FAQ: 2014-2015 (Educator Evaluation)Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit

Delaware Department of EducationTeacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit

Frequently Asked Questions DPAS-II for Teachers/Specialists & DPAS-II for Administrators
Student Improvement Component (C-V) in 2014-2015
Fall 2014
Frequently Asked Questions DPAS-II for Teachers/Specialists

Does Component V go away this year because of the Smarter Balanced assessment(s)?
No. Every educator will still have a Component V using multiple measures of student growth in 2014-15,
as has been outlined in state policy and incorporated into all summer and online trainings for educators.

Is Smarter Balanced going to be used as part of my official evaluation this year?

No. The Smarter assessments will not be officially incorporated into educator evaluation ratings as part of
the Student Improvement Component in 2014-2015. The Department of Education will determine student
growth and calculate ratings for all applicable educators, which will be distributed (only for informational
purposes) in Fall 2015. All 2014-2015 teacher evaluations should therefore be completed by July 1, 2015.

What is Measure A in 2014-2015?

Student results from the Smarter Balanced assessment(s) will be used as the Measure A, but it will be an
informational measure only, and will not be officially incorporated into the Student Improvement
calculation.

What does it mean, Smarter will not count towards educator evaluation in 2014-2015?
It means that the State will collect data on student outcomes in English Language Arts and Mathematics
from Smarter, and will then proceed to calculate and provide educator ratings. However, this will take
place after 2014-2015 evaluations are completed, and thus it will not be included as part of multiple
measures of student growth for any educators Component V or DPAS-II Summative rating in 2014-2015.

Are educator Group assignments the same for teachers this year?
Yes. All educators will remain in the same Groups (1, 2, 3) as they have in previous years (e.g. Group 1
teachers are teachers of ELA and Math in grades 3-10).
o 9th Grade/10th Grade won't have Smarter, so....?
In this 2014-2015 interim year, 9th and 10th grade teachers of ELA and Mathematics should still be
considered Group 1, similar to last year.
o 11th Grade will have Smarter, so...?
In this 2014-2015 interim year, 11th grade teachers of ELA and Mathematics should still be
considered Group 2, similar to last year.

Do I still have to do Roster verification this year?

Yes. Roster Verification will still occur in 2014-15 to ensure continuity of the system, to provide educators
with their informational ratings, and to collect data for implementation of the system in future years.

Are there changes to the process for me as a Group 2 or Group 3 educator?

No. There are NO policy changes to the process for Group 2 or Group 3 educators in 2014-2015.

Are Group 1 teachers just like Group 2 teachers this year?

No. Group 1 teachers will use two data points within Measure B in 2014-2015, and the requirements and
rules for those measures are different. These have been outlined in state policy and were shared with all
educators in the Secretarys email sent in mid-July, and reiterated in summer training for administrators.

FAQ: 2014-2015 (Educator Evaluation)Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit

Will Group 1 teachers have more than one measure of student growth?
Yes. Group 1 educators will have two data points (multiple measures of student growth) within Measure B.

So what is Component V for Group 1 teachers this year? How does it work?
Group 1 educators will have two data points within Measure B. Each data point is worth 50 percent of the
rating. For the first section teachers will use a DDOE-approved Measure B assessment in their
grade/subject for either ELA or Math (which can be internal or external). It is strongly recommended that
the required ELA or Math assessment apply to all students the educator instructs. The second section (data
point) is based on another state-approved Measure B assessment.

What are state-approved Measure B assessments?

Approved Measure B assessments are pre- and post-assessments approved by the Department for the
Student Improvement Component. These include the educator-designed internal Measure B assessments
available in the Performance Plus portal. There is also list of approved external Measure B assessments,
which include such assessments as STAR, MAP, DIBELS, etc. That list is available on the Departments
DPAS-II website. Additionally, some districts have submitted locally-developed Measure B assessments
which have been approved for use via a formal application and review process. Districts and school leaders
may use their discretion as to which measures are available for students and teachers in their schools.

What if I dont have more than one Measure B available in my grade/subject/school?

If more than one approved Measure B assessment is not available, Group 1 teachers can (with the approval
of their evaluator) utilize a Growth Goal that has been developed and state-approved for 2014-15. These
Growth Goals are similar in format to the Growth Goals historically available for teachers of ELA and
Mathematics in grades K-2 and 11-12, and can be found within Performance Plus.

What are these Growth Goals for Group 1 educators? What do they look like?
Growth Goals for Group 1 educators in 2014-2015 are similar to the format of Measure C Growth Goals
in grades K-2 or 11-12 for teachers of ELA or Math. They are NOT growth targets from the DCAS student
growth model. They should only be used if more than one Measure B is not available. Educators will
set goals based on student growth or improvement on a grade-level domain or standard of the Delaware
State Content Standards (Common Core) in ELA or Math. This will be based on a pre-/post- assessment or
activity determined together by the teacher and administrator.

