Documentation for Observations (including Marzano)

Listed below is the latest information from FEA to assist in building a rebuttal for observations using the Marzano I-Observation system.   Please print this email and keep a copy in your files if you should need it. A copy of the OCEA contract can be found on our web page and also on the district's page.

FEA Suggested Checklist and Notes Concerning

Evaluations of Instructional Personnel

 With the passage of SB 736, the Student Success Act, during the 2011 Legislative session, evaluations are now more important than they have ever been for your career.  According to the law, evaluations will now be used to determine your salary, as well as involuntary transfers and reductions in force which were previously determined by factors such as seniority and certification.  Your evaluation is now composed of two portions:  instructional practices andstudent growth. 

• The student growth portion will be based primarily on student test scores and will not be added to your evaluation until the Florida Department of Education delivers student growth data and teacher Value-Added (VAM) scores to the school district in late July. 
• The instructional practices portion will be based primarily on observations of your performance.

 

Please note:  It is important to read your contract/collective bargaining agreement in order to guarantee thatyour rights are protected.

 

This checklist has been developed to assist you with the instructional practices portion and help you monitor the observation process.  Place a check if this aspect is complete or mark NA if it is not applicable.

 

_____    1. Pre-observation conference (optional) – Some district evaluation procedures may include a pre-observation conference.  If you and your evaluator hold a conference prior to the formal observation, you may wish to ask:

• The specific teacher behaviors the evaluator is looking for
• How your evaluator sees or recognizes student engagement
• The types of questions your evaluator recognizes as higher order or critical thinking
• The postings or bulletin board items your evaluator wants to see displayed
• Any other items or activities your evaluator thinks are important

Be sure to take notes during the pre-observation conference and review them before the formal evaluation.

 

____       2.  Formal Observation – The formal observation is required of new hires twice during the school year and once for all other instructional personnel.  Be sure to record the following information as soon as possible after your evaluator conducts the formal observation

 

1. Date of observation                             ___________________________________________
2. Class Period/Subject Area ___________________________________________
3. Number of Students                            ___________________________________________
4. Notice of Observation                         Yes          or            No   When? _____________________
5. Length of Observation                        ___________________________________________
6. Name/Title of Evaluator      ___________________________________________
7. Contract Compliance                           Yes          or            No 

If no, what were therespecific provisions of the contract you believe were not followed?   __________________________________________________________________________________

Recently the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted Rule 6A-5.030 that adds burdensome requirements to district evaluation systems. FEA has challenged the rule and the included onerous mandates.  However, if the challenge is denied and the rule stands, 2012-13 school year observations will emphasize the areas listed below. If circumstances occur in any of these areas while you are being observed, please record relevant information in the space below.  These notes will help you prepare your perspective and avert negative repercussions if your evaluator raises a concern.

 

• Learning Goal with Scales:  The teacher provides students with clearly stated learning goals accompanied by a scale or rubric that describes levels of performance relative to the learning goal.
• Tracking Student Progress: The teacher facilitates the tracking of student progress on learning goals using a formative approach to assessment.
• Established Content Standards: The teacher ensures that lesson and unit plans are aligned with established state content standards identified by the state and the manner in which that content should be sequenced.
• Multi-tiered System of Supports: The teacher provides a learning environment with multiple tiers of support to meet individual needs and affect positive change.
• Tracking Rate of Progress: The teacher's implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) routinely collects, analyzes, and uses on-going progress monitoring data to evaluate student rate of progress aligned with behavioral and grade-level academic standards.
• Clear Goals: The teacher identifies a lesson or part of a lesson as involving important information to which students should pay particular attention.
• Text Complexity: The teacher cognitively challenges students through the use of "complex text" to learn content information and routinely includes close reading, rereading and use of dependent questions to deepen student understanding of text incorporating these two processes: writing in response to text text-based discussions with students
• ESOL Students: The teacher provides instruction to ESOL students on the development of the English language learners' ability to produce and respond to spoken and written English texts, from pronunciation and formation of individual sounds and letters, through word and sentence level, to patterns of text structure utilizing the appropriate ESOL teaching strategies.       

 

___         3.  Post-observation conference – It is very important for you to have the opportunity to meet with your evaluator to discuss the evaluation report prior to signing the document. Please make a check if you met with your evaluator before you were asked to sign your evaluation report.

