Mid-year Professional Conversations 1

JESA Preparation Process 2 Learn—Engage with the content as a participant and surface questions/hot spots. Internalize—Identify the key messages along with the intended knowledge, skills, and mindsets for the visit. Practice—Visualize and rehearse each part of the visit. Give and receive feedback. Implement—Facilitate highly effective sessions that lead to greater student learning!

Our Session Objectives Prepare for collaborative mid-year professional conversations (MYP) that will support teacher growth and foster a culture of mutual accountability by reflecting on successes from last year. 3 Participants will be able to… Identify key differences in the approach to discussing current performance in mid-year professional conversations. Develop a shared understanding of the rationale, impact, and logistics of mid-year professional conversations. Gather strategies for fostering a collaborative conversation between school leaders and teachers focused on teacher growth. Share resources, challenges, and solutions across school sites. Create an action plan based on shared resources for before, during, and after mid-year professional conversations.

Today’s Agenda I. Session Introduction II. Identifying Current Performance Teacher Practice Student Outcomes III. Mid-year Professional Conversations in Action Consider the approaches that best support teachers and leaders in completing MYP conversations Requirements for teachers rated “Ineffective” or “Developing” Share organizational and logistical resources for before, during, and after MYP conversations Time for school-based action planning 4

MYP Conversations can deepen the instructional dialogue between school leaders and teachers. 5 Asked how the MYP conversations effected school culture, participants emphasized an increase in dialogue about instruction and learning. “It’s created an environment where teachers can talk about best practices with administrators.” “Mid-year [professional conversations help] my team empower teachers to self-reflect and collaborate with colleagues to improve teaching practice.”

MYP Conversations bring together valuable formative data to support each teacher’s growth. At mid-year professional conversations, school leaders and teachers:  Reflect on teachers growth as they engage in collaborative cycles of observation, reflection, feedback, support, and development.  Review student assessment data and/or student work to anchor the conversation in terms of student outcomes.  Revisit expectations for the rest of the year and agree to individual next steps for development. 6

Participant Reflection 7 Think-Pair-Share Reflecting on mid-year professional conversations from last year, what is one strength of your conversations and one area you might want to improve?

Teacher Practice in MYP Conversations 8 1.Gather and review evidence, including component ratings (score tracker and/or MOTP Teacher Lever Report) and evaluator forms. 2.For each component, consider: What the evidence of teacher practice supports most consistently based on observation data and feedback conversations. Any trends of improvement or regression.

Student Outcomes in MYP Conversations 9 Mid-year professional conversations serve as an opportunity to determine whether we are meeting our shared goal – improving student learning– by identifying the practices that are or are not contributing to improved student outcomes for individual and groups of students.  School leaders should invite teachers to prepare to discuss student assessment data and/or student work.  School leaders should prepare to ask probing questions on student assessment data and impact of teacher practice.  Teachers and school leaders together should use evidence of student learning (E.g. Student performance; student work, etc. ) to identify strategies for targeted development for the teacher in order to improve their impact on student learning for all students.

Activity: An Example from the Field 10 2 minutes: Read How Principals Can Support Teachers in Assessing Goals mid-year. Star 1-2 recommendations that support effective preparation for mid-year professional conversations. Circle 1-2 recommendations that could be challenging for school leaders. 6 minutes: Pair with a partner. 2 minutes: Partner A shares their annotations and rationale. 1 minute: Partner B responds with any mutual concerns or solutions. Switch: Partner B shares and Partner A responds. In small groups

Today’s Agenda 11 I. Session Introduction II. Identifying Current Performance Teacher Practice Student Outcomes III. Mid-year Professional Conversations in Action Consider the approaches that best support teachers and leaders in completing MYP conversations Requirements for teachers rated “Ineffective” or “Developing” Share organizational and logistical resources for before, during, and after MYP conversations Time for school-based action planning

Expected Outcomes for MYP Conversations 12 A dialogue in which the teacher and school leader… Reflect on Progress Teachers with a TIP: Present evidence that demonstrates progress in outlined activities. Other Teachers: Reflect on teachers’ growth. Revisit Expectations Prioritize 2-3 next steps for the rest of the year and identify resources for supporting growth. Agree on a Plan to Follow-up Include follow-up dates and the specific outcomes they expect to see to demonstrate growth. Discuss Student Outcomes Discuss data to understand student performance at the collective, group, and individual levels.

