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Ann WhalenDelegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of Assistant SecretaryOffice of Elementary and Secondary Education
FY 14-15: Agency Priority Goal
Improve learning by ensuring that more students have effective teachers and leaders
Priority Goal
Goal Overview
GOAL OVERVIEW
The goal is based on the premise, supported by abundant research, that teachers are the single most critical in-school factor in improving student achievement. Principals are often cited as the second most influential in-school factor. Teacher and principal evaluation and support systems supported by the Department of Education's (ED) contributing programs enable the development and identification of effective educators and provide needed information to improve the educator workforce. Teachers and principals often lack meaningful evaluation, feedback, and support for professional growth. Indeed, teachers are often dissatisfied with their preparation programs and their opportunities for professional development and advancement. Too often, effective teachers and leaders are not recognized, rewarded, or asked to share their expertise with colleagues. Most teacher compensation systems do not recognize effectiveness or provide incentives to teach in challenging schools or shortage areas. And race and family income too often predict a child’s access to excellent educators. In light of the importance of teachers and school leadership for student success, the nation has to do more to ensure that every student has an effective teacher, every school has an effective leader, and every teacher and leader has access to the preparation, on-going support, recognition, and collaboration opportunities he or she needs to succeed. ED will help strengthen the profession by focusing on meaningful feedback, support, and incentives at every stage of a career, based on fair evaluation and support systems that look at multiple measures, including, in significant part, growth in student learning. ED will support state and district efforts that provide time for teacher collaboration, personalized on-the-job learning opportunities, and professional advancement. Targets are based on state implementation timelines provided through original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests. These timelines indicated that 37 states expected to implement the systems by September 30, 2015. “Fully implemented” is defined as the school year in which teachers and principals receive effectiveness ratings. However, as states and districts are moving forward, they are also encountering challenges with implementation of these systems, and are making adjustments to timelines, sequencing, and implementation steps that may not follow their original plans but will ultimately result in high-quality teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
ED will support states in the development and adoption of state requirements for comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation and support systems and in district development and implementation of comprehensive educator evaluation and support systems. Providing additional support to teachers and principals, as well as educator evaluators regarding these new evaluation and support systems is necessary so they are able, for example, to use and develop learning objectives to measure growth in student learning and to implement new classroom observation tools. However, providing this level of support is also resource-intense at both the state educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) level. Additional challenges center on maintaining momentum for reform, given districts’ and states’ current political situations, potential changes in leadership, ongoing development of valid and reliable measures of growth in student learning in non-tested grades and subjects, and the scaling up of systems in a relatively short time frame.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Engagement of external stakeholders is regular and ongoing. Program staff have regular contact with SEA staff through monitoring, technical assistance, and other outreach. Policy and program staff regularly hold calls and travel to the Hill to brief member and committee staff. ED has also engaged with and provided briefings for key external educational organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers. Ongoing outreach further involves a wide range of professional and content organizations, national community-based organizations, and foundations.
Strategies
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
The Department of Education (ED) is taking steps to mitigate challenges by implementing new, innovative strategies for developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase states’ and districts’ capacities to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple States. This includes ED’s work on Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility and the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF). The change in approach to technical assistance provides States and local educational agencies (LEAs) with the room needed for innovation and the ability to implement aggressive reform. ED’s focus has shifted from compliance to results, as viewed through educational outcomes. This shift is evident in Department work such as the communities of practice established in the Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants (SIG) programs. In addition, ED has used feedback loops to continually inform policy and program development. This process has led to many program elements that improve the likelihood of implementation and sustainability of reform. These include a shift to LEA-wide educator evaluation systems in the TIF, a greater focus on the human capital management systems of LEAs, and addressing broader issues in educator base salary and advancement. In part, ED is also leveraging agency-wide performance reviews to improve coordination. These reviews will offer regular opportunities for relevant offices to discuss key issues, and provide a mechanism for consistent follow up. ED is also coordinating across program offices in advance of monitoring and program review visits and sharing technical assistance tools and lessons learned.
EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT ED CAN AND CANNOT INFLUENCE
Factors ED can influence include the development of state and local knowledge and expertise, guidance on allowable uses of funds to support educators, and ongoing policy and program development to support preparation, development, evaluation, recognition and retention of effective educators.
Factors ED cannot influence are local control issues, including collective bargaining agreements and teacher leadership positions, and/or state-level education politics. Additionally, ED cannot control the timing of ESEA reauthorization, which outlines allowable uses of Title II, Part A dollars, which provide funds to improve the preparation, recruitment, retention, development, professional support, evaluation, recognition and equitable access to qualified and effective teachers and leaders.
Progress Update
- As of quarter 4, 8 of the targeted 37 states have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.
- Although States have not made as much progress as ED initially anticipated, States have taken promising steps towards ensuring that student learning is improved as a result of all students having access to effective teachers and leaders.
- As of the end of Q4, 39 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have been approved for ESEA flexibility renewal; in order to be approved, each of these States has committed to implement teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that (1) will be used for continual improvement of instruction; (2) meaningfully differentiate performance using at least three performance levels; (3) use multiple valid measures in determining performance levels, including as a significant factor data on student growth for all students (including English Learners and students with disabilities), and other measures of professional practice (which may be gathered through multiple formats and sources, such as observations based on rigorous teacher performance standards, teacher portfolios, and student and parent surveys); (4) evaluate teachers and principals on a regular basis; (5) provide clear, timely, and useful feedback, including feedback that identifies needs and guides professional development; and (6) will be used to inform personnel decisions.
- 16 States’ State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators have been approved; in order to be approved, each of these States has committed to eliminate the gaps in rates at which students from low-income families and students of color are taught by inexperienced, unqualified, and out-of-field teachers as compared to other students.
- As of the end of quarter 4, ED has approved a total of 39 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for ESEA flexibility renewal, including 5 States that it approved during Q2 through an expedited review process for a four-year ESEA flexibility renewal. ED continues to consider two states’ ESEA flexibility requests at the beginning of quarter 1 of the 2016 fiscal year.
- Through the ESEA flexibility renewal process, ED is providing additional flexibility to ESEA flexibility states regarding amendments related to teacher and principal evaluation and support systems, in cases where states need targeted flexibility on timelines, implementation steps, and sequencing. While these targeted adjustments may mean that some states do not fully implement all components of their new evaluation and support systems on their original timelines, it will allow states to keep moving forward on this work and ultimately reach the goal of fully implementing high-quality systems.
- ED is also working to ensure that issue briefs and tools are regularly posted online by the Great Teacher and Leader Comprehensive Center to provide Technical Assistance (TA) to SEAs.
- ED is providing TA to Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grantees on the development of valid and reliable student growth measures in non-tested grades and subjects and helping grantees identify performance standards and performance award eligibility for other school-based personnel, including school counselors, media specialists, and para-educators.
- ED, in partnership with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, has launched the Teach to Lead initiative to increase opportunities for teachers to take on meaningful leadership roles without leaving the classroom and is engaging with educator-facing organizations, LEAs and SEAs, and other stakeholders to identify how the initiative can best support teacher leadership both inside and outside the classroom.
- During Teach to Lead’s inaugural year, nearly 2,500 educators shared their teacher leadership ideas through an online community. To date, Teach to Lead has attracted more than 85 supporter organizations.
- Teach to Lead and its supporter organizations have held regional summits engaging about 740 educators from 42 states in Louisville, KY; Denver, CO; Boston, MA; Washington, DC; and Tacoma, WA. At summits, teams led by teachers develop action plans in the form of a logic model in order to execute their ideas immediately upon returning home. Teach to Lead also held an educator summit in Tysons, VA to focus on systems of statewide teacher leadership that engaged with 7 states including KY, CT, NY, ME, WA, AZ and NC.
