Work Groups

Description of Work Groups

1.Value-Added

This group will work on integrating the district’s current assessment system with value-added; decide on a value-added provider; identify the necessary infra­structure; recommend privacy regula­tions; and consider an imple­mentation timeline. They will also interface with the Professional Development Work Group to plan value-added training for both teachers and ad­min­istrators.

2. Teacher Evaluation

This group will adopt, adapt or design a rubric, rating scale and parameters based on the frame­works developed by Charlotte Danielson; review require­ments for and research on the National Board for Pro­­fes­­sional Teaching Standards; and develop guidelines for training and monitoring evaluators. This group will interface with the Professional Development and PAR Work Groups.

3. Administrator Evaluation

This group will review ISLLC standards and Balanced Leadership Frame­work or consider additional frameworks for administrator evaluation; design a rubric, rating scale and parameters; consider central admini­strator evaluation (i.e., Superintendent) not covered under these standards; and develop a system of remediation for all administrators. They will coordinate with the Compen­sa­tion Work Group linking administrator evaluation and the career lad­der.

3. Peer Assistance and Review (PAR)

This group will examine OPE’s PAR system and decide how best to in­cor­por­ate the system with district culture and con­text; determine PAR panel com­po­si­tion and policy (e.g., how many parti­ci­pants, voting procedures); and de­velop standards for the selection and deployment of consultant teachers. They will interface with Professional Development and Evaluation Work Groups.

4. Compensation

This group will examine the OPE career ladder and other financial incentives (e.g., innovation grants); deter­mine rungs on the ladder (% increases as the actual amounts will be set through collective bargaining and then imple­mented at next contract cycle); deter­mine processes for operating two dif­fer­ent salary structures simultaneously (for teachers who opt in and those who do not using the “grandfather provision”); and determine the financial impact to the district or if new monies will be neces­sary. This group will interface with the Professional Development, PAR and Teacher Evaluation Groups.

5. Professional Development

This group will determine how to allocate professional development days (priorities and se­quen­cing); decide how coaches and mentors will be selected, trained and de­ployed; and if needed conduct an audit of their existing profes­sional development activities and funding in order to integrate professional development principals of best practice into the exist­ing sys­tem. This group will work closely with the Value-Added Work Group to plan value-added train­ing for both teachers and ad­ministrators.

7. Non-Academic Positions and K-2

This group will determine how non-academic staff (e.g., art, music, guidance coun­selors, librarians) will be evalu­ated. This will include looking at stand­ards, goals, assess­ment issues and com­pen­sation, access to incentives and position on the career lad­der.

8. Student Accountability

Using the “Gateway Standards” approach (based on North Carolina’s student account­abil­ity system), 5 th, 8 th and 10 th grade benchmark tests will be examined by this group. Members will also determine how to fairly and ap­pro­­priately assess whether special edu­ca­tion students have made sufficient pro­gress on IEPs. The group will also develop systems for students who do not pass their gateway exams. Other student assessment options such as port­fo­lios will also be considered.

9. High Schools

This group will determine output measures for courses in which value-added assessment data is unavailable. This will include looking at standards, goals, end-of-course tests and other assessment issues and compensation (access to incen­tives and position on career ladder). Additional high school accountability measures such as graduation rates, availability of AP or IB courses, etc. will also be considered.

10. Evaluation

This group will monitor and evaluate the pilot to determine effectiveness of process design, assess whether benchmarks and objectives have been met; pro­vide thorough doc­u­mentation and review of the pilot.

11.Communications and Outreach

This group will develop and coordinate a comprehensive communications stra­tegy to all stake­­hold­ers (teachers, administrators, parents, school board, local lead­er­ship, busi­ness community, the media and the public).

Once these tasks are complete, OPE will organize a three-day Steering Com­­­mit­tee Retreat where Work Group chairs will present design issues and recom­men­da­tions and the Steering Committee will vote to approve the overall model.

Note in proposal that we anticipate that there will be many topics (e.g., PAR, coach and mentor compensation) that will need joint review by more than one workgroup (e.g., PAR and Compensation Work Group)

Framework improved upon ISLLC standards and is tied to research on improving student achievement.

Testing starts with incoming kindergarteners (not current 5 th, 8 th and 10 th graders)

| Center for Greater Philadelphia | Operation Public Education | Theodore Hershberg |
| Home | Contact CGP | CGP Publications |