ALERT: Teacher Effectiveness Program is Now the Gotcha Squad 2

ALERT: The New York City Department of Education has created a new agency within its' organization: The Teacher Effectiveness Program. This will be Gotcha Squad 2, the upgraded PIP+ termination process. There is a lot of money being poured into this new area of industry:

S374A120083 – New York City Department of Education (NY)
Initial Funding Amount (2 years):  $13,901,980
Total (5-year) Project Cost:  $52,943,639

Number of High-Need Schools Served:  70

Project Overview:  The goal of the New York City Department of Education Teacher Incentive Fund Grant Program is to implement a performance-based compensation system (PBCS) via a teacher career lattice in high-need middle schools in order to improve educator effectiveness and increase student achievement.  The career lattice will be developed in the context of a system-wide human capital management system with educator evaluation systems at the center, based, in significant part, on student outcomes.  The lattice increases classroom leadership capacity through professional development of teachers while providing peer leadership opportunities to teachers who are interested in new professional challenges and have demonstrated effectiveness.  The proposed roles (e.g., Demonstration Teacher and Peer Instructional Coach) will involve job-embedded coaching, application of the teaching competencies, and structuring of meaningful development opportunities for classroom teachers.  The compensation system provides for increases in base salary for Teacher Leaders who take on additional responsibilities and who earn a rating of effective or highly effective.

On the DOE website:Classroom Observation Cycle, Citywide Instructional Expectations,
Professional Development/Common Core Support, NYSED Common Core Resources,
Teacher Effectiveness, ARIS learn, Effective Feedback, and more.

I suggest that if you want to keep your teaching position, you study everything on this website.
Now.

I also was shocked to see MS331 Principal Seraphina Cruz and MS331 AP Stephen Monaco on
 the website, talking as if they were the most knowledgeable about this subject.

I just completed a 3020-a arbitration for an African-American teacher who was a teacher at MS331 until she was charged with 3020-a (she had filed a Special Complaint with Lisa Mendel at the UFT). We heard testimony (and I have the transcripts) of these two people, who were, in fact, violating State and City mandates for CTT classes.

My client, the "Respondent" at the 3020-a hearing, was hired as a General Education teacher for 8th grade. She has a Special Education license, but had never taught 8th grade before. She was promised support when she was hired by Principal Cruz. realized that her 801 class was a CTT class, but that CTT services were not provided for Social Studies and Science in the school. Respondent was told that CTT is part time because they only focus on ELA and Math Scores. Respondent was also told that "the school budget could not afford a second teacher" in the CTT class. That's what parents were told, and were furious, because the students given the CTT class who had IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) had TWO teachers mandated on their child's IEP. In fact, autistic, severely disabled and emotionally disturbed children were all in the same class.

Respondent found it quite difficult to effectively teach a CTT class alone. She received daily snapshot observations from AP Monaco, where he would come in daily and speak to the students for 20-30 minutes of class while Respondent was teaching, disrupting the class.

She stayed late after 8pm to prepare for lesson plans plus on the weekends. Monaco allowed Principal Intern Manni to write two letters to file, in violation of the CBA. The Principal was confronted by parents about fudging the test scores by pulling students to give math prep.

Respondent was never allowed to take students on any science field trips but she was allowed to take class out on recreational field trips. She constantly tried to do her best to do what was required by her supervisors. Evidently many teachers were not successful teaching 8th grade science. Teachers walked out in the middle of the school year. Respondent was written up for a 2 minute snapshot during the afterschool program, the 37.5 minute tutoring session.

 Respondent always followed directives and her lesson plans always took into account the different styles of student learning. She was especially effective with those students who are IEP and ELL, who often work at a different pace than other students. Respondent cleverly used alternative assessments, and differentiated instruction, enabling the students in her classes to complete final projects or pass final exams successfully. Yet nothing seemed to be enough.