- Teacher Leadership Labs have been held in Marshall, MI; Hartford, CT; Mission, SD; Springfield, IL; Portland, OR; Gilbert, AZ; Boston, MA; Garden City, NY; andTioga,, PA, involving nearly 600 teachers. Labs are convenings organized by ED to support projects that have demonstrated early success or notable leading indicators.
- Additional summits will be held during the 2016 fiscal year, including in Starkville, MS, Omaha, NE and Albuquerque, NM.
- Through both regional summits and local leadership labs educators have produced over 175 action plans for schools and districts to implement improved opportunities for teacher leadership.
- ED published proposed teacher preparation regulations. ED reviewed public comment and determined how to best improve the proposed regulation. Our revised regulation is currently being reviewed by OMB and we are eager to move forward on schedule to publish a final regulation.
- ED provided guidance, technical assistance, and data related to the Excellent Educators for All initiative, a 50-state strategy to support State efforts to ensure that students from low-income families and students of color have equal access to qualified and effective teachers and leaders.
- During Q4, ED approved the first 16 State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators. ED anticipates approving the remaining State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators during Q1 of the 2016 fiscal year.
- ED continues to make progress in fully operationalizing the reorganization within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education that created the new Office of State Support which combines the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability, the Office of School Turnaround, and the Implementation and Support Unit, as well as several programs from other offices. This new office enables ED’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) to provide better and more differentiated support for States on their implementation of key reform efforts, including implementation of teacher and principal evaluation and support systems and other reform efforts focused on supporting effective teachers and leaders.
- This goal is continuing as an APG in the FY16-17 goal cycle.
Next Steps
No Data Available
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Performance Indicators
Increase the number of states that will have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth as a significant factor.
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMS
Major Grant Programs Supporting Goal 2 (http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2015plan/2013-2015-apr-app-plan-...):
- College- and career-ready students (Title I, Part A)
- Improving teacher quality state grants
- Teacher incentive fund
- School leadership
- Special Education grants to states
- Teacher Quality Partnerships
For additional programs see Appendix C of the Department’s FY2013 Annual Performance Report and FY2015 Annual Performance Plan (http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2015plan/2013-2015-apr-app-plan-...).
Expand All
Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Elementary and Secondary Education
Statement:
Improve the elementary and secondary education system’s ability to consistently deliver excellent instruction aligned with rigorous academic standards while providing effective support services to close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure all students graduate high school college- and career-ready.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Support implementation of internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards, with aligned, valid, and reliable assessments.
Description:
Statement:
Improve the preparation, recruitment, retention, development, support, evaluation, recognition, and equitable distribution of effective teachers and leaders.[1]
[1] States with approved ESEA Flexibility requests were initially required to implement teacher and principal evaluation and support systems by 2014–15 or 2015–16, depending on the school year of initial approval. Through ESEA Flexibility renewal in fall 2014, the Department committed to working with states that need to make adjustments to implementation timelines or sequencing through the ESEA Flexibility renewal process.
Description:
Statement:
Increase the success, safety, and health of students, particularly in high-need schools, and deepen family and community engagement.
Description:
Statement:
Accelerate achievement by supporting states and districts in turning around and closing achievement gaps in low-performing schools, and developing models of next generation high schools.
Description:
Statement:
Increase the number and quality of STEM teachers and increase opportunities for students to access rich STEM learning experiences.
Description:
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
By September 30, 2015, at least 37 States will have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth as a significant factor.