What about Growth Goals for Group 2 and Group 3 educators? Are they new?
Growth Goals remain for all categories of Group 2 and Group 3 educators. Some Growth Goals within
categories (role/subject area) were refined based on the following three guiding principles:
- Decrease Prescriptiveness in Target-Setting: To give educators more flexibility to create
appropriate and rigorous goals in their individual school contexts, pre-populated targets were
removed (e.g. 80% of students will grow 10%)
- Focus on Student Growth, not Compliance: Goals that were adult-compliance oriented, or which
focused on adult behavior instead of student performance were removed or refined
- Alignment with Student Outcomes: Many Growth Goals were refined to focus on student growth
and student outcomes from fall-to-spring in a given school year (to align system-wide)

What is the Department doing with feedback about changes to Growth Goals?
Feedback has been considered on a case-by-case basis utilizing the guiding principles above for any given
set of goals. Additional revisions were made only if there were inconsistencies found with the application
of these principles. Based on feedback about the refinements to Delawares Growth Goals, updated
documents for Librarians, Counselors and Nurses were posted the week of September 29th. Per state

FAQ: 2014-2015 (Educator Evaluation)Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit

policy, all goal-setting remains a process that occurs between educator and evaluator, and the evaluator
retains all approval authority.

Can Group 1 teachers select cohorts of students for their Measure B data points?
For 2014-2015, the first data point within Measure B for teachers should be inclusive of all the students
they teach. The second may use a cohort of students if it is agreed upon by the administrator.

As a Group 1 teacher, how do I set goals using Measure Bs to provide multiple data points this year?
Student achievement goals should be set based on student baseline data on a pre-test. Teachers and
administrators should work together to set rigorous goals for students based on the content taught and
assessed and desired student learning outcomes for the year or measuring period. Administrators and Group
1 teachers can and should still set Satisfactory and Exceeds goals. For the purposes of selecting measures
and determining targets, teachers and administrators should consider how goal-setting within Measure B
will align with state standards and assessments (Smarter) to be administered in 2014-2015.
Frequently Asked Questions DPAS-II for Administrators

What is Component V for administrators this year?

Part A for administrators will be Smarter, but will also only be used for informational purposes, similar to
Measure A for Group 1 teachers. Administrators will have two data points within their Part B. The first
must be focused on ELA or Mathematics for the students for whom they are responsible using a DDOEapproved Measure B, similar to the first section of Measure B for Group 1 teachers.

How do principals/assistant principals and their evaluators set goals?

Administrators will set a goal for the first section of Part B based on their student achievement aspirations
in ELA or Mathematics for the subset of students for whom they are responsible. For the purpose of
determining targets, teachers and administrators should consider how goal-setting within Part B will align
with rigorous state standards and assessments (Smarter) to be administered in 2014-2015. Administrators
should consider baseline and trend data when setting targets, where available.

Do I have to use a DDOE-approved Measure B for my second data point?

No. While an administrator can certainly use another Measure B for the second data point, districts and
administrators have the flexibility to use another measure from their strategic plan or other staterecommended measure (such as the SAT), as long as the measure is based on student performance.

Can I just have one goal for 100% of my Component V as an administrator?

While it is strongly recommended to have multiple measures of student growth, it has been allowable to
have one data point as long as that data point meets the parameters of state policy. For 2014-2015, Part B,
Section 1 must utilize a DDOE-approved Measure B for ELA and/or Mathematics for a subset of students
for whom they are responsible. This approach must be approved by your evaluator.

Do I have to use both External and Internal Measure B across my two data points in Part B?
No. An administrator only has to use a DDOE-approved Measure B for Part B, Section 1, and may select to
use either type (Internal/External) of Measure B.

Are there a minimum number of students that I must include?

While administrators should include all students for whom they are responsible, a minimum of 25 students
is required.

FAQ: 2014-2015 (Educator Evaluation)Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit

How are the student improvement results calculated for DPAS-II for Administrators?
Administrators earn a certain number of points based on the progress toward their Satisfactory and
Exceeds targets within Component V. This calculation is determined at the local level.
Each data point must account for 50% (or 50 points) of the total, but final calculations in terms of progressto-goals based on student performance results are determined by the individual LEA. The
methodology/scale for Satisfactory and Exceeds performance targets should be discussed at the
goal-setting conference to establish transparency with the administrator being evaluated.
Districts and administrators may consider the following guidance below when setting goals and targets:
Exceeds target = 40-50
Meets target = 30--39
Somewhat On-Track to target = 20-29
Off-Track but progressing towards target = 10-19
Limited evidence of student progress towards the target = 0-9