 Mr. John Tom, Director of Urban Advantage, had worked with Respondent for many years, my client got the school MS331 signed up for this program. She also received the vouchers for science programs under UA. But the MS331 administration did not pursue the program after they were given the resources. In fact, when Mr. Tom paid a visit to the school, he found resources for the Respondent's science class lying on the floor of AP Monaco's office. UA pulled MS331 out of the program, not only because the vouchers were never used, but because one of the mandates of the program is for the principal to go to the meetings at UA. Cruz never went. The name of the school was changed so that the word "Science" does not appear, and teachers are transferring out of there as quickly as they can, due to Cruz and Monaco.
That's the information about Ms. Seraphina Cruz and Mr. Stephen Monaco that I have and I also heard testimony under oath about all of the above.

And these are the spokespeople for the Teacher Effectiveness Program????? What's going on here, Carmen?

Betsy Combier

Stephen Monaco

Seraphina Cruz



Teacher Effectiveness


 

Classroom Observation Cycle: Structures and Supports at MS 331

http://vimeo.com/26737635

This video looks at the ongoing descriptive feedback process teachers at MS 331 receive in order to improve their classroom practice. It also addresses the organizational challenges and structural decisions the school has made to make this process meaningful and effective for teachers and administrators.

For a discussion guide to use alongside this video, click here:

schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/ADF5603F-CD88-473D-9941-601450668592/0/110624_FeedbackCFIv2.pptx

For a transcript of this video, go here: schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9407D53B-B045-44AA-B5A2-EA4D815D4435/0/ClassroomObservationCycleStructuresandSupportsatMS331.pdf

 TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS PROGRAM Handbook 

Resources for Teacher Teams

These professional learning activities can be used by teacher teams to support your school community in implementing the 2014-15 citywide instructional expectations. Find additional activities in ARIS Connect and on the PD and Student Opportunities page.

Common Core Support | Literacy | Mathematics | Danielson Framework

A Public Policy of Extortion: Teachers Forced into Settlements

I had an OMG moment this morning, sunday september 28, 2014, when I saw the headline in the print version of the NY POST article  "Bad Teachers 'Pay To Stay'" by Susan Edelman.

First, who are bad teachers? I have written before and will keep writing that I certainly do not know who a bad teacher is, in most cases where this term is used. I know that whoever did not care about or teach anything to any of my four daughters was, in my opinion, not a "good" teacher, but I cannot speak for any other person, parent or student. See one of the latest posts on Diane Ravitch's blog about Adam Urbanski and the complicated process of evaluating teachers.

I certainly did not know that I would be quoted under that headline.

The online edition of the sunday NY POST had a better headline - see the article posted in full, below..

What I told Ms. Edelman was that when an educator is charged with misconduct or incompetency, and sign up for a NYSUT attorney, in many cases the NYSUT Attorney tries very hard (sometimes, in my opinion, abusively) to get the educator to resign, retire, leave town, or settle. Anything but go to a hearing. I believe the NYSUT Attorneys know how much of a due process disaster the hearings are, from the viewpoint of defending an educator's rights. After watching the attorneys work at 3020-a for almost 8 years, 2003-2011, I thought there was a better way to defend, and started as a paralegal advocate in defense of Respondents brought to 3020-a in 2011. No one who is innocent of charges should be forced into a settlement of any kind. You can win a 3020-a.

The shocking clauses in all settlements are the give-backs, ie agreement to pay thousands of dollars and/or take many hours of Professional Development (PD) on classroom management, lesson planning, Common Core, etc. Where does this money go? No one seems to know. I wrote a FOIL request to the New York State Education Department. No information there. I wrote a FOIL to the New York City Department of Education. No answer.

If the educator really has done something terrible, then a settlement is a good idea. But if an educator is threatened, yelled at, and disrespected for no reason, and the charges are not valid (made up by a hostile administrator) and then is told he/she will be terminated if he/she doesn't settle, then there is something very wrong. This is, in my opinion, extortion. Educators who know they are innocent just should terminate any representation by anyone who is abusive or disrespectful, and hire someone else. Also in all settlements are clauses which say the signer of the agreement cannot ever sue the Department for anything that has happened to bring about these charges.

Really? My suggestion is this: the minute you receive your charging packet with your specifications, write and file a Notice of Claim. Notarize your signature and send to the NYC Comptroller's Office as well as the Corporation Counsel via certified mail, return receipt requested. You then have a year and 90 days to sue any public agency personnel who have harmed you.

