A: The ratings and defections in the Effectiveness and Growth Systems are:

Model: The licensed faculty member significantly exceeds the requirements of the performance standard. At the Model level, an educator’s level of expertise is exemplary and he or she is able to demonstrate the standard or component through teaching, coaching, assisting, and/or embedded professional development. Model performance is evidenced by highly effective practice as the classroom norm and in the documented performance by most or all students that meets or exceeds expectations. Few licensed faculty members are expected to earn the Model rating on more than a handful of components.

Effective: The licensed faculty member routinely meets the requirements of the performance standard. The licensed faculty member integrates the knowledge and skills needed for proficient content-area instruction and collaborative leadership in support of student learning and school and District goals. Effective performance is evidenced by documented impact on learning and growth in the performance of most or all students. Most licensed faculty members are expected to strive toward and to attain this rigorous level overall, if not on every standard.

Developing: The licensed faculty member is exhibiting effort and making sufficient progress toward meeting the performance standard, but is not yet consistent in demonstrating it. The licensed faculty member has much of the necessary knowledge and skills to be effective, but some knowledge and skills may still be emerging and need to be deepened, or the licensed faculty member has the necessary knowledge and skills to be effective, but their application is still partial, uneven or evolving (perhaps due to recently entering the profession or recently transitioning to a new curriculum, grade level or subject). A Developing level of performance is evidenced by the documentation of limited growth in some or many students’ performance. Support should be provided and interventions implemented, as improvement is needed and expected over time. Many licensed faculty members can anticipate earning a Developing rating on one or more components in at least some evaluation cycles and should recognize this rating as an opportunity to identify professional growth areas for the near future. Improvement is expected through focused intervention provided by the Intensive Support Plan, the Professional Practice Growth Plan and the Professional Development Options Plan.

Ineffective: The licensed faculty member does not meet or demonstrate progress toward meeting the performance standard, and his/her teaching does not convey an understanding of key concepts. The licensed faculty member’s practices remain unsatisfactory and inefficient even after initial levels of intervention and support have been provided and implemented. Ineffectiveness is evidenced by documentation of little or no growth in students’ performance. Ineffective performance requires urgent attention. Improvement is expected through focused intervention provided by the Intensive Support Plan, the Professional Practice Growth Plan, and the Plan of Assistance.

A:  The Teacher Effectiveness and Growth Systems process is intended to provide the licensed faculty member with continuous growth and improvement through the following steps:

1. The licensed faculty conducts a self-assessment and completes the Self-Assessment form (Section VIII).
2. The licensed faculty and the principal/administrator have an initial goal-setting meeting to discuss and approved the Student Learning and Growth SMART goals (2 student growth goals and 1 professional practice goal which is tied to the student growth goals). Assessing and documenting student learning and growth and improving professional practice shall always be among the goals established.
3. The licensed faculty focuses his/her improvement efforts on specific areas in order for his/her efforts to be manageable and realistic.
4. The principal/administrator conducts a minimum of one (1) formal classroom observation (Contract Year 1 only); a minimum of three (3) informal observations; and one (1) Mid-Year Conference. The principal/administrator provides timely feedback, resources and support to assist the licensed faculty when improvement or help is needed or requested.
5. The principal/administrator reviews all data, considers comments made by the licensed faculty during short visits or meetings, identifies areas of strengths and areas in need of growth or improvement, makes recommendations to improve performance, and assists in planning for future professional growth.
6. The Mid-Year Conference will include review and discussion of each goal in the SLGO SMART goals and in the Professional Practice Growth Plan.
7. The end-of-year evaluation will include all of the following:
   1. The principal/administrator’s assessment of the licensed faculty’s performance on each of the four domains and on each of the sixteen 4J Performance Standards for Effective Teaching
   2. Data from the Student Learning and Growth Objectives Plan, which must include measures of student progress across two (2) or more points in time and of student proficiency/mastery at a single point in time in relation to state or national standards (Oregon Department of Education, January 2013)
      1. Student Learning and Growth Objectives for grades and subjects for which state tests and assessments are required (English/Language Arts and Mathematics in grades 3-8 and 11) shall include state assessment results and additional measures of student learning as described in the next section.
      2. For grades and subjects in which state assessments are not required, the evaluation shall include measures of student learning as described below.
   3. The licensed faculty’s comments on the evaluation
   4. Narrative descriptions and comments supported by claim, evidence and impact
   5. An overall effectiveness performance rating of Model, Effective, Developing, or Ineffective

A:  All input provided by teachers, principals, administrators, specialist, Eugene Education Association (EEA) and other internal and external stakeholders was used to identify successes and challenges and to refine the Effectiveness and Growth Systems approved by the Eugene Board of Education on June, 2013.

