EDFS Evaluation Guide 1

Evaluation Guide Background Boston’s Educator Development & Feedback System (EDFS) comes from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Model System for Educator Evaluation that debuted in 2011. EDFS represents a major change from previous evaluations structures that have been used in Boston. It creates multiple rating levels and creates a flexible evaluation cycle length that can range from 30 days to 2 years. EDFS also enables educators to have a voice in their own evaluation process by including artifacts and comments as part of the evaluation process. What is the EDFS rubric? The EDFS rubric is divided into:

• 4 main standards, subdivided into • 16 indicators and • 33 elements.

A separate sub-rubric has been created for each of the 33 elements. See the “Interactive Rubric” for more information at bostonpublicschools.org/ir What are the different rating levels? There are four rating levels. You will receive a rating in each of the four standards and then an overall rating:

• Exemplary (E) • Proficient (P) • Needs Improvement (NI) • Unsatisfactory (U)

The overall rating on your previous plan will determine the type of plan that you will have for the next evaluation cycle. What are the different types of plans? There are four main types of plans:

• Self-Directed (for educators who have previously received a P or E rating)

• Directed Growth (for educators who have received a NI rating)

• Improvement (typically for educators who have received an U rating on their previous plan)

• Developing (for novice teachers) Educators who receive an Unsatisfactory rating at the end of an Improvement plan will be recommended for dismissal or non-renewal

Standard I: Standard II: Standard III: Standard IV: Curriculum, Planning &

Assessment

Teaching All Students

Family & Community

Engagement

Professional Culture

Standard I and II carry the most weight. You can’t get an overall Proficient rating

unless you have at least Proficient rating in these two Standards.

Standard III and IV can be difficult to observe. Make sure you include artifacts

for these standards.

Rating Levels and Plan Types Rating Level à Plan

Exemplary à Self-Directed Plan

(1 or 2 year) Proficient à

Needs Improvement à Directed Growth Plan

Unsatisfactory à Improvement Plan

Exceptions: • If an educator receives an U rating at the end of an Improvement Plan,

the next step is to move towards dismissal. • If an educator receives a NI rating at the end of a Directed Growth

Plan, s/he will be placed on an Improvement plan. • Provisional teachers may remain on a Developing Educator Plan for up

to three school years at the discretion of the evaluator, until they achieve permanent teacher status. Evaluators may opt to keep new teachers on a Developing Educator plan for their first year of permanent status as well.

EDFS Evaluation Guide 2

What are the different stages of the evaluation process?

• Step 1: Self-Assessment • Step 2: Goals & Action Steps • Step 3: Implementation-Artifacts & Observation • Step 4: Formative Assessment • Step 5: Summative Evaluation

STEP 1: Self-Assessment

The first step in your evaluation is a self-evaluation. This can help you think about where you need to grow and prepare you to develop your goals. As you reflect, think about your own practice, school priorities and the performance data from your students. You’ll need to upload at least 4 strengths/challenges as part of your self-evaluation (one for each Standard).

STEP 2: Goals & Action Steps

In order to continually learn and evolve professionally, BPS employees set goals and use those goals to measure our progress. All educators will develop two goals: one Student Learning goal, and one Professional Practice

goal. Remember that if you are on an improvement or directed growth plan, you will develop your goals with your evaluator. Your progress on your goals will be one element of your formative and summative assessments. STEP 3: Implementation

Step 3 is usually the longest stage of the evaluation cycle. This is when evaluators collect evidence through observation. And educators provide their own evidence through artifacts.

There are two important ways for your voice and your perspective to be included in this stage: comments and artifacts. For more information about artifacts, see our “Artifact Basics” packet. Adding Comments: After every observation, you can respond to the feedback through the comments section. Comments should be uploaded within 5 days and should be positive, proactive and directive. Use this space to add details that your observer could not see or correct errors in your observer’s facts. You may also contact the BTU if you feel like your evaluation process does not meet contractual guidelines.

How many observations are required by the contract?

Type of Plan Required Announced

Required Unnanounced

Self Directed 1-Year 0 1

Self Directed 2-Year 0 1

Directed Growth 0 2

Improvement Plan 1 2-4

Developing Educator 1 2-4

What is a SMART goal? Your goals should be “SMART”: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-focused, and Time-bound.

