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History of TD&E
Saint Paul Public Schools and the Saint Paul Federation of Educators collaborated to create a local TD&E plan that promotes educator development and student learning while meeting the requirements of Minnesota Statute 122A.41.
All decisions regarding TD&E are governed by the SPPS TD&E Oversight Committee.
The Purpose of TD&E
The purpose of Teacher Development and Evaluation (TD&E) is for educators to set professional goals, collaborate to refine professional practices, and reflect upon their work to ensure a positive impact on student learning. Tenured educators participate in a 3-year evaluation cycle with multiple opportunities for feedback, reflection and professional development.
All licensed educators in the SPFE bargaining contract participate in TD&E
TD&E Components
Educators participate in the collection of professional growth activities listed below:
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- Individual Growth and Development Plan (IGDP)
- Student Achievement
- Student Engagement
- Peer Collaboration (after probationary period)
- Educator Practice
- Summative Evaluation
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The Individualized Growth and Development Plan (IGDP) provides an opportunity for educators to choose an area of growth to strengthen their professional practice in order to impact student achievement.
Educators utilize an evaluation tool that matches their job type to determine goals at the beginning of each school year. Then they reflect on their progress toward that goal two times throughout the school year. Goals and reflections are recorded on the Perform side of PowerSchool and are shared with the school/department administrative team for ongoing review and communication.
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Saint Paul Federation of Teachers and Saint Paul Public Schools believes in ongoing reflective practice to positively impact student achievement. Our TD&E model uses student achievement measured through assessments analyzed in our professional learning communities (PLCs).
“A Professional Learning Community is educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.” —Adapted from Learning by Doing by Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, & Many (2010)
Educators reflect two times each school year regarding student achievement and their work in PLCs. Reflections are shared with the school/department administrative team for ongoing communication and review.
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The student engagement component of TD&E involves a survey given to learners, discussions with PLC members around results, and reflections completed by the educator. Reflections are shared with the school/department administrative team for ongoing communication and review. Engagement is also evaluated during the performance review conducted by administration through the Standards of Effective Teaching (SET) or applicable evaluation tool.
The five areas measured by the Student Engagement Survey are Active, Safe, Respected, Challenged, and Supported.
Learners who are engaged are:
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active and have the opportunity and show willingness, need, and desire to be involved in their learning.
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safe and comfortable taking risks and do not feel threatened.
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respected and valued as individuals.
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challenged and feel adults and peers have high academic and behavioral expectations for themselves and each other.
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supported and pursue and receive equitable assistance.
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Peer Collaboration provides an opportunity for an educator to connect with a trusted colleague and have a deep conversation regarding data that was collected in the educational setting.The purpose of Peer Collaboration is to facilitate professional reflection and growth of a targeted instructional area selected by the educator. Peer Collaboration is not an evaluation of a peer, but instead provides a supportive environment where educational practices can be reviewed. The process is growth focused.The ultimate goal through this process is for the educator to develop next steps for their professional growth so that all learners receive a premier education. The Peer Collaboration experience will occur once during each three-year summative review cycle for tenured staff.
Peer Collaboration consists of four parts:
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Pre-conference
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Observation with targeted data collection
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Post-conference
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Reflection completed by the educator
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Educator Practices impact student outcomes and are defined by standard feedback/evaluation tools. Performance evaluations, such as the Standards of Effective Teaching (SET), are used in SPPS to provide feedback about an educator’s practice. Evaluations are summative and not based on a single classroom/job observation, but instead on multiple instructional and professional experiences.
Working in the field of education is a complex career. Feedback/evaluation tools are multi-faceted to encompass the depth of practices that contribute to the important task of educating children. These tools are not only used in the time of evaluation but are an important document in goal setting, coaching, feedback, and professional growth practices.
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The summative evaluation occurs once every three years for a tenured educator. The evaluation is based on multiple instructional and professional experiences and is not based on a single classroom/job observation. The summative evaluation brings together all components of TD&E:
- Individual Growth and Development Plan (IGDP)
- Student Achievement
- Student Engagement
- Peer Collaboration (after probationary period)
- Educator Practice
During the year of the summative evaluation, the educator will participate in the following with an administrator:
- Pre-observation conference
- Self-assessment
- Announced observation
- Post-observation conference
