3020-a and ADVANCE

When you are charged with incompetency, and you believe that you are a good teacher, one of the first things you should do is decide whether or not you plan to fight the charges.

As I have often written on this blog before, I am of the opinion that unless you are at retirement in age and years (25-55), unless you plan to move out of state and/or marry a millionaire (or are one yourself - congratulations!), and unless you are comfortable living with the charges in your profile forever - (you are on the problem code), you should NOT resign or settle.

Why? (remember, this is not "legal" advice, as I am not an attorney - but arbitration proceedings are not legal proceedings in a Court with a judge, either).

Because the 3020-a due process allows you to put everything that happened in your school into a record: the transcript. That's what the NYC DOE and NYSUT don't want. They do not want documentation of how your principal, assistant principal, or anyone in the school violated the law, rights of children, or rights of anyone. In that sense, if they - the DOE and NYSUT - believe that you may "spill the beans" on school personnel or UFT negligence, they will try their very best to get you to resign or settle, so a record is not made. The UFT, NYSUT, and the NYC DOE are protecting each other from the liability connected with your claims against them. I think anyone charged or harassed should immediately file a Notice of Claim.

The new teacher evaluation system which mandates Measures of Student Learning (MOSL), ADVANCE, was a long time in the making.

Advance Overview

 

Advance, New York City’s new system of teacher evaluation and development, was designed to provide the City’s teachers with accurate feedback on their performance and the support necessary to improve their practice, with the goal of improved student outcomes to ensure all students graduate college and career ready. 

 

Though Advance was formally established on June 1, 2013 in alignment with the New York State Education Department's education law 3012-c on teacher and school leader performance reviews, its design was informed by three years of pilot work in New York City’s schools. Advance uses multiple measures – including observations of classroom practice, review of teachers’ artifacts, student outcome data, and student feedback – to provide teachers, school leaders, and families with a more accurate understanding of teacher effectiveness than ever before.

For an overview of the major components of Advance, click the boxes below. 

·         60 percent: Measures of Teacher Practice (MOTP)

All teachers receive:

§  Assessment of their practice using Charlotte Danielson’s 2013 Framework for Teaching, including a greater emphasis on components of teaching related to their classroom environment and instruction.

§  Multiple classroom observations by their principal or other administrator, with teachers having a choice between two options for length and frequency of observations.

§  Review of up to eight artifacts (or documents) demonstrating their efforts to plan and prepare instruction and participate in their professional community.

§  Feedback on all observations and artifacts of teacher practice.

§  Student Feedback via the Tripod Student Survey (for teachers in grades 3-12 only; will not count towards annual rating in 2013-14 school year).

40 percent: State and Local Measures of Student Learning (MOSL)

Each teacher will have an initial planning conference and end of year conference with an administrator to discuss, then follow up on, expectations and goals for the year for the teacher’s performance and student learning outcomes.

All teachers will receive a summative rating by September 1st of the following school year. Measure of Teacher Practice ratings will be available in June at the close of the school year.

All principals will be certified as lead evaluators annually by the NYCDOE.

All teachers rated “Developing” or “Ineffective” will implement a Teacher Improvement Plan (TIP) in the following school year to provide clear feedback, goals, and a timeline for professional growth.

All teachers rated “Ineffective” will also receive observations from an Independent Validator in the following school year to provide an objective, third party evaluation of the teacher’s classroom practice.

Every teacher will have two measures of student learning, each worth 20 percent of the overall rating:

• State Measure – Selected by the principal, this measure is based on student growth on state assessments (whenever available) or results on other assessments with comparable rigor taken by their students.
• Local Measure – Recommended by a school committee appointed by the principal and UFT Chapter Chair and approved by the principal*, each teacher’s local measure will be based on student growth on assessments and growth measures selected from a menu of approved options  for each grade and subject.
 
* If the Committee and principal do not agree on measures, the local measure for all teachers in the school will default to schoolwide growth on the State assessments administered in that school.

·         Other System Requirements

For more detailed information please watch the webinar or view New York City’s approved APPR plan on the New York State Education Department website.

Event Details

Welcome to the registration page for Information Session on the New System of Teacher Evaluation and Development

 

For your convenience, Superintendents are offering information sessions on the Teacher Evaluation and Development System. Please be aware that sessions will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m.