 

___         4. Evaluation timelines – Please check if your formal observation and evaluation assessment were conducted in compliance with this statute language:

The evaluator must submit the written report to the employee no later than 10 days after the evaluation assessment has taken place.  The evaluator must discuss the written evaluation report of assessment with the employee.  The employee shall have the right to initiate a written response to the evaluation assessment, and the response shall become a permanent attachment to the file.

Evaluators should not wait until the end of the work day prior to the deadline to get signatures on evaluation reports. You should have adequate time to discuss the evaluation and review the report. 

 

_____    5.  Areas Identified as Needs Improvement/Developing or Unsatisfactory – If your evaluator identifies areas in which you need improvement, it will be important to gather related documentation.  Be sure to keep your copy of the Formal Observation/Evaluation report.  You should also keep copies of any of the following documents

• Informal observation reports
• Written feedback following classroom walkthroughs or short classroom visits
• Your notes from any other conferences or meetings with your evaluator related to your performance
• Written warnings, directives or admonitions
• Other communications or measures related to your work or performance, such as email messages, texts, parent feedback or surveys

 

___         6.  Assistance Provided – If the evaluator identifies areas in which you need improvement, the district is required to offer assistance.  Please check the type(s) of assistance offered below.

 

___a. Observe other teachers

___b. Mentor teacher provided at school(s)

___c. Training in area of need (i.e. planning, classroom management, instruction, etc.)

___d. Other__________________________________________________________

                         

___         7. Copy of Evaluation Report – Be sure both parties sign, date and get a copy on the actual date of theevaluation conference. You should sign your evaluation report even if you do not agree with the contents.Never backdate an evaluation. Please place a check if you have your signed copy. 

No matter what rating and score you receive on your Instructional Practices formal observation, be sure to keep your copy of the Formal Observation/Evaluation report. 

 

If you have any questions/concerns about your evaluation, please talk with your building representative or call your local union office.

Latest from FEA

Governor Scott Signs Budget that Shortchanges Florida Students, Teachers and Public Schools

 

It is hard to believe that at a time when Governor Rick Scott and legislative leaders are talking about the importance of quality learning and ensuring our students receive a superior K-20 education, they are playing a monetary shell game with public school funding and our students' future. Where is the true investment and financial commitment by our state leadership to Florida's students and public education?

 

The state budget, passed by the Florida legislature and signed today by Governor Scott, is an insult to every student who attends a public school in this state, their parents, teachers and support professionals who work in our schools.  The proof is in following the money and how state leaders prefer to misuse your hard earned tax dollars.

 

The governor and his legislative followers are touting a $1 billion increase in education funding, but the added dollars won't go far enough to address the real damage done to our schools. It isn't enough to replace the thousands of lost teacher and ESP jobs. It won't restore slashed programs and services, sacrificed to dwindling finances in recent years. It won't even slow the loss of arts, music and athletic programs and growing class sizes. This budget fails to cover the full cost of transportation, school maintenance, repairs or renovations,increases in insurance and health care costs. There likely won't be any left over to pay raises for teachers and ESPs who have seen little or no raise over the past few years.

 

Rick Scott and legislative leaders will bombard the media with happy talk about their commitment to public education. But they haven't even begun to start cleaning up the mess they made following last year's funding cuts. At a time when the governor and lawmakers doled out more tax giveaways for corporations, more money for unaccountable voucher schools and more support and freedom for for-profit charter schools, Florida's public schools are given a budget far from adequate and far from a true investment and commitment to public education and our children's future.

 

Scott and legislative leaders haven't spent one extra dime to pay for higher academic standards or all the new tests mandated by the legislature last year. Even worse, since the Legislature passed this budget, school administrators throughout the state have warned they're considering additional layoffs. Many have gone as far to say we will experience deeper cuts next year.

 

And what happened to our commitment to higher education. Our universities are taking a $300 million budget hit. This only translates into higher tuition which families already struggle to pay. Florida legislators say they want a premier higher-education system whose graduates command high-paying jobs that will boost the state's economy, but their actions are hypocritical. What they really want is education on the cheap.

 

This budget helps cover the loss of emergency federal funding, the loss of property taxes because of lower property values and the expected increase of students during the next school year. The state claims money is scare, but legislative leaders were able to find the money to fund all sorts of tax breaks for their business pals and expand charter schools and voucher programs.

