DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of the Secretary

PROPOSED

107 Specialist Appraisal Process Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II)

Education Impact Analysis Pursuant To 14 Del.C. Section 122(d)

A. Type of Regulatory Action Required

Amendment to Existing Regulation

B. Synopsis of Subject Matter of the Regulation

The Secretary of Education seeks the consent of the State Board of Education to amend 14 DE Admin. Code 107 Specialist Appraisal Process Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II). The amendments include an effective date and a cross reference to a new proposed regulation designed to replace this regulation with the 2011-2012 school year. Other technical amendments have been made.

Persons wishing to present their views regarding this matter may do so in writing by the close of business on or before April 5, 2010 to Susan Haberstroh, Education Associate, Regulation Review, Department of Education, at 401 Federal Street, Suite 2, Dover, Delaware 19901. A copy of this regulation is available from the above address or may be viewed at the Department of Education business office.

C. Impact Criteria

1. Will the amended regulation help improve student achievement as measured against state achievement standards? The amendments are intended to continue to help improve student achievement as measured against state achievement standards.

2. Will the amended regulation help ensure that all students receive an equitable education? The amendments to the regulation are intended to help ensure that all students receive an equitable education.

3. Will the amended regulation help to ensure that all students’ health and safety are adequately protected? The amendments to the regulation do not specifically address the health and safety of students.

4. Will the amended regulation help to ensure that all students’ legal rights are respected? The amendments to the regulation are intended to ensure all students’ legal rights continue to be respected.

5. Will the amended regulation preserve the necessary authority and flexibility of decision making at the local board and school level? The amendments to the regulation preserve the necessary authority and flexibility of decision making at the local board and school level.

6. Will the amended regulation place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon decision makers at the local board and school levels? The amendments to the regulation do not place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon decision makers at the local board and school levels.

7. Will the decision making authority and accountability for addressing the subject to be regulated be placed in the same entity? The decision making authority and accountability for specialist evaluation does not change through the amendments.

8. Will the amended regulation be consistent with and not an impediment to the implementation of other state educational policies, in particular to state educational policies addressing achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts and social studies? The amended regulation is consistent with other state educational policies, in particular the educational policies related to achievement in the core academic subjects.

9. Is there a less burdensome method for addressing the purpose of the regulation? There is not a less burdensome method for addressing the purpose of the regulation at this time.

10. What is the cost to the State and to the local school boards of compliance with the regulation? The amendments do not substantively change the process so no anticipated costs are expected.

107 Specialist Appraisal Process Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II)

1.0 The Specialist Appraisal Process, Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II), shall be effective for the following school districts and charter schools beginning with the 2007-08 school year:

Appoquinimink

Caesar Rodney

Colonial

Lake Forest

Laurel

Sussex Technical

MOT Charter

Providence Creek Academy Charter

Sussex Academy of the Arts and Sciences

The Specialist Appraisal Process, Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II), shall be effective for all public school districts and charter schools beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.

1.1 Specialist shall mean a staff person who delivers professional services to students, teachers, staff or families, licensed or certified by the Department of Education or a professional board regulated by the Division of Professional Regulation. Specialists include, but are not limited to, guidance counselors, instructional support specialists, library media specialists, school psychologists, speech pathologists, school nurses, student support specialists, and therapeutic services specialists.

The following definitions shall apply for purposes of this regulation:

“Announced Observation” shall consist of the Pre-observation Form and conference with the evaluator, an observation by the evaluator at an agreed upon date and time, using the associated formative conferences and reports. The observation for the specialist may be a collection of data over a specified period of time, up to four (4) weeks, or it may be an observation of sufficient length, at least thirty (30) minutes, to gather appropriate data and assess specialist performance.

“Board” shall mean a local board of education or a charter school board of directors.

“Credentialed Evaluator” shall mean the individual, usually the supervisor of the specialist, who has successfully completed the evaluation training in accordance with 10.0. The Credentialed Evaluator may also be referred to as “Evaluator”.

“DASA” shall mean the Delaware Association of School Administrators.