Please follow the instructions below carefully in order to register for this event:

1. To select a date, please view the following table to determine when your District is hosting a session. 

 

2. To register, have ready the following required information:
      a. First and Last Name 
      b. E-mail address (DOE email address preferred)
      c. Job Title/Job Function
      d. District
      e. Your School DBN
      f. Meeting Location Name (listed in table above)

 

3. Once you have decided on the date and meeting location, go to the dropdown menu on the upper right, and please select a date to attend.

 

4. Select QUANTITY.

 

5. Click on the GREEN REGISTER button. 

District 64 schools are not subject to ED Law 3012-C and therefore these sessions have been prioritized for teachers affected by the law. Additional supports for District 64 will be offered in the fall. 

Due to limited seating availability, you must attend on the date that you have selected. If your availability changes or you have any questions, please contact TEPD@schools.nyc.gov.

 

Meeting Date	Superintendent / Co-Leader	Location Name	Address	City
6/10/2013	Buffie Simmons / Karen Watts (District 17)	The High School for Global Citizenship	883 Classon Avenue	Brooklyn
6/10/2013	Rhonda D. Farkas (District 22)	Andries Hudde	2500 Nostrand Avenue	Brooklyn
6/11/2013	Barbara Freeman / Karen Watts (District 13)	Brooklyn Technical High School	29 Ft. Greene Place	Brooklyn
6/11/2013	Beverly Ffolkes-Bryant (District 28)	Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School	91-30 Metropolitan Avenue	Queens
6/11/2013	Elizabeth A. White / Carron Staple (District 11)	Harry S Truman High School	750 Baychester Avenue	Bronx
6/11/2013	Erminia Claudio / Aimee Horowitz (District 31)	The Michael J Petrides School	715 Ocean Terrace	Staten Island
6/11/2013	Madelene Chan / Juan Mendez (District 24)	I.S. 061 Leonardo Da Vinci	98-50 50 Avenue	Queens
6/12/2013	Beverly Ffolkes-Bryant / Juan Mendez (District 28)	Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School	91-30 Metropolitan Avenue	Queens
6/13/2013	Joyce Stallings-Harte / Karen Watts (District 19)	Brooklyn Lab School	999 Jamaica Avenue	Brooklyn
6/13/2013	Michelle Lloyd-Bey / Tamika Matheson (District 27)	John Adams High School	101-01 Rockaway Boulevard	Queens
6/13/2013	Philip Composto (District 30)	I.S. 145 Joseph Pulitzer	33-34 80 Street	Queens
6/17/2013	Donald Conyers / Anthony Lodico (District 4)	Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics	260 Pleasant Avenue	Manhattan
6/17/2013	Elsa Nunez (District 6)	I.S.218 Salome Urena	4600 Broadway	Manhattan
6/17/2013	Rhonda D. Farkas (District 22)	J.H.S. 014 Shell Bank	2424 Batchelder Street	Brooklyn
6/17/2013	Yolanda Torres / Elaine Lindsey (District 7)	University Heights Secondary School	701 St. Anns Avenue	Bronx
6/18/2013	Ainslie Cumberbatch (District 23)	The Waverly School	104 Sutter Avenue	Brooklyn
6/18/2013	Alicja Winnicki / Aimee Horowitz / Tamika Matheson (District 14)	The High School for Enterprise, Business, & Technology	850 Grand Street	Brooklyn
6/18/2013	Anita Saunders / Juan Mendez (District 26)	Francis Lewis High School	58-20 Utopia Parkway	Queens
6/18/2013	Anita Skop (District 15)	Sunset Park High School	153 35th Street	Brooklyn
6/18/2013	Daniella Phillips (District 1)	P.S. 020 Anna Silver	166 Essex Street	Manhattan
6/18/2013	Danielle DiMango (District 25)	I.S. 025 Adrien Block	34-65 192 Street	Queens
6/18/2013	Gale Reeves (District 5)	Frederick Douglass Academy	2581 7th Avenue	Manhattan
6/18/2013	Ilene Altschul (District 3)	M.S. 256 Academic & Athletic Excellence	154 West 93 Street	Manhattan
6/18/2013	Karina Constantino (District 20)	New Utrecht High School	1601 80 Street	Brooklyn
6/18/2013	Lillian Druck (District 32)	J.H.S. 383 Philippa Schuyler	1300 Greene Avenue	Brooklyn
6/18/2013	Mariano Guzman (District 2)	Norman Thomas High School	111 East 33rd Street	Manhattan
6/18/2013	Melodie Mashel / Elaine Lindsey (District 10)	West Bronx Academy for the Future	500 East Fordham Road	Bronx
6/18/2013	Timothy Behr / Carron Staple (District 8)	Herbert H Lehman High School	3000 East Tremont Avenue	Bronx
6/19/2013	Ainslee Cumberbatch / Tamika Matheson (District 23)	The Waverly School	104 Sutter Avenue	Brooklyn
6/19/2013	Beverly Wilkins (District 18)	High School for Innovation in Advertising & Media	1600 Rockaway Parkway	Brooklyn
6/19/2013	Evelyn Santiago / Karen Watts (District 16)	Boys and Girls High School	1700 Fulton Street	Brooklyn
6/19/2013	Isabel DiMola (District 21)	I.S. 228 David A. Boody	228 Avenue S	Brooklyn
6/19/2013	Lenon Murray / Juan Mendez (District 29)	Humanities & Arts Magnet High School	207-01 116th Avenue	Queens
6/24/2013	Danielle DiMango / Juan Mendez (District 25)	I.S. 025 Adrien Block	34-65 192 Street	Queens
6/24/2013	Dolores Esposito / Carron Staple (District 9)	Jonathan Levin High School for Media & Communications	240 East 172 Street	Bronx
6/24/2013	Myrna Rodriguez (District 12)	P.S. X811	1434 Longfellow Avenue	Bronx
6/25/2013	Anthony Lodico / Marisol Bradbury (MAN HS)	Frank McCourt High School	145 West 84 Street	Manhattan
6/25/2013	Elaine Lindsey (BX HS)	Bronx Regional High School	1010 Rev J.A. Polite Avenue	Bronx
6/25/2013	Myrna Rodriguez (District 12)	P.S. X811	1434 Longfellow Avenue	Bronx