And, my quote in the article below does not refer to the so-called "bad" teachers, but refers to all the "good", innocent teachers and employees who are threatened, accused of things they did not do or did not intend to do, and are considering leaving their jobs. This is not good for the children in the classes of those excellent, often veteran tenured teachers, because learning needs continuity. The Department of Education doesn't care about the kids. This is obvious. I wonder if NYSUT Attorneys or Reps care, either, but that's another post.

Betsy Combier

Teachers accused of misconduct keep jobs in secret settlements

By Susan Edelman

The city Department of Education secretly settles with most teachers accused of misconduct or incompetence, letting them pay a fine and return to classrooms — but leaving students and parents in the dark. Teachers yanked from schools for abuse of students, poor performance and many other offenses get charges dropped if they admit to some lapse, pay thousands of dollars in payroll deductions and take a class or workshop, documents obtained by The Post show. “All they want is your money,” said paralegal Betsy Combier, who helps defend teachers. “It doesn’t matter what happened to the kid — it’s kind of frightening.” In the past two school years, the DOE has brought charges against 826 teachers, it said Friday. Though 340 cases remain open, the majority of the rest — 381 — ended in a secret settlement. Settlements obtained by The Post include:  A Queens teacher who denied squeezing a kid’s neck and throwing an object that struck another kid was offered a $10,000 settlement, but bargained it down to $2,500 and returned to the same middle school. A Brooklyn teacher rated “unsatisfactory” three years in a row saved her job by paying the DOE $6,500 and taking workshops on lesson planning, instruction and classroom management. She was put in a pool of unassigned teachers who substitute — and kept her $100,049-a-year salary. A Brooklyn social worker making $82,147 a year, who billed the DOE for service to kids she didn’t provide, kept her job by paying $3,000. Bernadette Camacho, a former teacher at the Gateway School of Environmental Research and Technology in The Bronx, agreed in May 2010 to pay $6,500 and see a shrink for a year to keep her job after emotional outbursts with students. Her case became public later when kids accused her of cursing and insulting them at Hillcrest HS in Queens. Finally, an ­arbitrator approved her firing. Former DOE officials involved in efforts to fire weak or abusive teachers say settlements have ballooned because they skirt the long and costly hearings that state law requires to dismiss tenured educators. The city not only has to prove a teacher’s wrongdoing or incompetence, but make the case that he or she can’t or won’t improve. “The real problem is that the legal standard does not prioritize the best interests of kids,” said Dan Weisberg, the DOE’s former chief of labor policy. In a recent case, shocked parents at PS 101 in Forest Hills, “The School in the Gardens,” learned that science teacher Richard Parlini returned this fall after repeated student complaints against him. The DOE said it had substantiated six instances of verbal abuse and corporal punishment since 2010. Mom Laurie Townsend said her son, Nakia, 11, was brave enough to face Parlini and testify. The boy said Parlini pushed him in second grade after telling the class to sit down. In sixth grade, he said, Parlini “grabbed his shoulders and shook him to the point where it made him cry.” But when Townsend and Nakia arrived downtown for Parlini’s hearing last June, it was called off. “They told me he settled,” she said. The DOE let Parlini pay $2,500 and take six hours of training to keep his $75,092-a-year job. “It’s outrageous that he can just pay a fine, get a slap on the wrist and go back to his paying job, while the kids have to see him ­every day,” Townsend fumed. Adam Urbanski: Teacher Ratings Are Nonsensical by dianeravitch link

Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester, Néw York, teachers' union, is struggling to make sense of the state's teacher and principal evaluation system, which varies wildly from district to district. Scarsdale, perhaps the most affluent and high-scoring district in the state, had no "highly effective" teachers. But Rochester, one of the districts with high poverty and low scores, had many. The reality is that none of the formulas for reducing teaching to a number make any sense. Teaching is an art, a craft, and a bit of science. A great teacher may be great one year, not the next, or great with this class but not another. (APPR in Néw York is the Annual Professional Performance Review.)

The ratings in Néw York are referred to as HEDI: Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, Ineffective. A commenter on the blog recently said that "Developing" is considered a low grade but she hoped that she was "developing" every day as a teacher.

This is what Adam wrote to his members:

"The Rochester Miracle?"

"Each year, we re-negotiate our APPR agreement with the District to do all we can to make it less damaging to our student and more fair to teachers.