Description:
GOAL OVERVIEW
The goal is based on the premise, supported by abundant research, that teachers are the single most critical in-school factor in improving student achievement. Principals are often cited as the second most influential in-school factor. Teacher and principal evaluation and support systems supported by the Department of Education's (ED) contributing programs enable the development and identification of effective educators and provide needed information to improve the educator workforce. Teachers and principals often lack meaningful evaluation, feedback, and support for professional growth. Indeed, teachers are often dissatisfied with their preparation programs and their opportunities for professional development and advancement. Too often, effective teachers and leaders are not recognized, rewarded, or asked to share their expertise with colleagues. Most teacher compensation systems do not recognize effectiveness or provide incentives to teach in challenging schools or shortage areas. And race and family income too often predict a child’s access to excellent educators. In light of the importance of teachers and school leadership for student success, the nation has to do more to ensure that every student has an effective teacher, every school has an effective leader, and every teacher and leader has access to the preparation, on-going support, recognition, and collaboration opportunities he or she needs to succeed. ED will help strengthen the profession by focusing on meaningful feedback, support, and incentives at every stage of a career, based on fair evaluation and support systems that look at multiple measures, including, in significant part, growth in student learning. ED will support state and district efforts that provide time for teacher collaboration, personalized on-the-job learning opportunities, and professional advancement. Targets are based on state implementation timelines provided through original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests. These timelines indicated that 37 states expected to implement the systems by September 30, 2015. “Fully implemented” is defined as the school year in which teachers and principals receive effectiveness ratings. However, as states and districts are moving forward, they are also encountering challenges with implementation of these systems, and are making adjustments to timelines, sequencing, and implementation steps that may not follow their original plans but will ultimately result in high-quality teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
ED will support states in the development and adoption of state requirements for comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation and support systems and in district development and implementation of comprehensive educator evaluation and support systems. Providing additional support to teachers and principals, as well as educator evaluators regarding these new evaluation and support systems is necessary so they are able, for example, to use and develop learning objectives to measure growth in student learning and to implement new classroom observation tools. However, providing this level of support is also resource-intense at both the state educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) level. Additional challenges center on maintaining momentum for reform, given districts’ and states’ current political situations, potential changes in leadership, ongoing development of valid and reliable measures of growth in student learning in non-tested grades and subjects, and the scaling up of systems in a relatively short time frame.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Engagement of external stakeholders is regular and ongoing. Program staff have regular contact with SEA staff through monitoring, technical assistance, and other outreach. Policy and program staff regularly hold calls and travel to the Hill to brief member and committee staff. ED has also engaged with and provided briefings for key external educational organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers. Ongoing outreach further involves a wide range of professional and content organizations, national community-based organizations, and foundations.
Statement:
By September 30, 2015, at least 50 states/territories[1] will be implementing next-generation assessments, aligned with college- and career-ready standards.
[1] In addition to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other territories are candidates for implementing these assessments.
Description:
GOAL OVERVIEW
The adoption of college- and career-ready standards is the foundation to improving educational outcomes for all students and a fundamental step toward meeting the President’s goal of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. The college- and career-ready standards must be coupled with high-quality aligned assessments to measure the extent to which students are mastering the standards.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
A key challenge facing the Department of Education (ED) over the next two years relates to the changes States may make to their currently adopted college- and career-ready standards due to changes from state leadership or the state legislature. Another key challenge is supporting states with the implementation of their college- and career-ready aligned assessments for all students, including English Learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged and low-achieving students to ensure that all students are prepared for post-secondary success.
ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards.