 

 

Have questions about Information Session on the New System of Teacher Evaluation and Development? Contact NYC Department of Education - Office of Teacher Effectiveness

This process I cited above about NYSUT and the NYC DOE wanting you to settle or resign was made very clear when married teacher Natalya Sokolson was sexually harassed by OSI Investigator Lawrence Scott in her school PS 329 in Coney Island.

Natalya Sokolson (with Special Commissioner Richard Condon, inset)

She reported Scott to OSI and was charged with all sorts of misconduct, inside her school building and outside, after she was re-assigned.

NYSUT Attorney Mitch Rubenstein

 Her assigned NYSUT Attorney, Mitch Rubenstein,  told her that none of Lawrence Scott's actions were relevant to her charges and she should - MUST - resign.

Really?? What if the principal called in Lawrence Scott and had him meet alone with Natalya in a room without lights, to see if she could be given the "treatment" for butting heads with administration? How do the actions of Scott have nothing to do with the charges?

I met her in the waiting room at 49-51 Chambers Street, 6th floor, where the 3020-a hearings take place, the day she was to sign her resignation papers, after she fired Mr. Rubenstein who had tried very hard to get Natalya to resign.

NYSUT Attorney Mitch Rubenstein

 She got all of the charges of misconduct that she supposedly did inside her school dismissed at her 3020-a by Arbitrator Berg. Then Berg ruled that Natalya was actually bi-sexual or a lesbian, because when she was re-assigned to the very same building that OSI is located in, 65 Court Street, she was accused of asking to go out after work with some women that worked there, and she was terminated for improper conduct outside of the school and not part of her performance as a teacher.

Arbitrator Berg had to make this decision to save whatever remnant of respectability OSI could salvage after this case was exposed in the NY POST (which Natalya was also charged with, making the DOE look bad). They should have charged me with that, not Natalya.

 In conclusion, I believe that NYSUT and the NYC DOE have ulterior motives when proceeding through 3020-a, and I suggest that you not rely on their interpretation of your charges. Bring your tools of the trade as you know them, including the records, SOHO reports, grades, test scores, portfolios and any and all other records of your students and submit these into the record. Fight for your due process rights. You probably will win your battle.

Betsy Combier