 

Let Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature know how you feel about our state budget and how it shortchanges our students, teachers and their schools.

Latest on 3% lawsuit

Moments ago, the District Court of Appeal found that our pension case was one of great public importance requiring immediate resolution by the Supreme Court of Florida. Today's ruling rejected the state's opposition to the case being certified to the high court. FEA will be sending the below press release momentarily to statewide press.

...
Have a great weekend!

Pension case headed directly to Florida Supreme Court

TALLAHASSEE -- In another setback to Gov. Rick Scott and the other defendants, and another victory for Florida's public workers, the First District Court of Appeal has granted the Florida Education Association's request that last week's pension decision be certified directly to the Florida Supreme Court for final determination.

"We're pleased that this case will move more quickly toward its final resolution," said FEA President Andy Ford. "This could help hundreds of thousands of middle-class Florida families who have seen their incomes tumble while the governor and legislative leaders handed out tax giveaways to corporations."

Last week's ruling found the 3 percent tax on public workers' salaries was unconstitutional and Leon Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford directed that the money that was wrongfully withheld from salaries be returned to workers with interest.

Scott and the other defendants immediately appealed Fulford's ruling to the intermediate court. In today's ruling, the District Court of Appeal found that the case was one of great public importance requiring immediate resolution by the Supreme Court of Florida.

Today's ruling rejected the state's opposition to the case being certified to the high court.

Parent Trigger Bill Dead

Remember a few short years ago when Jeb was still governor and was caught on an open microphone saying he had devious plans for destroying the Class Size Amendment?!?  Well, even though he is not the elected governor, he is still up to his dastardly deviousness. Please read the following from the Miami Herald. 3/9/12
dan grell
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Tense fight over 'parent trigger' bill ends in defeat for supporters
 
The Florida Senate defeated a hot-button proposal that would have allowed parents to demand changes at low-performing schools, including having them converted into charter schools.

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By Kathleen McGrory Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE -- The well-financed, politically savvy backers of the parent trigger bill thought it would be a sure thing.

Opponents knew it would be a dogfight.

In the end, it came down to a dramatic, last-minute vote in the sharply divided Florida Senate.

A coalition of Democrats and Republicans late Friday afternoon mustered the 20 votes needed to defeat the bill, which would have enabled parents to demand sweeping changes at low-performing schools. Among the options: having the school converted to an independently run charter school.

"This bill would have dismantled and defunded our public education system," said Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston, who fought against the proposal. "It would have allowed private, for-profit [charter school] management companies to take advantage of our public assets."

Supporters insisted it was never about privatizing schools, but rather empowering parents.

"It is a sad day for Florida's parents and students when 20 Senate members vote against giving parents the tools they need to improve their child's persistently failing school," said Patricia Levesque, executive director of former Gov. Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future.

From the start of the 60-day session, the parent trigger was among the most hotly debated bills.

Its earliest opponents: a coalition of parent groups that included the Florida Parent Teacher Association. Almost immediately after the bill was filed, the coalition distributed a stinging press release, claiming the proposal really sought to line the pockets of for-profit school management companies, which would have access to new contracts.

"This was never really about parents," said Mindy Gould, legislative chair of the Florida PTA.

The parents stayed involved, testifying at committee meetings and participating in press conferences.

But supporters, including Bush's foundation and a California nonprofit called Parent Revolution, responded with an aggressive media campaign of their own. They invited parents from California, where similar legislation passed last year, to speak about how the legislation had transformed their schools and communities. Some delivered tearful testimonials.

The pace picked up in the final days of session.

Gov. Rick Scott and national education reformer Michelle Rhee (Fired D.C. Schools Chancellor) made phone calls in support of the bill. Teachers' unions urged their members to stand up in opposition.

The maneuvering in the Florida Capitol was just as intense.

The bill passed along party lines in the House. But in the more moderate Senate — which had fractured after an attempt to oust future leadership — the parent trigger proposal became a political lightning rod.

Last week, a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans blocked an attempt to fast-track the bill to the Senate floor. Later, a bipartisan group prevented the bill from being added to the calendar.

But with the clock winding down on the legislative session, Rules Chairman John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, secured a last-minute hearing for the parent trigger proposal.

The issue came up for a debate and vote on Friday afternoon — the very last day of the legislative session.

Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, argued that the legislation could be "truly transformational" in Florida's chronically failing public schools. Its sponsor, Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, pointed out that state and federal law already prescribes reform measures for struggling schools — and that conversion to a charter school is one of them.

But Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, said she had received thousands of letters and phone calls urging her to oppose the bill. Lynn slammed the California group pushing the proposal, saying its members were oblivious to the education reform already talking place in Florida.

Ultimately, the 12 Senate Democrats and eight maverick Republicans banded together to defeat the bill.

The vote represented a stinging loss for Senate leadership — and for Bush's education agenda.

Parent activist Colleen Wood called it a win for moms and dads.

"This shows that the love Florida parents have for their children is stronger than any amount of money that can be put into a lobbying campaign," she said.


Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/09/2685824_tense-fight-over-parent-trigger.html#storylink=addthis#storylink=cpy

Sine Die and the Last Minute Shenanigans

 

Please do not forward this e-mail using your school computer or any school owned equipment. Even though this information has been sent to your work email address, it is important to not spend work time reading or responding to this message. You can forward your personal email to FEA <http://feaweb.org/contact>  by clicking this link.

Sine Die and Watching the Last Minute Shenanigans During the Final Hours of Session   The 2012 Legislative Session has concluded. It has been a tense 24 hours as FEA lobbyists have kept a close watch on the bills flying across the floor from one chamber to the other and certified for Governor Scott. This is the period when a lot of legislative shenanigans are played out. We saw this last night with the "Parent Trigger" or so-called Parent Empowerment bill. It failed in the Senate with a 20-20 tie vote, but that didn't stop efforts to push it through.    Apparently prior to the vote, former Governor Jeb Bush was on the phone with senators trying to shore up votes. After the measure failed, according to published reports, Bush targeted one legislator, Senator Hays, to get him to reconsider his vote. Come on-REALLY- changing the tally after votes have been taken and recorded.  Bush and his Foundation for Florida's Future have been behind many of the recent policy shifts and education reforms.   Please take a moment out of your busy schedule to thank the senators who voted in support of students, teachers and public schools. Click here to see the senate voting record on the failed Trigger Bill.   There is still a lot of work left to be done. During the coming weeks, the FEA staff will scrutinize the bills sent to Governor Scott to sign into law or veto. Governor Scott also has the option to not take action on the measures sent to him. If he does nothing, those bills will automatically become law after March 23rd.   Along with defeating trigger, we were able to stop prison privatization and the PEN protection bill. Thank you for your help and calls to your legislators. Your voices were heard, and it made the difference.   Redistricting   It is not over yet! Lawmakers will head back to the Capitol in the coming weeks to complete its work on redistricting. The Florida Supreme Court has approved the House redistricting maps, but found the districts drawn by the Senate unconstitutional. Week 9 Frontline Video Update Working the budget around the clock during the final days of session; a historic decision rules in favor of the FEA and your pension; and parents against parent empowerment  are some of the headlines topping the final week of the 20-12 Legislative session. President Ford has the final update for the Frontline Video Report.   If you are having trouble viewing this video, please copy this link and paste into your browser: http://associationstudios.com/Publisher/Preview_Video.aspx?VideoId=3291         Here's an update on a few other bills heading to the Governor's desk: Budget: the House and Senate finalized a $70 million dollar spending plan that eliminates thousands of jobs, shortchanges public education and includes hundreds of millions of dollars in exemptions.  Click here to view FEA President Ford's response to the final numbers. Corporate Tax Scholarships or Vouchers: if signed into law by the Governor, the bill would expand unaccountable vouchers by increasing the tax credit cap to $229 million. Nearly 39,000 students receive voucher scholarships. The Senate vote was 32-8. Virtual Learning: an expansion of virtual learning passed the senate 36-3. The bill removes a requirement for students to spend a year in public school before enrolling in online classes. The Florida Virtual School would be allowed to offer online classes to kindergarten through third graders.   During the coming weeks, FEA will analyze the outcome of the 2012 session. Watch for the FEA End of Session Report and more video updates. Don't forget to participate in the membership meeting coming to your local. Make sure to share the FEA Frontline Video Report with your friends and colleagues. Again, thank you for your support.

Florida Education Association 213 South Adams Street Tallahassee, FL 32301 www.FEAweb.org Stay United With the FEA: http://fightforflorida.com

 

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Fwd: Senate Redistricting plan rejected by courts!

