Pilot launches for certificated evaluation review

One of our contract agreements following our strike in 2015 was to work together with the District to develop new approaches to professional development and to improve fairness in the evaluation.

We have reached agreement to develop two new foundational courses, one that all new teachers would take (and any interested classified staff), and one that all evaluators and career ladder teachers would take.

The first course will take Skillful Teacher as its jumping off point. Montgomery County has created a course based on the text, and teachers there report that is has helped create a shared language and understanding of what makes for good teaching.

The second course is "Observing and Analyzing Teaching," or OAT. The goal is to promote stronger calibration among evaluators and to enhance mentoring skills of both administrators and teacher leaders.

To create more fairness in evaluations, teachers whose principal has raised concerns will have the option to have their evaluation reviewed by a joint panel of teachers and principals. At the teacher's request, the panel will hear a review of their progress from both their evaluator and from a consulting teacher (CT) who has been assigned to work with them in the months leading up to the Panel review. Currently teachers are offered a CT, but there is no avenue for the CT to share a competing opinion.

"We're piloting a Seattle version of a system used around the country," said Phyllis Campano, SEA President. "It's better for everyone if there is more accountability and oversight of evaluations. The system will be perceived as more fair, and individual teachers will have access to second opinions and a balanced review that includes peers."

The review system will be piloted on a limited basis in 2017-18, with no commitment beyond this year unless we reach an agreement in our new contract next year.

BLT/PLT trainings for the '17-18 school year: strengthening collaboration

 

Our Building Leadership Teams, alongside a number of Program Leadership Teams, give frontline educators in Seattle a significant voice in how we run our schools.

 

While school reforms come and go, site based decision making has taken root in Seattle since it was established in the 1990s. "It's hard to imagine working in a school where you have no say over budgets, professional development, and school initiatives," said Michael Tamayo, SEA Vice President.

 

And it's not just certificated and classified staff who see BLTs and PLTs as fundamental: district administrators along with SEA leaders jointly named re-investing in leadership team training as a priority following our 2015 strike.

 

Last spring, SEA and SPS developed and piloted a new BLT/PLT training for members and their administrators to attend together. One of the primary goals of this training is for SEA and SPS to come together to hold accountable the roles of administrators and educators in accordance to our collective bargaining agreement and to "reset" a shared understanding of the processes and vision that govern BLT work as the governing administrative body of a school/program.

 

After three pilot sessions, we are ready to make the training available to all teams - especially now that we have trained more than a dozen members to help lead the trainings.

 

 

Training dates are set and principals have been sent notices to register.  Remind your administrator to register ASAP. BLT/PLT Training Dates (teams must commit to both days of training):

a.        September 26 & 28

b.        October 24 & 26

c.        November 28 & December 30

d.        January 23 & 25

e.        April 24 & 26

f.        May 29 & 31