Catch-Up On the Evaluation Redesign
A Steering Committee of educators from across Delaware have been working in partnership with the Delaware Department of Education to redesign the teacher evaluation system. This multi-year effort has resulted in a new rubric and professional growth process that will be piloted during the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more about the evaluation redesign, check out previous issues of the A.C.C.E.S.S. newsletter!
Please note: The implementation timeline changed in Spring 2020 due to the pandemic. The new system will be piloted during the 2021-2022 school year and implemented statewide in 2022-2023.
Deep Dive into the New Rubric: Performance Area 1: Learning Environment
Over the next few months, the A.C.C.E.S.S. newsletter will take a deep dive into one part of the redesigned rubric each month. This month, we’re starting at the beginning: Performance Area 1: Learning Environment. 

Performance Area 1 (Learning Environment) focuses on the extent to which the classroom has been developed into a community of learners through the establishment of structures for learning, a positive culture and climate, and equitable access for all students. Effective management of the learning environment is based on the belief that learning is important. Learning cannot happen without systems to maintain efficient routines and procedures, or without establishing a respectful and supportive culture that encourages risk-taking. Successful classrooms create a community of learners where the expectation is that students take part in driving the work needed to be done through individual accountability and supporting one another. 

The teacher must first lay the foundation to maximize each student's potential to learn and achieve high expectations by: establishing procedures to support learning and to manage student behaviors; establishing positive relationships with students that promote perseverance and hard work; holding high expectations for all students; and supporting all students to meet those expectations. The teacher understands individual learner differences and different cultural backgrounds and uses this knowledge to create an inclusive learning environment. As a result of this strong foundation, students are able to engage in productive learning. This means that students drive what happens in the classroom, from following routines and procedures to persevering through challenging work. 

Performance Area 1 is NOT about what students are learning, how they are learning, and/or whether or not they are learning. Performance Area 1 is focused exclusively on the quality of the environment that supports all students to access the learning. 

There are three Indicators in Performance Area 1; the Indicators and Descriptors are in the table below.
Delaware Teacher Growth and Development System Information Session
Do you want to learn more about the redesigned teacher evaluation system? Come learn, interact, and engage! Teachers and school leaders are invited to join this informational session. Sessions will be facilitated by the DDOE. The session will be offered monthly from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13, Wednesday, February 17, and Wednesday, March 17. Register for PDMS course #29497.
Resources to Support Virtual Teaching and Learning
Planning for Virtual Learning
Synchronous and Asynchronous Professional Development Opportunity

Teachers and school leaders are invited to engage with one another to develop, enhance, and translate skillful teaching in a hybrid and/or virtual setting. Sessions for the course, Planning for Virtual Learning will be scheduled to meet the needs of your school teams. Learning from expert instructors from Research for Better Teaching will provide the support and resources in the areas of social-emotional development of classroom climate, planning decisions for well-structured lessons, formative assessment, criteria for success, and effective feedback. Sessions can also be designed to meet the needs of your school, curriculum, grade level, content area, or other specific need as requested. Please email Angela Socorso at [email protected] to arrange dates and times.
Administrator Statewide PLC
Beginning monthly on December 7 2020 from 3:00-4:00

DDOE will be begin hosting a virtual PLC for all district and school-level administrators on the first Monday of each month. PLC topics will focus on the sharing of instructional resources, discussion of current problems of practice, and Q&A regarding the remote and hybrid learning environment – all with alignment to the statewide evaluation systems. Please register in PDMS for course #29485. For more information, please contact Melissa Oates at [email protected].
Leadership Resources
Set Aside Time for Wonder: Children received in wonder learn that we see and hear them, and value their active participation and leadership in the learning process. They are empowered to teach and listen to one another, and they trust that their curiosity and expertise will be honored. They learn that there is more than one answer or solution to most questions, and they begin to value the processes of tinkering, hypothesizing, and exploring. And most importantly, they are welcomed into a place where they feel safe, cared for, respected, and fully included in a community that sees strength and beauty in difference. Now more than ever, we encourage you to set aside some time and space for wonder. When we are all surrounded by such uncertainty, and our contact with children may be limited to a small screen or a safe social distance, we can hold on to this thought: If one child looks through that screen or across a six-foot distance, and sees a teacher who is delighted to receive them in wonder, their light will shine a little brighter for a little bit longer. Read more here: http://rbteach.com/blogs/receive-them-wonder

Hold on to Your Vision of Success: As our school communities adapt to our new reality – one in which we’re likely to be for a while longer – it’s important that school leaders continue to define and maintain their vision of success for their students. Ideally, this vision of success is one that you’ve created collaboratively with your team; a vision that defines how you want students to learn and engage with teachers and each other; a vision that lays out what your students will know, be able to do, and feel when the school year is over, and beyond. Read more here: https://danielsongroup.org/blog/our-team/2020/10/22/principals-hold-your-vision-success
What's on the Agenda
Final Specialist System Framework Credentialing Session

Evaluators who need to be credentialed or re-credentialed can register now for the January session, Specialist System Framework. This workshop is designed to build a common understanding of the components, criteria, rubrics, and indicators of the Delaware Framework for Specialists. The unique application of observation skills such as understanding bias, collecting low-inference evidence, and interpreting evidence against the levels of performance will be examined and practiced. The session will be facilitated by the Danielson Group and DDOE. The training will be offered via Zoom on Tuesday, January 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Register for PDMS course #29158. Contact Angela Socorso at [email protected] for more information.