Senate redistricting plan rejected by court; House proposal OK'd

by John Kennedy | March 9th, 2012

The Florida Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional the Legislature's plan for redrawing the Senate — a decision that will bring lawmakers back into a special session later this month.

Justices upheld the House maps. But the Senate plan was ruled lacking in the way senators drew minority districts and relied on "communities of interest," in its determination of compactness, required under the constitutional amendments 5 and 6.

"We recognize that the Senate did not have the benefit of our opinion when drawing its plan. However, it is clear from a facial review of the Senate plan that the pick and choose method for existing boundaries was not balanced," justices wrote in their unanimous decision.

The ruling is here:

http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/sc12-1.pdf

Judge Rules in Favor of FEA Pension Lawsuit

Please do not forward this e-mail using your school computer or any school owned equipment. Even though this information has been sent to your work email address, it is important to not spend work time reading or responding to this message. You can forward your personal email to FEA <http://feaweb.org/contact>  by clicking this link.

We are happy to announce that today (March 6, 2012) in Tallahassee, Circuit Court Judge Jackie Fulford ruled in favor of the Florida Education Association (FEA) in its lawsuit on public employees' mandatory pension "contribution" and reminded Governor Rick Scott and the extremists in charge of the Legislature that a promise is a promise.  Last year, FEA filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the 3 percent tax on teachers, school employees and other workers imposed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Scott. The judge's ruling confirms that the Florida Constitution requires the state to live up to its promises, including those made to the public workers by the state itself.  Florida law has provided for nearly four decades that pension rights are contractual rights that may not be ignored or abridged. If the Legislature wants to make changes to the pension system, it must do so for employees who come to work after the change in the law. Employees should not dedicate their livelihoods to public service with a contractual expectation of retirement benefits only to have that expectation wrongly taken from them. We are pleased by today's decision. It once again will stop the Florida Legislature from overstepping its authority by ignoring the state's constitution. We urge the governor and leaders in the Legislature to embrace this decision and abide by the judge's ruling. If they decide to prolong this case with an appeal, FEA is prepared to continue fighting for the rights of middle-class families who make our state a better place. Last year, legislators made the choice to balance the budget on the backs of teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses and other public service workers so they could give corporations yet another round of tax giveaways. Now the governor and legislative leaders need to "get to work" and address the budget shortfall the right way: by closing tax loopholes and repealing some of the multibillion dollar tax giveaways for corporations and billionaires that they have passed over the last decade.  We took this action because we believe that we have to do what is right for the public employees, taxpayers and the rule of law of this state. It is of the utmost importance to us that we protect the constitutional rights of our members. That is what we fight for every day: to protect our members' rights. However, this goes even further. Florida's political leaders cannot be allowed to continue to disrespect working people and their families – and those that teach our children, keep our streets safe and risk their lives for us every day. We have to be examples for our children to fight for the rule of law. Teachers and other school employees have taken smaller salary increases – or no salary increases – over the years to protect their retirement benefits. Retirement plans are every bit as much a part of their compensation package as salaries. Just because CEOs of big corporations have broken promises to their employees – and enriched themselves beyond imagination in the process – does not mean that our state government should do the same. We believe that a promise is a promise and the state of Florida should abide by the promises it makes. Today's ruling is at the circuit court level. Appellate courts, including the Florida Supreme Court, will probably make the ultimate decision. Any final ruling may be months away. The state has known for months that if the courts order the return of the money to employees it will have to comply with that order and it should be planning ways to do so. In the meantime, the FRS can continue its effective operations while this lawsuit works its way through the courts. The state assured the court it would be able to return the money. We are confident that at the end of this legal battle, the money will be returned. Fighting for the rights of working families is always the right decision.  Public employees were being forced to pay an income tax – whether they could afford it or not. This income tax on our teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses and others who provide vital public services that help everyone in the state, comes after years with little or no raises. You are faithfully performing your duties and helping all Floridians despite the fact that you often struggle to make ends meet.   In the end, we knew we had to take up this fight. The battle is not over today, but we have every confidence that this lawsuit will prevail in the end. Thank you for your support, Andy Ford FEA President

Florida Education Association 213 South Adams Street Tallahassee, FL 32301 www.FEAweb.org Stay United With the FEA: http://fightforflorida.com

 

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