“DPAS II Guide for Specialists” shall mean the manual that contains the prescribed forms, detailed procedures, specific details about the five (5) components of evaluation and other relevant documents that are used to implement the appraisal system.

“DSEA” shall mean the Delaware State Education Association.

“Experienced Specialist” shall mean a specialist who holds a valid and current Continuing or Advanced License, issued pursuant to Chapter 12 of Title 14 of the Delaware Code; or Standard or Professional Status Certificate issued prior to August 1, 2003 or holds a valid and current license from his or her respective licensure body.

“Improvement Plan” shall be the plan that a specialist and evaluator mutually develop in accordance with 8.0.

“Novice Specialist” shall mean a specialist who holds a valid and current Initial License issued pursuant to Chapter 12 of Title 14 of the Delaware Code; or holds a valid and current license from his or her respective licensure body.

“Satisfactory Component Rating” shall mean the specialist’s performance demonstrates an understanding of the concepts of the component issued pursuant to Chapter 12 of Title 14 of the Delaware Code.

“Satisfactory Evaluation” shall be equivalent to the overall “Effective” or “Needs Improvement” rating on the Summative Evaluation and shall be used to qualify for a continuing license.

“State Assessment” shall mean the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) or its successor.

“Summative Evaluation” shall be the final evaluation at the conclusion of the appraisal cycle.

“Unannounced Observation” shall consist of an observation by the evaluator at a date and time that has not been previously arranged using the associated formative conferences and reports. The observation shall be of sufficient length, at least thirty (30) minutes, to gather appropriate data and assess specialist performance.

“Unsatisfactory Component Rating” shall mean the specialist’s performance does not demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of the component.

“Unsatisfactory Evaluation” shall be the equivalent to the overall “Ineffective” rating on the Summative Evaluation.

“Working Day” shall mean a day when the employee would normally be working in that district or charter school.

3.1 Experienced specialists who have earned a rating of “Effective” on his or her most recent Summative Evaluation shall receive a minimum of one (1) Announced Observation each year with a Summative Evaluation at least once every two (2) years.

3.2 Experienced specialists who have earned a rating of “Needs Improvement” or “Ineffective” on their most recent Summative Evaluation shall receive a minimum of one (1) Announced Observation and one (1) Unannounced Observation with a Summative Evaluation at the end of the one year period. These specialists shall have an Improvement Plan which may require additional observations and other types of monitoring as outlined in the DPAS II Guide for Specialists.

3.3 Novice specialists shall receive a minimum of one (1) Announced Observation and one (1) Unannounced Observation with a Summative Evaluation at the end of the one year period. Novice specialists who have earned a rating of “Needs Improvement” or “Ineffective” on their most recent Summative Evaluation shall have an Improvement Plan which may require additional observations or other types of monitoring as outlined in the DPAS II Guide for Specialists.

4.1 All districts and charter schools shall use the manual entitled DPAS II Guide for Specialists as developed and as may be amended by the Department of Education in collaboration with DASA and DSEA to implement the appraisal system.

4.2 The manual shall contain, at a minimum, the following:

4.2.1 Specific details about each of the five (5) components listed in 5.1.

4.2.2 All forms or documents needed to complete the requirements of the appraisal process.

4.2.3 Specific procedures to implement the appraisal system.

5.1 The following five (5) Appraisal cComponents, including the four (4) Appraisal Criteria specified for each, shall be the basis upon which the performance of a specialist shall be evaluated by a credentialed evaluator:

5.1.1 Planning and Preparation

5.1.1.1 Designing Coherent Programs or Services: Specialist designs activities and plans for services that support the needs of the students or clients served.

5.1.1.2 Demonstrating Knowledge of Best Practice and Models of Delivery: Specialist uses practices and models of delivery that are aligned with local and national standards.

5.1.1.3 Demonstrating Knowledge of Students or Clients: Specialist shows knowledge of the needs and characteristics of the students or clients, including their approaches to learning, knowledge, skills, and interests.

5.1.1.4 Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources: Specialist selects appropriate resources, either within or outside of the school, that support the needs of students or clients.