• S = Specific: Clear and straightforward enough to be able to decide whether you’ve achieved your goal or not.

• M = Measurable: Determine a measure of quantity, quality or impact that will let you know if you are reaching your goal.

• A = Attainable: A goal needs to describe a realistic, yet ambitious, result.

• R = Results-focused: Needs to make an impact. Your goal should describe a realistic yet ambitious result.

• T = Time-bound: Definite times need to be established, and you need to track your progress over time.

The district has prioritized the following rubric areas for teacher growth: Well-Structured Lessons (I.A.4), Adjustments to Practice (I.B.2), Access to Knowledge (II.D.3), Parent/Family Engagement (III.A.1), Two-Way Communication (III.C.1) and Goal Setting (IV.A.2).

EDFS Evaluation Guide 3

STEP 4 & 5: Formative Assessments and Summative Evaluations

What is the difference between formative and summative evaluations? In most cases, the formative serves as the midway progress report to let educators know whether they’re on track or not. The summative comes at the end of your evaluation cycle. In some cases where performance has shifted significantly (up or down), an evaluator may halt the plan at the time of the formative and begin a new plan. This is at the discretion of the evaluator.

Final Rating How is my overall rating determined? During your formative and summative evaluations, you will receive a rating on each of the four EDFS rubric standards and also a rating on your two goals. After this, your evaluator will determine an overall rating. Note that Standard I (Curriculum, Planning and Assessment) and Standard II (Teaching All Students) are prioritized and a teacher must be proficient in both of these standards to receive an overall rating of proficient. Additionally, provisional teachers must be proficient on all four standards in order to receive permanent status. Prescriptions

Prescriptions are action steps that have been put in place by previous evaluators, based on previous performance. In some cases, prescriptions may be added in the middle of a plan as part of your formative evaluation. If you are on a Directed Growth or Improvement plan, you should consider these prescriptions as required tasks during your new plan. Part of your next evaluation will be based on whether or not you have fulfilled your prescriptions. The most common prescription is to share lesson plans ahead of time with your evaluator.

What can I do if I’m not being evaluated fairly?

The EDFS system allows you to include your voice in the process by uploading artifacts and making comments. You may also contact the BTU if you feel like your evaluation process does not meet contractual guidelines. You can consult with your building rep or contact the BTU Field Reps or Vice President Pat Connolly.

What resources can support me with this? The BTU sponsors three voluntary programs to improve teacher skills and boost evaluation ratings:

Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Partner with a veteran BPS teacher who will become your coach and primary evaluator. Enroll in PAR at bostonpar.wordpress.com in the "Enroll" section. Note: Your eval plan must be at least 6 months long to join PAR.

Peer Assistance (PA) Receive confidential support, feedback and individualized coaching from a veteran BPS teacher. Enroll in PA at My Learning Plan in the "Forms" section.

Evaluation Workshops Learn how the evaluation process and EDFS works. Collaborate with veteran teachers who will help you look closely at your prescriptions, goals and artifacts. Enroll by contacting Pat Connolly (pconnolly@btu.org) or calling the BTU.

Other Useful Resources

EDFS Evaluation at eval.mybps.org. Learn more about Boston evaluation at bostonpublicschools.org/eval. Review the Interactive Rubric at bostonpublicschools.org/ir. Review state regulations and specialized rubrics for nurses and others at doe.mass.edu/edeval.

EDFS Evaluation Guide 4

Evaluation Cycle At-A-Glance

http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/92/evaluation_cycle_at_a_glance.pdf

This guide was prepared by the Peer Assistance (PA) and the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs using resources from the BPS Office of Human Capital and other sources.