ED is taking steps to address these challenges by developing and targeting technical assistance activities that will, in part, increase state capacity to leverage limited resources and continue to identify promising practices across multiple states. First, ED has released its Title I assessment peer review guidance, which highlights the requirements for a high-quality assessment to help support state assessment development; in FY 2016, ED will begin conducting peer review of state assessment systems, providing examples of promising and best practices in the field. ED will build also library of resources to assist SEAs in full and effective transition to college- and career-ready standards, leveraging work that has occurred during Race to the Top with other partner organizations such as Achieve, Student Achievement Partners, PTA, and others. In addition, ED is working internally to coordinate the provision of technical assistance across OESE, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and other related offices and programs. ED also funds a Center on Standards and Assessments Implementation (part of the ESEA Comprehensive Centers program) that helps build the capacity of State educational agencies to implement college- and career-ready standards
Finally, ED is working with states to provide communication support and technical assistance to help states and LEAs reduce redundant and unaligned local assessments, as well as to help states develop a process and strategy to share state assessment results from 2014-2015 as scores are likely to drop due to increased rigor of the assessments. Among other activities, this includes assisting states in resetting baselines and annual goals related to student performance.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
ED consistently engaged with Congress, advocacy organizations, education organizations, State educational agencies and other external stakeholders regarding Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility, including state plans for transitioning to and implementing college- and career-ready standards. ED has met with stakeholders to provide information on state plans, as well as to enlist external support and technical assistance for states and districts as they move forward with implementing the new standards.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective:
Statement:
Improve the preparation, recruitment, retention, development, support, evaluation, recognition, and equitable distribution of effective teachers and leaders.[1]
[1] States with approved ESEA Flexibility requests were initially required to implement teacher and principal evaluation and support systems by 2014–15 or 2015–16, depending on the school year of initial approval. Through ESEA Flexibility renewal in fall 2014, the Department committed to working with states that need to make adjustments to implementation timelines or sequencing through the ESEA Flexibility renewal process.
Description:
Agency Priority Goals
Statement: By September 30, 2015, at least 37 States will have fully implemented teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that consider multiple measures of effectiveness, with student growth as a significant factor.
Description: GOAL OVERVIEW The goal is based on the premise, supported by abundant research, that teachers are the single most critical in-school factor in improving student achievement. Principals are often cited as the second most influential in-school factor. Teacher and principal evaluation and support systems supported by the Department of Education's (ED) contributing programs enable the development and identification of effective educators and provide needed information to improve the educator workforce. Teachers and principals often lack meaningful evaluation, feedback, and support for professional growth. Indeed, teachers are often dissatisfied with their preparation programs and their opportunities for professional development and advancement. Too often, effective teachers and leaders are not recognized, rewarded, or asked to share their expertise with colleagues. Most teacher compensation systems do not recognize effectiveness or provide incentives to teach in challenging schools or shortage areas. And race and family income too often predict a child’s access to excellent educators. In light of the importance of teachers and school leadership for student success, the nation has to do more to ensure that every student has an effective teacher, every school has an effective leader, and every teacher and leader has access to the preparation, on-going support, recognition, and collaboration opportunities he or she needs to succeed. ED will help strengthen the profession by focusing on meaningful feedback, support, and incentives at every stage of a career, based on fair evaluation and support systems that look at multiple measures, including, in significant part, growth in student learning. ED will support state and district efforts that provide time for teacher collaboration, personalized on-the-job learning opportunities, and professional advancement. Targets are based on state implementation timelines provided through original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility requests. These timelines indicated that 37 states expected to implement the systems by September 30, 2015. “Fully implemented” is defined as the school year in which teachers and principals receive effectiveness ratings. However, as states and districts are moving forward, they are also encountering challenges with implementation of these systems, and are making adjustments to timelines, sequencing, and implementation steps that may not follow their original plans but will ultimately result in high-quality teacher and principal evaluation and support systems. KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES ED will support states in the development and adoption of state requirements for comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation and support systems and in district development and implementation of comprehensive educator evaluation and support systems. Providing additional support to teachers and principals, as well as educator evaluators regarding these new evaluation and support systems is necessary so they are able, for example, to use and develop learning objectives to measure growth in student learning and to implement new classroom observation tools. However, providing this level of support is also resource-intense at both the state educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA) level. Additional challenges center on maintaining momentum for reform, given districts’ and states’ current political situations, potential changes in leadership, ongoing development of valid and reliable measures of growth in student learning in non-tested grades and subjects, and the scaling up of systems in a relatively short time frame. EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS Engagement of external stakeholders is regular and ongoing. Program staff have regular contact with SEA staff through monitoring, technical assistance, and other outreach. Policy and program staff regularly hold calls and travel to the Hill to brief member and committee staff. ED has also engaged with and provided briefings for key external educational organizations, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers. Ongoing outreach further involves a wide range of professional and content organizations, national community-based organizations, and foundations.
