Educator Effectiveness
Act 13 of 2020 , signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf on March 27, 2020, revises the Act 82 Educator Effectiveness (EE) process used to evaluate professional employees and temporary professional employees in PK-12 education across the commonwealth. Effective the 2021-2022 school year, the revised rating system applies to classroom teachers, nonteaching professionals, and principals as defined in Act 82 and Act 13:
- Classroom teachers, defined as professional employees or temporary professional employees who provide direct instruction to students related to a specific subject or grade level.
- Nonteaching professionals, defined as professional employees or temporary professional employees who are education specialists or provide services and who is not a classroom teacher.
- Principals, defined as principals, assistant or vice principals, and directors of career & technical education. NOTE: Supervisors of special education (non-teaching professionals under Act 82) are considered principals for the purposes of Act 13.
Questions related to Act 13 may be directed to RA-PDE-Evaluation@pa.gov
Questions related to PEERS should be directed to pdepvaas@iu13.org.
Effective June 17, 2022, Educator Effectiveness rating forms will be available through PEERS. The PEERS rating forms will offer a secure, stable option.
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Toolkit
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Frameworks for Observation & Practice
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Performance Templates
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Examples from the Field & Self-Reflection
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Rating Forms (PEERS)
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Professional Development
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Training Schedule
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Toolkit
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The Toolkit for the Evaluation of Educator Effectiveness was designed to provide guidance on the revised rating system for professional employees and temporary professional employees pursuant to Pa. Act 13 of 2020 (Act 13).
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Frameworks for Observation & Practice
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The Framework for the Evaluation of Classroom Teachers is adapted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education from Charlotte Danielson’s 2011 “Framework for Teachers” and adapted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education from Charlotte Danielson’s 2020 “Framework for Remote Teaching”.
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Classroom Teacher
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School Leadership
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The Framework for Leadership is utilized for the evaluation of: Principal, Assistant/Vice Principal, CTE Director, Supervisor of Special Education, Non-Teaching Professional Supervisor
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Non-Teaching Professional
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The Frameworks for the Evaluation of Non-Teaching Professionals were adapted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education from Charlotte Danielson’s 2011 “Framework for Teachers” and adapted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education from Charlotte Danielson’s 2020 “Framework for Remote Teaching”.
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Performance Templates
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Student Performance Measure
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The SPMs below are samples from the field and include measures useful in assessing student achievement. PDE does not recommend any specific SPM goals; all curricular and instructional decisions are made at the local level.
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Self-Reflection Guides
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The purpose of this guide is to scaffold and support the process of teacher self-reflection, while at the same time inform the identification and completion of the Act 13 LEA Selected Measure Student Performance (SPM) template.
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Effectiveness Rating System (PEERS)
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Rating forms are now available to LEAs through the Pennsylvania Educator Effectiveness Rating System (PEERS) - a free, voluntary, web-based version of the Act 13 PA Educator Effectiveness semi-annual and annual rating tools (PDE 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, and 13-4). Additionally, PEERS includes evaluation metrics for Observation & Practice, Building-level Data, Student Performance Measures (SPMs), Teacher-specific Data, and PVAAS Teacher-level Data.
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Act 13 and Educator Effectiveness: Beginning to End
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Educator Effectiveness Annual Report Training
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Frequently Asked Questions: TPE, IEP Goals Progress, and Employee Categories/Rating
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Interactive Toolkit: A Deep Dive
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PEERS
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Rating Forms
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Recorded Office Hours
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Student Performance Measures/Performance Templates
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Toolkit Overview/Rating Forms
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Act 13 Office Hours
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These sessions will address frequently asked questions as well as an opportunity for attendees to ask questions related to Act 13 Educator Effectiveness implementation and processes.
Sessions are held the fourth Thursday of the month from 12 to 1 p.m. virtually via TEAMS.
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To Access the Act 13 Office Hours Sessions (No registration is needed.):
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 224 532 637 16
Passcode: NoLP3t
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 267-332-8737,,978120212#
Phone Conference ID: 978 120 212#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
Recording or transcription of this meeting may not occur without the consent of all participants, as required by law, and must adhere to Commonwealth policies. For more information click the legal link.
