Leading E.D.G.E. Assisting Schools with APPR Process

Leading E.D.G.E. is helping schools navigate the APPR process and assist teachers in understanding what "Highly Effective" and "Distinguished" practice looks like. We have worked primarily with the Danielson and NYSUT rubrics but are familiar with the others as well. Below is a generic proposal that we have been using to describe what our assistance might look like. Contact us if you would like to explore how we might assist you. 

Background: Schools in New York State have been challenged to implement an Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) system that will effectively assess and improve the quality of instruction in classrooms. The two most common frameworks that districts are using to assess teacher performance are either the Danielson Rubric or the NYSUT Rubric.   Leading E.D.G.E. has been working in cooperation with the Institute for Learning Centered Education to help school districts improve and align teacher practice with both of these rubrics.

This sample proposal outlines our plan to provide teachers with a sequence of staff development experiences over a number of sessions that will enable and support school district efforts to move members of its teaching staff to ratings of Highly Effective or Distinguished on the corresponding rubrics.

Desired Outcomes of this Staff Development: At the completion of these teacher staff development experiences, participants will be able to:

• Describe the general characteristics of the APPR process.
  
• Describe in detail the essential characteristics of distinguished teaching as stipulated in Domain # 2 and Domain #3 of the Danielson Rubric and Standards I, III, IV of the NYSUT Rubric
  
• Demonstrate a capacity to implement specific classroom strategies and techniques that will enable them to achieve APPR ratings of Proficient (3) – Distinguished (4) in the Danielson rating system or Effective – Highly Effective in the NYSUT Rubric.
  
• Develop (with the assistance of Leading EDGE) a Classroom Observation & Feedback Tool that can be used to inform the insights of classroom observers and/or guide practitioner self-reflection toward productive ends  
  
• Accept peer feedback and/or engage in productive self-assessment that brings about personal professional growth in relation to the Danielson or NYSUT Rubric
  
• Feel comfortable & empowered to be successful within the APPR process
  
•  Recognize clear connections between the effective teaching techniques modeled in the workshops and those described in the Danielson or NYSUT rubrics. 
  

Steps in our Teacher Staff Development Process:

• Leading E.D.G.E. staff meets with administration and selected teacher representatives to conduct a needs assessment and tailor the design of the teacher staff development workshops/experiences accordingly
  
• Leading E.D.G.E.  facilitators conduct a full day workshop with teachers focusing on Domain #2 – Danielson or Standards I, III, & IV of the NYSUT Rubric.
  
•  Leading E.D.G.E. facilitators use the product of the first workshop to refine and share their refinement with the teacher participants regarding a Classroom Observation & Feedback Tool that will enable teachers to reflect on their classroom practice in relation to Danielson’s Domain #2 or NYSUT’s Standards III & IV.
  
•  Leading E.D.G.E. facilitators conduct a workshop designed to guide teaching staff in the appropriate application of their Classroom Observation & Feedback Tool.
  
•  Leading E.D.G.E. facilitators meet again with school representatives to identify those specific elements of Danielson’s Domain #3 or NYSUT’s Standard I. that they want addressed. In response to these conversations, our staff proposes specific workshops designed to meet these requests
  
• Leading E.D.G.E.  facilitators help the teacher-participants to develop a Classroom Observation & Feedback Tool that will enable staff to observe and reflect on their classroom practice regarding Danielson’s Domain #3 or NYSUT’s standard I.
  
• Leading E.D.G.E.  facilitators use the product of the second workshop to refine and share their refinement with the teacher participants regarding the Classroom Observation & Feedback Tool that will enable them to reflect on their classroom practice in relation to Danielson’s Domain #3 or NYSUT’s standard I.
  
• Leading E.D.G.E.  facilitators conduct a workshop designed to guide teaching staff in the appropriate application of the Classroom Observation & Feedback Tool.