"We are making progress in reducing the number of Rochester teachers (be)rated as Developing or Ineffective (40% in 2012-2013 but 11% in 2013-2014) and increasing the number rated as Effective or Highly Effective (60% in 2012-2013 but 89% in 2013-2014). Just one year ago, only 2% of Rochester teachers were rated as Highly Effective. This year, that number increased to 46%.

"Why such a huge fluctuation? Maybe it's because we re-negotiated the agreement; or because teachers set more realistic SLO targets; or because the NYS Education Department adjusted the cut scores in ELA and Math; or because huge fluctuations are typical of invalid and unreliable evaluation schemes. Who knows? In any event, we continue to press for the total abolishments of APPR.

"Meanwhile, we are negotiating a successor agreement that would further diminish excessive testing of students and wrongful rating of teachers."

Dont Tread on Educators (DTOE) Asks ATRs For Field Supervisor Anecdotals

Great news for e-accountability!!! (That's the name of my Foundation, a 501 (C) 3 to hold people accountable for their actions). Send in these notes and comments!!! With names.

I also have a trademark for "A For Accountability"

Betsy

From DTOE:

ATR Field Supervisor Anecdotals

ATRs,
    Please share your experiences with ATR Field Supervisors here in the comments.

Join us at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/DTOEGroup/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dtoedu

Johanna Chase, CEO of Special Education, is Ousted and Replaced by Christina Foti

 Is Carmen Farina's political agenda unraveling?
Let's hope so.

Special ed CEO lacks credentials; Department of Education defends choice

City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, right, seen here with Kamillah Hanks, Borough Hall liasion to the
Panel for Education Policy, left, has visited Staten Island numerous times since she was appointed, and has heard
complaints from special education parents, teachers and advocates about the system. (Staten Island Advance)

Betsy Combier

Special education CEO is out;

DOE taps replacement with experience in the field

By Diane C. Lore | lore@siadvance.com 
Follow on Twitter 
on September 22, 2014 at 6:42 PM, updated September 22, 2014 at 7:07 PM

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Johannah Chase is out as the Department of Education's chief executive officer of special education, the Advance has learned.

Her ouster, after only six months in the position, comes  after the Advance reported that Ms. Chase had no license in supervision and administration; no special education experience, and an expired teaching license, and a number of articles reporting on special ed problems under her watch.

Her replacement, announced Monday in an in-house memo from Deputy Chancellor Corinne Rello-Anselmi -- a copy of which was obtained by the Advance -- is Christina Foti, currently principal of PS 231 in Brooklyn.

Christina Foti

 

The memo did not indicate whether Ms. Chase was leaving the DOE system, or why she was leaving her special ed post.

Acknowledging she had "mixed emotions" about Chase's departure, and while wishing her well, the deputy chancellor, in her memo,  also noted, "it is essential that the new leader of the Special Education Office have a demonstrated commitment to students with special needs and solid leadership skills."

SPECIAL ED EXPERIENCE

Ms. Foti has a bachelor's degree from Vassar; a master's degree in special education from the City University of New York and a postgraduate degree in education leadership from Hunter College. She has worked as a special education teacher, assistant principal and as a principal in District 75, which is comprised of special education schools throughout the five boroughs.

"In these roles she has developed skills in instruction, writing quality IEPs [individualized education plans], and professional support, as well as a deep understanding of the Shared Path framework," noted Ms. Rello-Anselmi, referring to the DOE's ambitious plan to revamp the special ed system.

The special education office is in charge of day-to-day management of the system, which serves more than 200,000 students. It involves supervising teams at 13 sites in all five boroughs, with more than 800 field staff; overseeing the administration of federal and state grants, and ensuring compliance, implementing services to children and working with parents, advocates, community members and union officials.

A central policy shift in the "Shared Plan for Success" reform is "home-zoning" of special education students. 

In the past, a student with a particular special need would often be placed at a school with the resources best suited to meet that need.

Under the reform, the student remains at his or her zoned school and the school is now responsible for providing the service.

PROBLEMS PERSIST

While the intended benefit is to keep students close to home, problems frequently surface when the school does not have the required programs or staffing in place. The reform is aimed at "home-zoning" all students, except the most extreme cases, which are shifted to an appropriate District 75 special education school.

