DTGSS Stakeholders

Delaware’s revised teacher evaluation system was driven by a steering committee of educators across the state. Steering committee members included teachers, building-level leaders, district and charter leaders, and higher-education leaders. The steering committee trained working groups to lead this work in participating districts.

Rubric Revision Steering Committee members

Meeting Updates

January 21, 2021 Steering Committee

The Steering Committee met on January 21 to catch up on the work completed over the course of January. This included reviewing what districts have signed on to pilot the new system, and hearing about the work of the Special Populations and Early Childhood Working Groups. The Steering Committee also discussed additional planning measures for the pilot in advance of the 2021-2022 school year. The Committee will begin reviewing training and other support content over the course of February and March.

December 17, 2020 Steering Committee

The Steering Committee met on December 17 to check in on the preparations for the evaluation pilot. At this meeting, the Steering Committee reviewed the draft of the Critical Attributes Guide aligned to the new observation tool. The committee advised on the work about to be underway with educators from early childhood and special education. Those Working Groups will convene this winter to review the updated observation tool and to create resources and guidance aligned to the observation tool that is specific to unique contexts of early childhood education and certain special education populations. The Steering Committee also advised on upcoming educator information sessions regarding the new system, the first of which will be held on January 13.

November 19, 2020 Steering Committee Meeting

The Evaluation System Redesign Steering Committee met on November 19 to continue their work as leaders in the redesign. During this remote meeting, committee members reviewed key messages and prepared resources to share with educators across the state. The committee members also reviewed the goals for the pilot implementation and identified specific research questions to guide data collection during the pilot through focus groups, surveys and interviews.

October 15, 2020 Steering Committee Meeting

The Evaluation System Redesign Steering Committee reconvened on October 15 to begin to engage in three priorities for the 2020-2021 transition year. The committee members reaffirmed their commitment to providing feedback to the DOE on plans for the pilot, and to serving as ambassadors to share about the evaluation redesign with their colleagues. The committee reviewed communications plans created by the DOE, and brainstormed ideas for engaging with educators remotely given the pandemic. The committee identified several strategies that the DOE will use to share more information about the system redesign over the course of the year.

February 5 Process Working Group Meeting

The Process Working Group of the Rubric Redesign Steering Committee met for their third and final meeting on February 5 at Troop 3 in Camden-Wyoming. At this meeting the working group reviewed the overall process, discussed final details of the proposed process, and made recommendations on final decisions. Details include how many observations to require, and how long observations should be; how to structure feedback conferences; and how to arrive at summative ratings. The group also reviewed the current plans for pilot training, and discussed recommendations for content for training and resources. This was the final meeting of the Process Working Group; the group’s recommendations will be shared with the DPAS-II Advisory Committee and the Secretary of Education to be finalized before the 2020-2021 pilot.

January 22 Training Working Group meeting

The Training Working Group of the Rubric Redesign Steering Committee is comprised of a sub-set of steering committee members whose sole focus is on preparing training and resources for the pilot implementation of the redesigned system. The committee had their first meeting on January 22 at LOCATION. During this meeting, the group reviewed several in-progress resources and provided feedback and edits. These resources include:

• A narrative description of the rubric
• FAQs
• A crosswalk between the new rubric and the DPAS-II rubric
• A list of possible examples for each indicator in the new rubric

The committee also examine the DOE’s current training strategy for the pilot, and make recommendations on frequency and types of training, as well as on content that should be included in the training for all pilot participants. The committee will reconvene in March to continue efforts to refine resources and training materials in preparation for the pilot implementation that begins this fall.

January 8 Steering Committee Meeting

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee gathered for the group’s final meeting on January 8 at Troop 3 in Camden. The meeting agenda included closely examining data from the second round of rubric testing completed by committee members. Committee members also polished and finalized the Core Teacher Skills in the rubric, and brainstormed a name for the newly redesigned system. The committee also reviewed progress on the observation process design to date, and identified key questions and strategies for the state-wide pilot to launch this fall. Finally, the committee celebrated the work completed over the last 18 months, and prepared to release the final rubric in February!

