progress from year to year.
• Value-added scores can be
calculated for teacher and
school impact on a student’s
growth.
We Measure Student Growth, Not
Passing Rates
Value-Added is
measured on a five
point scale.
• We expect every student to grow
1 year’s growth every year.
• If the students at your school
meet one year’s growth, then you
will receive a 3 as a Value Add
score (NDD).
• If they grow more than a year,
you may receive a 4 or 5
depending how much they grew
(Above).
• Anything under a 3 indicates a
lack of growth (Below).
Why Measure Growth?
Performance on TAKS over time:
Consider the Example
of Johnny and Suzy:
Suzy is scoring below
the state performance
standard.
Johnny is scoring
above the state
performance standard.
How Teacher Performance is
Measured
Determined
by valueadded
measures
using TAKS
Classroom
Student
Achievement
(30%)
$600
School-Wide
Student
Achievement
(20%)
$400
Teacher Skills,
Knowledge and
Responsibilities
(SKR)
(50%)
$1000
Determined by
Evaluations with
TAP Rubrics
How Teacher Performance is
Measured
Determined
by valueadded
measures
using TAKS
School-Wide
Student
Achievement
(50%)
Teacher Skills,
Knowledge and
Responsibilities
(SKR)
(50%)
$1000
$1000
Determined by
Evaluations with
TAP Rubrics
Growth of Texas TAP System
48
50
# of Schools
40
33
30
20
10
0
9
3
11
32
Texas TAP System State-Level Team
Executive Director
Principal Leadership/Program Development
Tammy Kreuz, Ph.D.
Stephanie Mosqueda
TAP Regional Coordinators
James Snyder
Tami Jenkins
Jeanifer Caldwell
Special Projects Manager
Keri McDonald
Executive Master Teachers
Jodi Leckbee
Elizabeth Woodall
Training Coordinator
Nicole Bevilacqua
Project Specialist
Lauren Anshutz
Program Specialist
Michelle Downey
Administrative Staff
Stephanie Barry
Danica Velarde
Potential Growth of Texas TAP System
for 2011-12
93
100
# of Schools
80
60
48
33
40
20
3
9
32
11
0
* Pending TTIPS grant funding
Current Texas TAP Districts
Richardson (3)
Boys Ranch (4)
Lancaster (7)
Athens (1)
Frenship (1)
Hearne (2)
Bryan (9)
Ector County(1)
Pflugerville(9)
Manor (3)
Southside (3)
Somerset (1)
Lytle (4)
Texas TAP Teacher Survey
With a 90% response rate (over 1,300 teachers) on the survey, the following
highlights are from the 2009-10 Texas TAP teacher survey:
 Over 88% of Texas TAP teachers indicated that TAP changed their
instructional practices.
 Over 76% of Texas TAP teachers indicated that TAP helped them develop
professionally and improve as an educator.
 Over 90% of Texas TAP teachers indicated that they had collegiality at
their school.
 Over 93% of Texas TAP teachers said that they understand the evaluation
rubrics used for TAP implementation.
 Over 87% of Texas TAP teachers indicated that they use their teacher
evaluation results and feedback to improve their teaching and professional
growth.
Texas TAP System
Student Achievement
Results
Texas TAP System
School-Level Value-Added Scores
2009-10 School Year
Number of Schools
25
22
20
15
10
4
5
0
0
0
1
2
2 SD below
expected
growth levels
3
1 SD below
expected
growth levels
Met
expected
growth levels
5
4
1 SD above
expected
growth levels
Value-Added Score
5
2 SD above
expected
growth levels
Texas TAP System
State Accountability Ratings
Exemplary
Recognized
Academically
Acceptable
Academically
Unacceptable
Year Prior
to TAP
n=28
1 Year
after TAP
n=31
2 Years
after TAP
3 Years
after TAP
4 Years
after TAP
5 Years
after TAP
n=27
n=8
n=5
n=3
Texas TAP System
State Accountability Rating %s
Exemplary
Recognized
Academically Acceptable
Academically Unacceptable
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Year Prior 1 Year
2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years
to TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP
n=28
n=31
n=27
n=8
n=5
n=3
Texas TAP System
State Accountability Rating %s
Academically Acceptable
Academically Unacceptable
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Year Prior 1 Year 2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years
to TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP
n=28
n=31
n=27
n=8
n=5
n=3
Texas TAP System
State Accountability Rating %s
Exemplary
Recognized
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Year Prior 1 Year 2 Years 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years
to TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP with TAP
n=28
n=31
n=27
n=8
n=5
n=3
Texas TAP System
Teacher Retention Results
Texas TAP Teacher Retention Rate
From 2009-10
91%
Texas TAP Support for LEAs
• Assist with budget and
sustainability plans.
• Provide districts with
implementation support and
training.
• Provide regular feedback on
implementation.
Training &
Implementation Support
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Initial TAP Training
– TAP 101 (4 days)
– Evaluation Certification #1 (2 days)
– Evaluation Certification #2 (2 days)
Principal meetings (3 per school year)
Master teacher meetings (4 per school year)
TAP Summer Institute (4 days)
On-site visits (ongoing)
– Observation and feedback on implementation of
cluster meetings
– Observation and feedback on implementation of
leadership meetings
– Coaching (master/mentor teachers and principals)
Planning meetings (district and campus level)
E-mail/phone support
On-Site
Campus Support
•
•
•
•
Transitioning Teachers to Leaders
Performance Feedback
Guided Reflection
Demonstration and Modeling of TAP
Concepts
• Review of TAP Documentation
Training Development &
Facilitation
• Creation of Sample TAP
Documents
• Practical Learning Experiences
• Instructional Supervision and
Coaching
• Principles of Adult Learning and
TAP Protocols
• Consultancy Protocol and
Networking
Master Teacher Meetings
• 4 meetings per year.
• Trainings Developed by TAP Executive
Master Teachers based on campus and
district needs.
• Regional Training Opportunities and
Training by Level of TAP Implementation.
Principal Meetings
• Provide training on TAP topics such
as leadership for TAP implementation,
effective leadership team meetings,
observation of cluster, effective
coaching, roles/responsibilities of TAP
principals, review of TAP
expectations.
• Discuss TAP implementation
challenges and solutions.
• Offer networking opportunities with
other TAP schools.
• Address questions or concerns
regarding TAP elements.
TAP Summer Institute
• All TAP campus leadership team members including
mentor/master teachers and administrators attend the
4-day TAP TSI
• Campuses participate in general and individualized
sessions on topics such as formative assessment,
student vs. teacher strategies, developing TAP goals and
a school plan, analysis of data, field testing and
individual growth plans, explanation of value-add and
CODE
• TAP campuses are provided with a workshop to develop
documents such as school plans, evaluation schedules,
responsibilities rubrics, cluster configurations, etc.
Texas TAP System
For more information:
tkreuz@ipsi.utexas.edu
smosqueda@ipsi.utexas.edu