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2024 Dates:
- May 23
- June 27
- July 25
- August 22
- September 26
- October 24
- November 21
- December 19
*Note that November and December dates shift due to the holidays
2025 Dates:
- January 23
- February 27
- March 27
- April 24
- May 22
- June 26
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Goal Setting & the Act 13 LEA-Selected Measure
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Audience: District Leaders, School Leaders, & K-12 Content Leaders
Self-reflection is integral for personal growth. Goal setting (as part of the LEA-selected Measure) is a critical component of Act 13 evaluation. Self-reflection, when paired with goal setting, has the power to create meaningful connections between past practices and future actions. We’ll explore the importance of self-reflection, coaching, and feedback using the Teacher Self-Reflection resource to guide educators through the process of using available data to reflect on their past practices. We’ll discuss how each of the steps in the process can be used to complete the LEA Selected Measure (SPM) for use in Act 13’s Educator Effectiveness evaluations.
- September 16 @11:00 am
- October 2 @10:00am
To Access the Goal Setting & Act 13 LEA-Selected Measure Sessions (No registration is needed.):
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 224 532 637 16
Passcode: NoLP3t
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 267-332-8737,,978120212#
Phone Conference ID: 978 120 212#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
Recording or transcription of this meeting may not occur without the consent of all participants, as required by law, and must adhere to Commonwealth policies. For more information click the legal link.
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Teacher Specific Data
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With Act 82, there were questions local education agencies (LEAs) had to use to determine classroom teacher vs. NTP. With Act 13, LEAs can make the determination based on the job description. Below definitions may help.
Classroom Teacher—A professional or temporary professional employee who provides direct instruction to students related to a specific subject or grade level.
Nonteaching Professional (NTP) Employee—An educational specialist, professional employee, or temporary professional employee who provides services and who is not a classroom teacher.
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Article XI of the Public-School Code defines the term "temporary professional employee (TPE)" to mean any individual who has been employed to perform, for a limited time, the duties of a newly created position or of a regular professional employee whose services have been terminated by death, resignation, suspension, or removal.
The definition for “temporary professional employee” in Article XI of the Pa. Public School Code does not address the term tenure directly; however, Commonwealth case law has held that the distinction between a professional employee and a temporary professional employee is that the former has secured tenure. Although Pa. Act 13 of 2020 amends the measures by which a TPE will be evaluated, the legislation does not alter the definitions of professional employees under Article XI. Administrators can check with their Human Resource personnel on how their employees are currently classified by the LEA.
As of July 11, 2024, pursuant to 24 P.S. § 1749-A(b)(3.2), cyber charter schools are subject to 22 Pa Code §19 (relating to educator effectiveness). Although the application of Chapter 19 is not a clean fit as applied to cyber charter schools, PDE recommends that non-certified classroom teachers or non-certified non-teaching professionals be evaluated using the TPE observational tool.
Note: Principals, special education teachers and supervisors, school nurses, school psychologists, and 75 percent of the remaining professional staff must be certified. The CEO of a charter school is not considered a professional staff member of a charter school; however, if the CEO performs the duties of a principal, that individual must hold appropriate state certification as a principal.
Any questions regarding whether an employee is a temporary professional employee or a professional employee should be discussed with your solicitor.
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A professional employee is an employee who is tenured. If you have questions regarding tenure, speak with your LEA’s solicitor and/or bargaining unit.
As of July 11, 2024, pursuant to 24 P.S. § 1749-A(b)(3.2), cyber charter schools are subject to 22 Pa Code §19 (relating to educator effectiveness). For the purpose of cyber charter schools and in light of the definitions in chapter 19, PDE recommends that Classroom Teachers and Non-Teaching Professionals who are certified be evaluated using the professional employees form and requirements.
Note: Principals, special education teachers and supervisors, school nurses, school psychologists, and 75 percent of the remaining professional staff must be certified. The CEO of a charter school is not considered a professional staff member of a charter school; however, if the CEO performs the duties of a principal, that individual must hold appropriate state certification as a principal.
Any questions regarding whether an employee is a temporary professional employee or a professional employee should be discussed with your solicitor.
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All rating forms have been moved to PEERS and can be accessed there with a PVAAS account. If you have trouble logging into PEERS, please contact pdepvaas@iu13.org, and they will be able to assist.
Additionally, the PEERS FAQ or the Getting Started Guide may help.