Evaluation Cycle At-A-Glance• Educator submits summary of self-assessmentSelf-

Assessment

• Educator implements action plan• Educator and evaluator collect evidence through artifacts and observations

• At the end of the cycle, evaluator prepares assessment and makes rating• Evaluator and educator meet• Rating determines next steps:

• Midway through the cycle, evaluator prepares assessment and makes rating• Evaluator and educator meet• Rating determines next steps:

* Midway through a 2-year plan this step will be a Formative Evaluation

Self-Directed

Goals & Action Plans

Plan Implementation

Formative Assessment*

Summative Evaluation

Directed ImprovementEducator proposes

goals

Evaluator reviews goals

Evaluator request revisions

Higher RatingHigher Rating

Move to a less directed planMove to a less directed plan

Same RatingSame Rating

Plan continuesPlan continues

Lower RatingLower Rating

Move to a more directed plan

Move to a more directed plan

Exemplary or Proficient

Exemplary or Proficient

Move to (or stay on)

Self-Directed plan

Move to (or stay on)

Self-Directed plan

Needs Improvement

Needs Improvement

Move to Directed plan

(or Improvement if already on Directed plan)

Move to Directed plan

(or Improvement if already on Directed plan)

UnsatisfactoryUnsatisfactory

Move to Improvement plan (or termination if

already on Improvement plan)

Move to Improvement plan (or termination if

already on Improvement plan)

Educator and evaluator may co-

create goals

Evaluator sets goals based on prescriptions in

previous evaluations

EDFS Evaluation Guide 5

EDFS Rubric Summary

Standard Indicator Element ID Standard I: Curriculum, Planning & Assessment

Curriculum & Planning

Subject Matter Knowledge Child and Adolescent Development Rigorous Standards-Based Unit Design Well-Structured Lessons

I.A.1 I.A.2 I.A.3 I.A.4

Assessment Variety of Assessment Methods Adjustments to Practice

I.B.1 I.B.2

Analysis Analysis and Conclusions Sharing Conclusions With Colleagues Sharing Conclusions With Students

I.C.1 I.C.2 I.C.3

Standard II: Teaching All Students

Instruction Quality of Effort and Work Student Engagement Meeting Diverse Needs

II.A.1 II.A.2 II.A.3

Learning Environment Safe Learning Environment Collaborative Learning Environment Student Motivation

II.B.1 II.B.2 II.B.3

Cultural Proficiency Respects Differences Maintains Respectful Environment

II.C.1 II.C.2

Expectations Clear Expectations High Expectations Access to Knowledge

II.D.1 II.D.2 II.D.3

Standard III: Family & Community Engagement

Engagement Parent/Family Engagement III.A.1

Collaboration Learning Expectations Curriculum Support

III.B.1 III.B.2

Communication Two-Way Communication Culturally Proficient Communication

III.C.1 III.C.2

Standard IV: Professional Culture

Reflection Reflective Practice Goal Setting

IV.A.1 IV.A.2

Professional Growth Professional Learning & Growth IV.B.1

Collaboration Professional Collaboration IV.C.1

Decision-Making Decision Making IV.D.1

Shared Responsibility Shared Responsibility IV.E.1 Professional Responsibility

Judgement Reliability & Responsibility

IV.F.1 IV.F.2

EDFS Evaluation Guide 6

PA or PAR? BACKGROUND:

• PA stands for “Peer Assistance Program,” which began in Boston in 2007. • PAR stands for “Peer Assistance & Review Program,” which began in Boston in 2014. • The two programs have very similar names. Here’s how they compare:

OVERLAP:

• Both pair you with a veteran BPS teacher who gives you individualized coaching and support. • Both work with you and your administrators to improve your skills and your evaluation rating.

3 KEY DIFFERENCES:

EVALUATION: Which kind of supporter do you need? Role Description PA PAR

COACH: An expert adviser who gives you feedback and helps you develop strategies to improve your game.

CHEERLEADER: An unwavering supporter who is in your corner and wants you to be successful.

TEAMMATE: A colleague and confidante who stands beside you to co-teach, co-plan and commiserate when you need to.

REFEREE: An impartial evaluator who will give you credit when you’re doing things well and let you know when you’re not.

ELIGIBILITY: What’s your evaluation plan type and duration? Both PA only PAR only Permanent Teachers on a Directed Growth or Improvement plan that is at least 6 months long can join either PA or PAR (but not both).

Teachers currently on a Self-Directed plan are not eligible for PA or PAR.

Permanent teachers with an evaluation plan shorter than 6 months long can join PA but not PAR.

3rd Year teachers on a Developing Educator evaluation plan can join PAR but not PA.

ENROLLMENT: How do you sign up/find out more?

www.mylearningplan.com go to “Forms” section

www.bostonpar.wordpress.com

go to “Enroll” page