But special education staff, parents and advocates complain that resources are scarce; parents say their children are not being served, and some say their child's individualized education plan (IEP) isn't being followed.

Those responsible for delivering services to students in need complain they are mired in bureaucratic paperwork, hampering their efforts.

Describing her philosophy of learning on her LinkedIn profile page, Ms. Foti wrote: 'It is my belief that all children, irrespective of disability, can rise to meet expectations when caring professionals provide high quality programs that support the academic, physical and social development of students."

ADVOCATE LAUDS DECISION

Special education advocates welcomed news of her appointment.

"If she can live up to her philosophy she'll be great for the kids, the parents, teacher and professionals. It's all about understanding the children and their needs. It sounds really simple, but to find someone who really understands a child is not easy," said special education advocate Laura Timoney, a member of the Community Education Council and parent of a special-needs child.

Johanna Chase

The ouster of Ms. Chase and appointment of Ms. Foti reportedly was endorsed by City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, who has heard complaints from all sides during her visits to Staten Island and has made special ed reform one of her priorities since she was appointed by Mayor Bill deBlasio in January.

A TROUBLED TENURE

Ms. Chase was appointed special ed CEO in March. Since then, the Advance reported, several key administrators in her office were also found to have little to no teaching or supervisory experience in special ed, or lacked state certification in education administration and supervision.

Under her watch, the DOE mishandled $356 million in federal fundsmeant to cover special education services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy, evaluation and counseling and pupil transportation.

Most recently, a backlog pf paperwork in her office was behind a delay in special ed services for non-public schools.

Her office also received a storm of criticism from parents and special education advocates for slashing $250,000 from a small but successful program known as the Transitional Aspergers Program (TAP), which helps students diagnosed with Asperger's make the transition from intermediate school to high school. Money for the program has reportedly been restored after the Advance reported on the cut.

CHRISTINA FOTI - LINKEDIN

It is my belief that all children, irrespective of disability, can rise to meet expectations when caring professionals provide high quality programs that support the academic, physical and social development of students. As a principal, my greatest joy comes from working with the staff, students and families of PS 231K to fulfill the mission of our school.

At PS 231K, it is our mission to create a core of learners through the collaborative efforts of the students, staff, parents and community. The role of the “teacher” is not limited to the adult, but is extended to the child. In doing so, each child discovers his/her own unique potential, talents, purpose and greatness through a differentiated, interdisciplinary approach inclusive of technological as well as social emotional learning. We strive to show our students that the biggest classroom is the world around them. We do this by using all available resources to bring the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world. PS 231K students become independent, productive, problem-solving citizens that seek challenges rather than shy away from them.

Interested in joining our team as a teacher, administrator, related service provider or paraprofessional? Contact me at cfoti@schools.nyc.gov.

Experience

Principal

NYC Department of Education

January 2010 – Present (4 years 9 months)

Assistant Principal

PS 811M -- The Mickey Mantle School

July 2007 – December 2009 (2 years 6 months)

Education

City University of New York-Hunter College

Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship

2004 – 2006

City University of New York City College

Master of Education (MEd), Special Education and Teaching

2002 – 2004

Columbia University

Urban Education and Leadership

2001 – 2002

Vassar College

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Sociology and Women's Studies

1998 – 2002

*****************************************************************

JOHANNA CHASE on LINKEDIN

Chief Executive Officer, Special Education at NYC Department of Education

Location

Greater New York City Area

Industry

Education Management

	NYC Department of Education, KIPP: STAR College Prep Charter School, Teach for America
	Pace University

Experience

Chief Executive Officer, Special Education

NYC Department of Education

March 2014 – Present (7 months)

Chief Operating Officer, Division of Students with Disabilities & English Language Learners

NYC Department of Education

2012 – March 2014 (2 years)New York, New York

Executive Director for Special Populations, Office of School Support

New York City Department of Education

February 2011 – December 2012 (1 year 11 months)

Chief of Staff

Division of School Support & Instruction, NYC Department of Education

2008 – January 2011 (3 years)

8th Grade English Teacher

KIPP: STAR College Prep Charter School

2007 – 2008 (1 year)

Corps Member Advisor

Teach for America

May 2007 – August 2007 (4 months)

8th Grade Math Teacher

NYC Department of Education

2005 – 2007 (2 years)Essence School, I.S. 311, Brooklyn, NY

 

CSA at Work: Small Change, Major Havoc

‘Supervisors of’ Face New Reorganization

by Anne Silverstein

LINK

The re-assignment of six Supervisors of Psychology from the recently disbanded Cluster 3 this summer has snowballed into an avalanche of questions about how some “Supervisors of…” should receive new assignments.