PEERS: Access blank rating forms from either the user’s personal account or from the demo site
1. Log in to your account.
2. In the “Reports” menu, click “Evaluation List” under the PEERS header.
3. Read the text and select the acknowledgment box and click “Submit”.
4. Once you are on the PEERS Evaluation List, click “Help”.
5. Click on “About PEERS”.
6. The PDF links to the Blank Act 13 PEERS Forms will be under the “More Information” section of this page.
To access the blank Act 13 forms from the public site:
1. Go to pvaas.sas.com
2. Choose “public access”
3. Click on the “help” link at the upper right corner of the screen
4. Choose “PEERS”
5. Choose “About PEERS”
6. Select the Act 13 form from the screen
Help menu:
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22 Pa. Code 19.1.a (b) (1) Evaluation Process
(1) The rating of an employee shall be performed by or under the supervision of the chief school administrator or, if so directed by the chief school administrator, by an assistant administrator, a supervisor, or a principal who has supervision over the work of the professional employee or temporary professional employee being rated, provided that no unsatisfactory rating shall be valid unless approved by the chief school administrator.
It is important to consult the LEA’s solicitor.
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In Act 13, a comprehensive classroom observation is defined as an observational classroom visit that includes a pre-conference and post-conference between an evaluator and an employee which may be conducted by telephone or videoconferencing. Upon the mutual agreement of both an evaluator and a professional employee, the requirement of a post-conference may be waived for extenuating circumstances, if the evaluator places written documentation of the comprehensive classroom observation in the professional employee’s file. If the extenuating circumstances are raised by the evaluator, a professional employee who does not receive a post-conference shall not receive a rating of needs improvement or failing on the comprehensive classroom observation component of an evaluation. The requirement of a post-conference shall not be waived for a temporary professional employee.
Act 13 states that Observation and Practice ratings shall also be informed using evidentiary source materials noted in the professional employee’s record, including dates and times as applicable. Records may include, but are not limited to, any combination of the following items as appropriate for the employee and the employee’s placement in a classroom and educational program:
(i) Notations of classroom observations, teacher/rater conferences or interviews, or informal observations or visits.
(ii) Lesson plans, unit plans, instructional materials, and resources.
(iii) Student work, student records, progress reports, and grading.
(iv) Interactions with students and their families (for example, frequency, methods of communication).
(v) Student surveys, family and community feedback.
vi) Professional growth (for example, coursework, staff development, networking, reflection of practice).
(vii) Examination of sources of evidence provided by the teacher.
(6) Evaluators may include the use of multiple classroom walk-throughs in an academic year to gather evidence and artifacts, provided specific observations are based only on factors that are present or witnessed by the evaluator during the walk-through.
(7) Classroom walk-throughs shall be used to gather evidence in addition to, not in place of, data gathered during one or more comprehensive classroom observations except when defined by a plan of differentiated supervision.
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The suggested discussion prompts and sources for evidence of practice are now integrated right into the Framework documents for ease of access during observation, which can be found on SAS.
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"Differentiated supervision." A system of supervision of professional employees that:
(1) Involves a multi-year cycle in which supervisors complete a comprehensive classroom observation for one annual rating in the professional employee's supervision cycle and in the other years of the cycle collaborate with the professional employee to differentiate supervision by developing individualized goals, learning activities, and measures for the professional employee's growth in one or more areas listed in section 1138.3(a)(1) or (b)(1) or a nonteaching professional employee's growth in one or more areas listed in section 1138.5(a) or (b).
(2) Is offered only to professional employees who received a proficient or distinguished annual rating in both of the two immediately preceding years and is not offered to temporary professional employees.
(3) Is optional for the employer and the professional employee.
(4) In any year in which the professional employee does not receive a comprehensive classroom observation, uses data sources and data collection strategies designed to measure a professional employee's progress toward the professional employee's individualized professional goals.
(5) Allows a supervisor to move a professional employee out of individualized professional goals, activities, and measures and into comprehensive classroom observation at any time.
(6) Allows a professional employee to move out of individualized professional goals, activities and measures and enter comprehensive classroom observation at any time
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The LEA needs to speak with its solicitor about any possible employment or termination decisions based upon any TPE or PE evaluation results.