December 11 Process Working Group Meeting

On December 11, the Process Working Group convened for their second of three meetings this year. The group built on the work they started in October to create a Professional Growth Plan format and model to recommend for use for Delaware teachers. The committee also examined the recommended observation and feedback process that will accompany the revised rubric. Working Group members spent the day diving deep into this process, examining sample forms and tools, and identifying revisions and improvements. The group will meet once more in February 2020 to review final data from the rubric testing efforts and to finalize recommendations for process updates to share with the DPAS-II Advisory Committee.

November 13 Steering Committee Meeting

On November 13, the Rubric Redesign Steering Committee met to continue their work to revise the teacher evaluation system. At this meeting, the committee members reviewed data from the first round of testing that they completed. Twenty-six testers completed 93 testing observations, which provided a rich data set that allowed the committee to make revisions to the draft rubric and to identify process elements that they wish for the Process Working Group to consider. During this meeting the committee also engaged in continued professional learning about the content of the rubric so that, as leaders of this work, committee members deepen their familiarity with the rubric content and the research that is behind each of the indicators. The committee members also engaged in a calibration activity to practice using the rubric, and to prepare to test the rubric in additional classrooms across Delaware.

October 9 Process Working Group Meeting

On October 9, a working group of the larger Rubric Revision Steering Committee met to begin work on revisions to the evaluation process. A redesigned rubric will require educators and observers to modify the approach they use to collecting evidence and providing coaching and support for teachers. The charge of this Working Group is to learn from the testing being conducted by the Steering Committee and to make recommendations for process updates. These recommendations will be considered by the DPAS-II Advisory committee for ultimate approval by the Secretary of Education.

Because the rubric is currently begin actively tested in schools, the Working Group engaged in process issues not related to observations themselves at our first meeting. Specifically, the group discussed how to assess issues of professionalism, and how to build structures and resources to support teacher professional growth. The Working Group examined exemplar Professional Growth Plans from other states to identify what elements any sort of plan or process that Delaware implements should include.

The working group also identified what research and best practices they wish to review regarding observation processes used elsewhere, and what information they want to know about the testing completed by the Steering Committee. The working group will review this information at their next meeting in December, which will focus on recommendations related to the observation process.

Rubric Redesign Steering Committee Year 2 – First Meeting September 11

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee convened on Wednesday September 11 for its first of three meetings this year. The committee includes members who engaged in rubric design last year, as well as educators new to the Committee. At the meeting, the committee dug deeply into the content of the new rubric in an effort to calibrate and prepare for systematic testing. The Committee is pursuing the following testing goals:

• Find patterns in the evidence collected for each indicator
• Determine if/where there is overlap in indicators
• Determine which indicators allow for an abundance of evidence
• Determine which indicators do not allow for an abundance of evidence

The committee then planned out their testing efforts, which will occur through October 31. At the next meeting on November 13, the Committee will debrief testing and review data collected to make final recommendations on updates to rubric content, and to make process recommendations for consideration by the Process Working Group.

Final Steering Committee Meeting

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee held its sixth and final meeting for 2018-19 at the Collette Center in Dover on May 8. At this meeting, the committee reviewed an update draft of the rubric that has evolved given the feedback the committee has shared. The committee also continued to discuss teacher skills. Finally, the committee reviewed the priorities for the 2019-2020 school year, and identified their interest in ongoing participation in the committee. The priorities for 2019-2020 are to:

• Systematically test the rubric in a large number of classrooms across the state, and finalize language by February 1
• Identify and recommend any changes to the evaluation process
• Develop resources and trainings to support educators to use the rubric in 2020-2021 and beyond
• Engage educators across the state to inform and collect feedback

This summer, the DDOE team will be working to prepare for these priorities, and the steering committee will reconvene in the early fall. You can find details and updates about the rubric revision process at the Rubric Revision Steering Committee website. If you have ideas or feedback for consideration by the committee, please email: DPASII.trrp@doe.k12.de.us.

