Leadership Matters - October 2014

table approach called the Adaptive Conditional Measurement Model. In this model the committee must consider three student criteria. They are 1) Special educational placement; 2) English language learners; and 3) low-income populations.  Can the PERA Joint Committee decide what students get included in the student population? The committee will make all decisions related to factors such as student attendance, date of entrance by a student into the class, etc...  How will the committee deal with issues such as year-long classes, semester classes, quarter classes, co-teacher classes, date of summative teacher evaluation due at the district office, tenure teacher deadlines, non-tenure teacher deadlines, Needs Improvement and Unsatisfactory deadlines, etc...? The committee will have to try to think of all possible decisions that have to be made and make rules.  What is the rigor required for an assessment and a learning objective? This will be a very difficult process for the PERA Joint Committee to determine. The Part 50 Rules state that the learning goal shall be based on school-wide or district-wide initiatives that address the content of the learning goal and/or the school improvement plan. Many districts will refer to Bloom's Taxonomy or Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Framework to determine the rigor of the learning goal and assessment. How will the PERA Joint Committee determine the summative teacher rating? The committee will have to decide how to combine the ratings of teacher practice and student growth for a summative teacher evaluation rating. If the committee cannot agree the table in the upper right hand corner of this page is required.  If the two sides cannot agree on a measurement model then the default is the "Adaptive Conditional Measurement Model." This is defined as "a measurement model used to analyze assessment

data to determine student growth that consists of at least a collection of baseline data that is used to determine individual student growth expectations and the recording of student outcomes in comparison to the growth expectations identified."  "Growth Expectation" means the outcome that students are expected to achieve by the end of the instructional period and includes consideration of a starting level of achievement already acquired and determination of an ending goal for the level of achievement to be reached.  "State Performance Evaluation Model" means those components of an evaluation plan that address data and indicators of student growth that a school district is required to use in the event that its joint committee fails to reach agreement pursuant to Section 24A-4(b) of the School Code.  "Student Learning Objectives" consists of a learning goal, assessment and procedures to measure that goal and growth expectation.  "Student Learning Objective (SLO) Process" means a process for organizing evidence of student growth over a defined period of time that addresses learning goals that are measurable and specific to the skills or content being taught and the grade level of the students being assessed, and are used to inform and differentiate instruction to ensure student success.

PERA strand included at IASA Annual Conference A special strand designed to equip superintendents with the information to comply with the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) requirements will be offered at the IASA Annual Conference October 8-10 in Springfield. The topics in the PERA strand include:  PERA – Working with the Joint Committee and Student Growth Component (AAC #1459), 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, October 8;  Make Assessment Matter – What Do Students, Teachers and District Administrators Want from Tests? 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Thursday, October 9;  Student Growth for Teacher Evaluations, 3 p.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, October 9; and  Networking Session for Superintendents of 2015 PERA Implementers, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., Friday, October 10. IASA is also sponsoring a workshop on Friday, November 21 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Triple I Conference. Participants will be able to learn from the journeys of three school districts that have fully implemented PERA in their school districts and one district that has completed its PERA evaluation plan.

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