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Any public school district approved provider of PreK Counts, would utilize Act 13 of 2020 when evaluating their PreK Counts teaching staff. PreK Counts lead teachers must be certified and must follow all PDE requirements when moving from Level I to Level II certification.
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As under 82, charter schools are not subject to Act 13. However, charter schools may elect to use (in part or in whole) the resources provided in order to evaluate their certificated personnel. We do have some charter schools who have aligned their evaluations primarily for two reasons:
- ESSA reporting (which is aligned to EE metrics)
- Transitioning level I staff to level II requires evaluation (and the form has been aligned to EE metrics, historically)
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As of July 11, 2024, pursuant to 24 P.S. § 1749-A(b)(3.2), cyber charter schools are subject to 22 Pa. Code §19 (relating to educator effectiveness). Cybers must use the Act 13 Rating Forms (13-1, 13-2, 13-3, and the optional 13-4) as described in Chapter 19, and educators are required to be evaluated based on the components outlined in Chapter 19.
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There are not any plans to alter the frameworks from what was released in 2021. The current frameworks were modified/customized based on stakeholder input.
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There are currently four trainings available on SAS surrounding Act 13.
Educator Effectiveness: Classroom Teachers
Educator Effectiveness: Oher Non-Teaching Professionals
Educator Effectiveness: Non-Teaching Professional Supervisors
Educator Effectiveness: Supervisors of Special EducationThey can be accessed by logging into SAS and choosing PD Center from the drop-down menu.
Type Act 13 into the search and click on the magnifying glass.
The courses must be completed within 90 days, or the course will reset.
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It is uploaded daily and can be viewed in PERMS.
If not uploading to PERMS after completion, please contact SAS directly:
By Email: helpdesk@pdesas.org
By Phone: Toll Free 1.877.973.3727
Online: Help Desk
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If the individual takes the induction courses offered after October 1, 2024, Act 13 training will be included. If the individual had taken induction prior to October 1, 2024, they will need to attend the PIL course “Act 13 & Beyond” or a PDE-approved course as it is required for anyone who is new to the “principal” role. A new supervisor of special education has the option of taking the PIL course or may take the 5-hour SAS course in its place.
Given 24 P.S. § 1749-A(b)(3.2), cyber charter school educators are strongly recommended to complete the Act 13 trainings.
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The training requirements delineated in Act 13 are as follows:
· Local induction programs must be updated to incorporate training on Educator Effectiveness inclusive of the consistent use of quality evaluation data. To satisfy this requirement:
o Inductees may complete either a locally provided training or the appropriate 5-hour Act 48 course available via the SAS PD Center.
· Temporary Professional Employees (TPEs) serving as classroom teachers or as non-teaching professionals must participate in training on Educator Effectiveness during their probationary period. To satisfy this requirement:
o TPEs may complete either a locally provided training or the appropriate 5-hour Act 48 course available via the SAS PD Center.
· All professional employees serving as classroom teachers, non-teaching professionals, and principals must complete a condensed Educator Effectiveness training every seven years.
· Given 24 P.S. § 1749-A(b)(3.2), cyber charter school educators are strongly recommended to complete the Act 13 trainings.
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Article XI of the Pa. Public School Code defines the term "substitute" to mean any individual who has been employed to perform the duties of a regular professional employee during such period of time as the regular professional employee is absent on sabbatical leave or for other legal cause authorized and approved by the board of school directors or to perform the duties of a temporary professional employee who is absent.
Only individuals employed as a temporary professional employee or professional employee must be evaluated according the requirements of Act 13; LEAs should consult with their solicitor when uncertain if a staff member is employed as a “substitute” pursuant to Article XI or a TPE or professional employ
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It is best to consult with your solicitor to ensure you are following your LEA’s protocols or collective bargaining agreement.
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THE LEGISLATION READS: “An overall performance rating of "needs improvement" shall be considered satisfactory, except that any subsequent overall rating of "needs improvement" issued by the same employer within four years of the first overall performance rating of "needs improvement" where the employee is in the same certification shall be considered unsatisfactory.”
An overall performance rating of needs improvement or failing requires the employee to be placed on a performance improvement plan. Professional employees marked unsatisfactory (failing) could receive an interim evaluation. Under Act 13, an interim evaluation is optional for LEAs when a professional employee is deemed unsatisfactory on their last evaluation. A 13-4 would be utilized by the professional employee’s supervisor for an interim evaluation.