Fifth Steering Committee Meeting

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee held its fifth meeting on April 10 in Camden Wyoming. The committee spent the morning debriefing their experiences testing the rubric in classrooms and feedback based on the testing experience. The committee reviewed and commented on a revised version of the rubric based on the feedback shared from testing. Committee members also examined teacher skills to add to the tool. Teacher skills are statements that describe what great teachers know and do to get the results outlined in the rubric language. The committee reviewed teacher skills pulled from the InTASC standards to identify to which parts of the draft rubric the skills aligned. Then, the committee prepared to do further testing before the next and final meeting on May 8.

Fourth Steering Committee Meeting

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee held its fourth meeting on March 7 in Dover. The committee took a break in February to allow time for the DDOE team to synthesize committee feedback and to create the first draft of the observation rubric. During the March meeting, committee members tested the draft using the rubric with video, and provided feedback and recommendations for rubric edits. The committee also prepared to test the rubric in classrooms during the month of March. Rubric testing will allow committee members to use the rubric in a variety of classroom types and contexts, and to identify feedback specific to the usability of the draft tool. In April, committee members will reconvene to share their reflections after testing and to make additional updates.

Third Steering Committee Meeting

The Steering Committee held its third meeting on January 9 in Camden Wyoming. Prior to this meeting, the DOE staff reviewed the recommendations that the committee made for content from the InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards for what should be included in the DE rubric. At the January 9 meeting, the committee reviewed the DDOE’s draft of buckets of content for the rubric. The committee first viewed a video of teaching in an attempt to identify language that was clear, and language that should be clearer. Then, the committee worked in groups to provide specific recommendations for adjustments to the draft, and shared their overall feedback about what should be included and what should be added.

Next up, the DDOE team will review feedback from the committee and create the first draft of the DE rubric. The committee will reconvene March 7 to review and begin to test this draft. Stay tuned to the Rubric Revision Steering Committee website for updates and a sneak peek of the draft.

If you have ideas or feedback for consideration by the committee, please email: DPASII.trrp@doe.k12.de.us.

Second Steering Committee Meeting

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee held its second meeting on December 12 in Dover. During this meeting, committee members focused on identifying content for the teacher evaluation rubric being redesigned. The committee referenced two resources and made recommendations on expectations for teachers, and for students, that should be considered for the next iteration of the teacher rubric.

The InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards were adopted by Delaware in 2014 to serve as the guiding professional standards for teachers. Committee members reviewed the standards to identify content that is directly observable in classrooms, and recommend content for the rubric. The committee also read the recent research report The Opportunity Myth which outlines a core challenge facing schools in the U.S.: far too many students are graduating underprepared for college. The report identifies four key resources that students need in schools to be successful. Committee members considered how these resources would be present in classrooms and what teaching and learning would look like in classrooms that are best serving kids. These considerations also informed the content committee members recommended.

The committee will reconvene on January 9 to review the content they recommended bucketed into categories, and to begin drafting out the rubric.

Steering Committee Selected

The Delaware Department of Education is pleased to announce the educators that have been selected to serve on the Rubric Redesign Steering Committee. Committee members were selected based on the quality of their application and the DDOE’s desire to engage a diverse, representative group of stakeholders in the core redesign committee.

First Steering Committee meeting

The Rubric Redesign Steering Committee held its first meeting on November 19 in Dover. The meeting focused on providing opportunities for members to get to know one another and better understand the work ahead. The committee also dedicated time to examining different structural features of rubrics in use elsewhere. Members used rubrics to observe classrooms and to discuss how these structural features influenced their use of the rubrics. The committee began to identify structural features that the redesigned teacher rubric should contain. Special thanks to the principal, teachers and students at POLYTECH High School for hosting the committee for classroom observations!