5.1.2 Professional Practice and Delivery of Services

5.1.2.1 Creating an Environment to Support Student or Client Needs: Specialist creates an environment in which student or client needs are identified and valued. Specialist and student or client interactions show rapport that is grounded in mutual respect.

5.1.2.2 Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness: Specialist has a repertoire of instructional or professional strategies and makes modifications to services based on needs of the students or clients.

5.1.2.3 Communicating Clearly and Accurately: Verbal and written communication is clear and appropriate to students’ or clients’ ages, backgrounds, needs, or levels of understanding.

5.1.2.4 Delivering Services to Students or Clients: Specialist is responsive to the identified needs of the students or clients and meets standards of professional practice. The resources and materials are suitable and match the needs of the students or clients. The delivery of service is coherent.

5.1.3 Professional Collaboration and Consultation

5.1.3.1 Collaborating with Others: Specialist develops partnerships with school or district staff or external agencies to provide integrated services that meet student or client needs.

5.1.3.2 Serving as a Consultant to the School Community: Specialist shares expertise with school staff to assist them in their work or to respond to school wide issues, problems, or concerns.

5.1.3.3 Providing Resources and Access: Specialist provides school, district or external based resources to appropriate staff, students, or clients or gives information about the effective use of the resources.

5.1.3.4 Maintaining Standards of Professional Practice: Specialist adheres to his or her professional standards of practice, including issues surrounding confidentiality.

5.1.4 Professional Responsibilities

5.1.4.1 Communicating with Families: Specialist shares information about district or school educational programs and expectations for student or client performance. Specialist develops a mechanism for two way communication with families about student or client progress, behavior, personal needs, or concerns.

5.1.4.2 Developing a Record System: Specialist keeps student or client records relevant to their services and shares information with appropriate school personnel.

5.1.4.3 Growing and Developing Professionally: Specialist chooses and participates in professional development that is aligned with his or her professional needs and aligned with the needs of the school, district or students.

5.1.4.4 Reflecting on Professional Practice: Specialist engages in reflective thinking as an individual, as a team participant, or as a school and community member with the goal of improving professional practice and delivery of service.

5.1.5 Student Improvement

5.1.5.1 Showing Student Improvement: Specialist uses school or district goals from the school or district improvement process to set his or her annual data driven goal(s) for student improvement. Data used to establish goals shall include school or district accountability data, State Assessment data where available, and other assessment data where available.

5.1.5.2 Using Assessments to Promote Student or Client Improvement: Specialist uses assessments related to his of her field of expertise that accurately measure progress towards the student improvement goal(s).

5.1.5.3 Measuring Student Improvement: Specialist has specific, measurable evidence to show progress towards or attainment of goal(s) for student improvement.

5.1.5.4 Reflecting on Student Improvement: Specialist reflects on goal setting process and outcomes for the purpose of continuous professional improvement and shares student improvement information with other staff as appropriate.

6.1 Each of the five (5) components pursuant to 5.0 shall be weighted equally and assigned a rating of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory on the Summative Evaluation.

6.1.1 A satisfactory rating for each Appraisal cComponents shall mean the specialist demonstrates acceptable performance by meeting at least three (3) of the four (4) Appraisal Criteria specified in each of the five (5) components set forth in 5.1.

6.2 The Summative Evaluation shall also include one of three overall ratings: “Effective”, “Needs Improvement” or “Ineffective”.

6.2.1 “Effective” shall mean that the specialist has received Satisfactory Component ratings in at least four (4) out of five (5) components in accordance with the Appraisal Criteria in 5.0.

6.2.2 “Needs Improvement” shall mean that the specialist has received three (3) Satisfactory Component ratings out of the five (5) components in accordance with the Appraisal Criteria in 5.0.

6.2.3 “Ineffective” shall mean that the specialist has received two (2) or fewer Satisfactory Component ratings out of the five (5) components in accordance with the Appraisal Criteria in 5.0.

6.2.3.1 If a specialist’s overall Summative Evaluation rating is determined to be “Needs Improvement” for the third consecutive year, the rating shall be re-categorized as “Ineffective”.