Questions related to any employment actions or decisions related to unsatisfactory performance should be discussed with your solicitor.
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The statute does not speak to the length of the improvement plan, and it should be discussed with your solicitor.
Please note: Act 13 does state that the improvement plan must be designed by an LEA with documented input of the employee, that:
(1) Provides actionable feedback to an employee on the specific domain within the comprehensive classroom observation and practice models that prevented the employee from achieving a proficient rating. The employer shall consider the documented input from the employee for inclusion in the plan.
(2) Identifies employer resources that will be provided to an employee to help the employee improve. Resources may include, but shall not be limited to, mentoring, coaching, and recommendations for professional development and intensive supervision based on the contents of the rating tool provided for under sections 1138.1—1138.16 of the Public School Code.
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The optional 13-4 evaluation may be used as an interim evaluation for professional employees if they received an unsatisfactory rating the prior year or received a second Needs Improvement rating by the same LEA within the last 4 years.
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The grounds for dismissal are addressed in the statute in 24 P.S. § 11-1122, which is referenced in Act 13. See below for reference to section 1122 in Act 13. Also, it is important to speak with your solicitor about any dismissal decision related to evaluation or otherwise.
Section 1138.2.
In determining whether a professional employee shall be dismissed for unsatisfactory teaching performance as provided for in section 1122(a), and in rating professional employees and temporary professional employees, each professional employee and temporary professional employee shall be rated through the use of a rating tool approved by the department in consultation with education experts, parents of school-age children enrolled in a public school, teachers and administrators, including research and collaboration conducted by the department.
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Since Act 13 doesn’t specifically name the assistant director of career and technical education, it is important to consult with your solicitor on the final determination. However, in the absence of the clear statutory mandate for a specific evaluation framework for this position, the LEA and employee should agree on the evaluation model based on the certification and job duties of the employee.
Generally, if the duties of an assistant director of career and technical education align with duties of a director of career and technical education then the principal (13-2) would be used.
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Act 13 states: “the evaluation of…a nonteaching professional primarily assigned in a building or buildings within a school entity by which the nonteaching professional is not employed or where building-level data is not made available by the department…” is 100 percent Observation & Practice (25 percent per Domain). The specialists could be considered 100 percent Observation & Practice under either condition above.
The IU should speak with its solicitor related to any questions regarding the evaluation of IU employees serving in district buildings.
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The employing entity is usually responsible for evaluating its employee. However, it is always best to speak with your solicitor to discuss any concerns or issues involving contracted staff.
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The template process for LEA Selected Measures encourages a reflection of one’s own practice and encourages alignment to one or more domains. Differentiated Supervision allows for the development of individualized goals, learning activities, and measures for professional growth relative to the domains of practice. Therefore, the response identified as part of the LEA Selected Measure rating during the comprehensive evaluation year may inform the professional growth area and provide related student performance data for Action Research in a Differentiated Supervision year.
School districts can determine what the action research model looks like, so it can emulate the LEA Selected Measure approach. However, please note that there is a requirement for the LEA Selected Measure score with regard to the evaluation process. Therefore, both the observation and practice measure and the LEA Selected Measures are required.
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LEA-selected measures are identified by the LEA, and one option for deriving this score is the use of the PDE Student Performance Measures Template.
The template is not mandated by law, but the measure must be accounted for in every professional classroom teacher’s evaluation except for temporary professional teachers. There is not an n-count associated with this measure.
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On our SAS Site there is a section with examples under the tab “Examples from the Field.”
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An LEA should speak with their solicitor related to evaluating staff on leave.
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The LEA Selected Measures are the same as the Elective Data under 82 (with the addition of locally developed rubrics, which were part of TSD previously), so you can continue to employ whatever parameters you did under Act 82 to ensure rigor.
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Pennsylvania’s Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) is not included in PVAAS analyses as there are a very low number of students tested statewide. A significant number of students are needed for each grade level and subject to build a statistical model to yield value-added measures for teachers from this assessment. PA has previously been involved in national forums to discuss the feasibility of measuring growth with students who take the PASA. Students taking the PASA are not included in the analyses for PVAAS district, school, or teacher-specific reporting.
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