Teacher Evaluation

 TEACHER EVALUATION

• Expanded ADEPTis South Carolina’s system for Assisting, Developing and Evaluating Professional Teaching.  Teachers must successfully complete all Expanded ADEPT requirements in order to be eligible to advance to a professional teaching certificate.  The components of Expanded ADEPT assigned to an individual teacher is based upon the teacher’s contract level:
  • Induction contract teachers fall under the guidelines of the New Teacher Institute (NTI).  They are also formatively evaluated using the South Carolina Teaching Standards (SCTS) 4.0 rubric. Additionally, Induction 2 and Induction 3 teachers will have an individualized plan based on their identified growth area(s).
  • Annual/Formal contract teachers are summatively evaluated using the South Carolina Teaching Standards (SCTS) 4.0 rubric.
  • Media, Guidance, and Speech therapist fall under the category of Special Area. They are evaluated using the 2006 ADEPT system.
  • Annual GBE and Continuing contract teachers who have completed formal evaluation write Professional Goals.

 New Teacher Institute

The Idea....

Rock Hill Schools take pride in hiring the very best teachers.  During their first year, teachers have the advantage of participating in a unique induction program with other new teachers and receive the year-long support of a mentor.  In addition, first-year teachers work with Teacher Support Specialists to develop effective teaching skills. The New Teacher Institute (NTI) puts new teachers in touch with people, ideas, and experiences designed to help them achieve success their first year. They share ideas and become more familiar with the resources available to them in the district and the community.

The Goals and Beliefs....

The goals of the Rock Hill Schools’ New Teacher Institute (NTI) promote the district's mission and strategic plan, address the learner standards, and implement state-mandated guidelines for induction programs.

Goals of the New Teacher Institute

• to increase the retention of first-year teachers;
• to improve teacher performance;
• to promote the personal and professional well-being of first-year teachers;
• to transmit the school system’s culture; and
• to integrate the first-year teacher into the community.

These goals are based on the beliefs that staff development should be derived from sound principles of theory and research, that it respects and builds upon the uniqueness of individuals and groups, and that it occurs best in an environment of encouragement, trust, and safety. Through this induction program, the expected outcome will be a first-year teacher who demonstrates an ability to plan, organize, and instruct in the classroom; who actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally; and who fosters relationships with colleagues, parents, and the community to support students’ learning.

The Key Elements....

As stipulated in state guidelines, induction teachers participate in district and school orientations at the beginning of the year that include written and oral explanations of successful completion of New Teacher Institute (NTI) requirements, all relevant district and school policies and resources, and information about the Rock Hill community. Additionally, they are assigned a mentor, who has been trained in Expanded ADEPT and the skills of "mentoring."  This mentor works closely with the induction teacher throughout the year. Induction teachers are given a schedule in August of NTI sessions that they attend throughout the year. By participating in the New Teacher Institute, induction teachers receive the necessary information and preparation about Expanded ADEPT, work closely with a two-member assistance team, regularly attend staff development sessions lead by veteran teachers, and collaborate with other induction teachers, mentors, and district personnel to discuss and learn expectations for being employed as a teacher in Rock Hill Schools.

The Program...

Participants in the New Teacher Institute receive support through monthly sessions. Some session topics may include:

• Classroom management
• Community relationships and resources
• Engaging EL students in the regular classroom
• SLO (Student Learning Objectives)
• Special Education
• Technology initiative and utilization

In addition to academic discussions and meetings, social events are planned so that first-year teachers may get acquainted and network with colleagues.

FAQs concerning New Teacher Institute

Who? All Induction Contract teachers in Rock Hill Schools must participate in NTI.

Why? Educators will be given assistance in becoming the best teacher possible and to meet state ADEPT requirements for induction teachers.

Where? Meetings will be held in the district’s conference rooms and at various schools in the district. 

When? All Induction teachers will meet monthly as specified on the NTI Session Schedule.

How? NTI Sessions will be conducted through sessions with veteran teachers, administrators, Teacher Support Specialists, and/or guest speakers.

Summative Expanded ADEPT Formal Evaluation of Classroom-Based Teachers (SCTS 4.0)

South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0 Rubric serves as the observation instrument for classroom-based teacher evaluations. For the purpose of Expanded ADEPT, the term classroom-based teacher refers to those educators who are responsible for planning, delivering, and assessing instruction to students over time. The term classroom-based teacher does not include special-area personnel (i.e., school counselors, library media specialists, and speech language therapists).

The SCTS 4.0 rubric is based on sets of performance standards designed and validated by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) and establishes the expectations for what teachers are to know, be able to do, and carry out as an integral part of their practice. These expectations, called the SCTS Indicators, are the foundation for good teaching and are designed to grow teachers throughout their career continuum, beginning with teacher preparation and continuing through induction, high-stakes performance evaluations, and ongoing professional growth and development.

A teacher’s proficiency in each of the standards is expected to occur developmentally and to increase continuously throughout the entirety of their teaching career. There are twenty-three SCTS Indicators for classroom-based teachers. These Indicators are grouped into four broad categories, or domains: Planning, Instruction, Professionalism, Environment

Each of these Indicators contains a set of Descriptors—the critical components of the Indicator. Together, the Indicators and Descriptors establish the proficiency expectations for each Domain.

Expanded ADEPT Evaluation for Recertification Classroom-Based Teachers (SCTS 4.0)

All South Carolina classroom-based Continuing contract teachers will undergo a comprehensive evaluation during their year of recertification or every five years. National Board Certified Teachers must receive a comprehensive evaluation at least once every five years.

Formative formal evaluations are designed to provide Continuing contract teachers with comprehensive feedback related to their practice for professional growth and development. These teachers will receive one or more observations with conferences to evaluate and score the SCTS 4.0 Indicators for the Planning, Instruction, Environment, and Professionalism domains.

Professional Goals Based Evaluation Model 

One goal of the Rock Hill Schools’ Strategic Plan is to recruit, prepare, and retain good teachers and to create the conditions under which these teachers can teach well. The purpose of the Professional Goals based model is to utilize a formative teacher evaluation system in which teacher evaluation and professional development are linked to support professional growth, continuous improvement, and enhanced student learning.

The Process

The Professional Goals based model is the ADEPT component designed to be used as an evaluation tool for experienced Annual GBE and Continuing contract teachers who have previously met the requirements on prior evaluations.  Each participating teacher will develop, in writing and in collaboration with a building administrator, Students Learning Objectives (SLO) that include professional goals.  Goals are to be supportive of school district strategic plans and school renewal plans.

Each participating teacher must develop, in writing, an individualized plan for accomplishing his/her goals that are connected with an indicator from the SCTS 4.0 rubric. The Professional Goal should  include: (1) appropriate strategies for goal completion, (2) a system for monitoring progress and a method of generating supportive evidence of goal completion, and (3) a method of demonstrating a measurable impact on classroom performance.  Each of these should be in writing and must be reviewed and approved by the teacher’s building administrator.  A teacher’s Student Learning Objectives (SLO) will focus at least one SCTS 4.0 rubric indicator around professional learning.  

Any Annual GBE teacher with identified areas of weakness may be placed on a Focused Priority Based Goal evaluation by his/her administrator.  This Focused Priority Based Goal will serve as an individualized growth plan for the teacher.

Information obtained from SCDE Expanded ADEPT Guidelines.

For More Information contact one of the Teacher Support Specialists:

Angelia Green (District Office) -  amgreen@rhmail.org

Leigh Grimsley - lgrimsley@rhmail.org

Janet Morris- jmorris@rhmail.org