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Focus of Sept. 27 staff development: APPR  

photo of educators at work during staff development haf day

District's educators gain better understanding of new Annual Professional Performance Review plan through staff development

Oct. 2, 2012

Watervliet teachers and teaching assistants had an opportunity to learn more about the new teacher evaluation system—or Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR)—during the staff development half day on Sept. 27.

Approximately 130 teachers and teaching assistants from the district’s two schools participated in activities designed to give them a better understanding of the evaluation process and the expectations placed on performance.

Watervliet’s teachers were able to get a different perspective on the classroom observation as they stepped into the role of administrator for part of the training during which they watched video of an educator teaching a lesson and then critiqued the teacher’s performance based on interaction with students, classroom management and instructional methods.

photo of educators at work during staff development haf day

During a staff development half day on Sept. 27, teachers and teaching assistants worked in teams to learn more about the evaluation procedures that take effect under the new APPR system.

Classroom environment and instruction are two of the criteria found in Watervliet’s new APPR plan, which is based on the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching. This well-known model defines the complex work of teaching by four main areas (or domains) of teaching responsibility and the components within those areas:

1. Planning and preparation

2. Classroom environment

3. Instruction

4. Professional responsibilities

Watervliet’s teacher evaluation plan was among the first locally to receive approval from the State Education Department. Under the new APPR plan, teacher evaluations will be based:

bullet graphic20 percent on student growth on state assessments or a comparable measure;

bullet graphic20 percent on other locally selected measures of student growth or achievement; and

bullet graphic60 percent on other multiple measures of teacher/principal effectiveness, such as classroom observations, one of which will be unannounced.

Watervliet administrators who facilitated the staff development said feedback from teachers and teaching assistants about the training was overwhelmingly positive.