CSA has been in weekly, sometimes daily, conversations with the Department of Education since early August concerning Supervisors of Speech and Supervisors of Psychologists. The number of members affected has grown as the conversation topic has expanded: Now the assignments of about 30 Supervisors of Speech and 30 Supervisors of Psychology are at stake.

“We believe that district-like assignments make the most sense in providing support services to schools,” said CSA President Ernest Logan. With the current system of cluster assignments, Supervisors of... may have schools in two or three boroughs. “We’re wasting valuable time sitting in traffic and looking for parking spaces,” Mr. Logan said.

Summarizing the situation is difficult because the problem has grown – and changed – since the question of how to reassign six Supervisors of Psychology from Cluster 3 arose. Briefly here’s what happened, according to Audrey Fuentes, Executive Director Field Services, who has spearheaded the union’s efforts to bring member concerns to the DOE’s attention:

After the dissolution of Cluster 3 this summer, the DOE made tentative assignments for the six Supervisors of Psychology and planned to ask for feedback on the proposed placements in the remaining five Clusters, said Ms. Fuentes. During an early exchange with the DOE, Ms. Fuentes asked who would be the new rating supervisors for these members, and then opened the proverbial can of worms by asking, “What will happen to Cluster 3’s Supervisors of Speech?” Meanwhile, the six Supervisors of Psychology were tentatively reassigned.

By Aug. 29, the first day back for 10-month Supervisors, the DOE responded to Ms. Fuentes’
question with a proposal that perhaps all Supervisors of Speech should be aligned by Districts/Boroughs; the DOE then sent a survey to about 30 Supervisors of Speech assigned to Clusters to ask them their preferences. (Editor’s Note: Readers may be confused about the DOE asking anything about districts since from 2003 the DOE has assiduously battled to eliminate districts and assignments by district.)

Ms. Fuentes responded by expressing her concerns as to how member preferences will be handled, i.e. what would happen if two people wanted the same assignment, and what recourse members would have if they were unhappy. (She also asked to see the assignments for the Cluster 3 Supervisors of Psychology.) The DOE’s response was a little opaque, but ultimately said experience and prior work in a specific district was to be the criteria.

“Supervisors of Speech heard about the reassignments unofficially,” said Ms. Fuentes recently, “and there was an uproar from speech supervisors in terms of their assignments.” At this point, Ms. Fuentes asked Johannah Chase of the DOE’s Division of School Support and Instruction with whom she had been dealing, for a complete list of new assignments. “Our members were asking, ‘How come I got this district when I asked for another district?” Others felt they had been discriminated against, orthought one supervisor had been ‘favored’ over another.” Ms. Fuentes suggested these supervisors write to Ms. Chase.

“It was not clear to our members how decisions were made,” said Ms. Fuentes; the DOE’s attempts for transparency had not only fallen flat, but had created anger. So more meetings were held in September to discuss the issues. “We said, ‘If you’re going to ask for preferences as you make changes, you need to use seniority to make the decisions to be transparent and fair; you have to use a method that can be easily explained to the people involved.”

While the DOE has OK’ed assigning Supervisors of Speech in alignment with districts/ boroughs (since their jobs are closely aligned with schools,) it continues to say “no” to this method for placing Supervisors of Psychologists. The explanation is that Supervisors of Psychologists are aligned with clusters, which cross district and borough lines.

At a Sept. 26 meeting, the DOE said it was having trouble compiling seniority lists for Supervisors of Speech. By Oct. 26, Ms. Fuentes said, the list was to have been delivered to her but still hadn’t arrived. As for Supervisors of Psychologists, CSA is still pushing for the DOE to assign them by district/borough, but continues to meet resistance.