A pattern of ineffective practice shall be based on the most recent Summative Evaluation ratings of a specialist using the DPAS II process. Two consecutive ratings of “Ineffective” shall be deemed as a pattern of ineffective practice. The following chart shows the consecutive Summative Evaluation ratings that shall be determined to be a pattern of ineffective practice:

8.1 An Improvement Plan shall be developed for a specialist who receives an overall rating of “Needs Improvement” or “Ineffective” on the Summative Evaluation or a rating of Unsatisfactory on any component in 5.0 on the Summative Evaluation regardless of the overall rating.

8.1.1 An Improvement Plan shall also be developed if a specialist’s overall performance during an observation is unsatisfactory. This unsatisfactory performance shall be noted by the evaluator on the Formative Feedback form by noting “PERFORMANCE IS UNSATISFACTORY” and initialing the statement.

8.2 The Improvement Plan shall contain the following:

8.2.1 Identification of the specific deficiencies and recommended area(s) for growth;

8.2.2 Measurable goals for improving the deficiencies to satisfactory levels;

8.2.3 Specific professional development or activities to accomplish the goals;

8.2.4 Specific resources necessary to implement the plan, including but not limited to, opportunities for the specialist to work with curriculum specialist(s), subject area specialist(s), instructional specialist(s) or others with relevant expertise;

8.2.5 Procedures and evidence that must be collected to determine that the goals of the plan were met;

8.2.6 Timeline for the plan, including intermediate check points to determine progress;

8.2.7 Procedures for determining satisfactory improvement.

8.3 The Improvement Plan shall be developed cooperatively by the specialist and evaluator. If the plan cannot be cooperatively developed, the evaluator shall have the authority and responsibility to determine the plan as specified in 8.2 above.

8.4 The specialist shall be held accountable for the implementation and completion of the Improvement Plan.

8.5 Upon completion of the Improvement Plan, the specialist and evaluator shall sign the documentation that determines the satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance of the plan.

9.1 A specialist may challenge any rating on the Summative Evaluation, either a Component Rating or the Overall Rating, or a specialist may challenge the conclusions of an observation if the statement “PERFORMANCE IS UNSATISFACTORY” has been included on the Formative Feedback form. To initiate a challenge, a specialist shall submit additional information specific to the point of disagreement in writing within fifteen (15) working days of the date of the specialist’s receipt of the Summative Evaluation. Such written response shall become part of the appraisal record and shall be attached to the Summative Evaluation. All challenges together with the record shall be forwarded to the supervisor of the evaluator unless the supervisor of the evaluator is also in the same building as the specialist. In this situation, the challenge together with the record shall be forwarded to a designated district or charter school level credentialed evaluator.

9.1.1 Within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the written challenge, the supervisor of the evaluator or the designated district or charter school level credentialed evaluator shall review the record which consists of all documents used in the appraisal process and the written challenge, and issue a written decision.

9.1.2 If the challenge is denied, the decision shall state the reasons for denial.

9.1.3 The decision of the supervisor of the evaluator or the designated district or charter school level credentialed evaluator shall be final.

10.1 Evaluators shall have completed the DPAS II training as developed by the Department of Education. Evaluators shall receive a certificate of completion which is valid for five (5) years and is renewable upon completion of professional development focused on DPAS II as specified by the Department of Education.

10.2 The training for the certificate of completion shall include techniques for observation and conferencing, content and relationships of frameworks for practice and a thorough review of the DPAS II Guide for Specialists. Activities in which participants practice implementation of DPAS II procedures shall be included in the training.

10.3 The credentialing process shall be conducted by the Department of Education.

11.1 The Department of Education shall conduct an annual evaluation of the teacher appraisal process. The evaluation shall, at a minimum, include a survey of teachers and evaluators and interviews with a sampling of teachers and evaluators. Data from the evaluation and proposed changes to the DPAS II Guide for Teachers shall be presented to the State Board of Education for review on an annual basis.

12.1 This regulation shall be in effect until the effective date of 14 DE Admin. Code 107A Specialist Appraisal Process Delaware Performance Appraisal System (DPAS II) Revised.