A: The ultimate goal of the teacher and principal/administrator Effectiveness and Growth Systems is to increase achievement for all students by ensuring that every 4J students have access to highly effective school leaders and teachers. The Systems are designed to provide teachers and principals/administrators with improved tools by which to:

• Promote and measure effectiveness;
• Differentiate between those who are excelling and those who need support;
• Provide meaningful feedback in order to improve professional practice;
• Support and help improve effectiveness by clarifying the expectations for performance;
• Providing a common vocabulary and understanding about student growth, professional practice, and effectiveness;
• Provide meaningful feedback;
• Increase development and growth plans;
• Create system-wide collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement through the use of multiple sources of student, teacher, and principal data to improve teacher practice and student learning; and
• Create an adult professional culture.

A: The focus of the teacher and principal Effectiveness and Growth Systems is to increase growth and achievement for all students by ensuring that every 4J student has access to highly effective school leaders and teachers. More than two decades of research findings show that student growth is strongly linked to teacher and principal effectiveness; highly skilled teachers produce better student results. In order to promote, increase, and improve student performance, the District must recruit the best licensed professionals to the profession and prepare, develop and support both probationary and contract teachers. By implementing rigorous, transparent, and fair evaluations, the District aims to improve educator effectiveness and thus student outcomes.

A: The Effectiveness and Growth Systems (new teacher evaluation) is designed to measure teacher effectiveness, differentiate performance, provide support and identify and recognize distinguished service. The ultimate goal of the teacher and principal Effectiveness and Growth Systems is to increase achievement for students by ensuring that every 4J student has access to highly effective school leaders and teachers.

A: In 2012-2013 the teacher evaluation was piloted in six (6) schools: Howard ES, Edgewood ES, Chavez ES, McCornack ES, Cal Young MS, and Sheldon HS. Testing of the pilot was led by Dr. Celia Feres-Johnson, in the Department of Human Resources. The pilot implementation process was reviewed by a District Evaluation Advisory Committee composed of Human Resources staff, Eugene Educational Association (EEA) representatives, teachers and principals. The Committee presented recommendations to Dr. Sheldon Berman, Superintendent. Recommendations from the Committee, pilot school teachers and principals were incorporated into the Teacher Effectiveness and Growth System. The contribution of all internal and external stakeholders has created a supportive system of teachers, students and administrators.

A: Additional information on Eugene School District 4J Professional Growth and Effectiveness Evaluation Systems is available 

A: While individual approaches to managing the time and documentation associated with the Teacher Effectiveness and Growth Systems process will differ from principal to principal, there are a few common strategies that may prove helpful:

First, principals should spend time very early in the school year developing a clear, written schedule for classroom observations that balances their work load by evenly distributing those observations throughout the school year.  Second, they should communicate those plans to assistant principals and other designees so that they may also plan their work accordingly.  Third, principals should strategically prioritize the timing of probationary teacher observations. Fourth, principals will likely find TalentEd, (a web-based evaluation management software specifically designed for K-12) very helpful and useful. Additional information on TalentEd is available by clinking on the software’s title.

A: The Human Resources Department offers yearly training to all newly hired teachers and administrators.

A: The District will be offering administrators and cohorts of teacher leaders Skillful Teacher, led by Dr. John Saphier and Research for Better Teaching, is research-based, relevant professional development series for teachers and administrators based on the book The Skillful Teacher: Building your Teaching Skills (by Jon Saphier, Mary Ann Haley-Specca and Robert Gower). The Skillful Teacher is a unique synthesis of the Knowledge Base on Teaching with powerful repertoires for matching teaching strategies to student needs. The series is designed as a practical guide for practitioners working to broaden their teaching skills and combines theory with practice and focuses on 18 critical areas of classroom performance. The series is designed for probationary and contract teachers.

A: Human Resources will be providing ongoing training sessions on the Teacher Effectiveness and Growth Systems and processes.

A: Most specialist rubrics have been developed and will be available on the Human Resources web page by November 30, 2013 and in TalentEd before the end of the month December, 2013.

A: Probationary teachers are evaluated annually (probationary years 1 through 3 and their first year as contract teachers).  Contract teachers are evaluated every other year.  Administrators are evaluated every other year.

A: There is currently no state requirement connecting teacher or principal evaluation systems to compensation.

A: SB 290 requires districts to design and implement research-based performance evaluation systems that separately assess teachers’ and principals’ professional skills as well as incorporate multiple measures of student academic growth data that is both formative and summative (i.e. graduation rates, student attendance rates, scores on nationally normed assessments, etc.).

A:    On July 1, 2011 the Oregon Legislature enacted Senate Bill 290 (SB 290) directing the State Board of Education (ODE), in consultation with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC), to adopt statewide performance standards to assist school districts in determining the effeteness of teachers and administrators for the purpose of making employment decisions, including continued employment, compensation and career advancement.  SB 290 mandates full implementation by July 1, 2013.