Requirements for TIP Teachers 13 1.Mid-year professional conversation occurs between January 4 and April 30. If the teacher and evaluator are unable to come to an agreement of when to meet, the final decision will rest with the evaluator. 2.At the scheduled MYP conversation the teacher is responsible for presenting evidence that demonstrates the progress the teacher has made/is making towards outlined activities. 3.Evaluator documents on TIP form the completion of each activity for improvement. 4.If teacher has successfully completed all activities for improvement prior to final meeting, this meeting will serve as a way to provide opportunities to further improve on teacher’s performance. 5.After MYP conversation, the evaluator maintains copies of all documents used in the development and implementation of the TIP and has documents signed by the teacher The evaluator places copies of all documents in the teacher’s permanent personnel file upon completion of the TIP. (Best Practice: Provide copies to the teacher.)

A collaborative cycle of observations and feedback drives professional conversations and teacher growth Observe The school leader gathers low- inference evidence of teacher practice both inside and outside of the classroom. 2. Prepare and Share Feedback The school leader assesses practice based on the Danielson Framework for Teaching; school leader and teacher prioritize and determine 1-2 next steps. 3. Develop The teacher implements next steps with support from the school leader.

Before the Mid-year Professional Conversation… Observe 2. Prepare and Share Feedback 3. Develop

Objective: Use the provided organizational resources and last year’s experience to share best practices for Before Conversation across school sites. Activity: Planning for Effective MYP Conversations Before Conversation Jigsaw (Additional Resources in MYPC Toolkit) 3 minutes: Divide the 4 additional resources among the table. Become an “Expert” on your resource. 10 minutes: “Experts” present. 16

 Ensure each teacher has been observed and received feedback at least one time.  Set target dates to begin and end MYP conversations that allow teachers time to improve before EOY. For teachers with a Teacher Improvement Plan, conversations must be completed by April 30.  Utilize support staff (e.g., an administrative assistant) to help with paperwork.  Print copies of rubric to have on hand.  Create a strategic order for the conversations. 1. Before Conversation: Logistics 18

Evaluators should meet to create a shared understanding of the objectives and outcomes of mid-year professional conversations at their school. Agenda items may include…  Norming a MYP conversation prep process using one set of teacher data (preferably not HE/E throughout) so that school leaders that observe and evaluate teachers understand the process.  Role playing a conversation together to ensure you have a shared understanding of the purpose and agenda of MYP conversations.  School leaders may consider completing a few MYP conversations together at the beginning of the process.  Agree on communication and expectations. 2. Before Conversation: Preparing Your Leadership Team 19

3. Before Conversation: Teacher Communication  Communicate ahead and invite reflection: Emphasize the formative nature of MYP conversations. The goal is to engage in dialogue that promotes teacher growth. Review the components to ensure a shared understanding. Invite teachers to self-reflect on their teaching practice and evidence of student learning prior to the conversation. Use a staff meeting to share expectations for the conversations.  When inviting teachers to the mid-year professional conversations, share the objectives, agenda, expected outcomes, and what to bring. Aligned Resources: Optional Teacher Self reflection tool AWA Access for Teachers  20

 Review prior evaluator reports, shared feedback, and related student assessment data/work.  Identify and review student assessment data/work that you will discuss and how that data aligns with school-wide achievement goals.  Prepare questions in advance that are specific to the teacher, student assessment data/work, and school goals.  Prioritize suggested next steps and coordinated support plan for the teacher and be open to changing them based on your dialogue with teachers.  Develop a list of resources and available PD for each component. 4. Before Conversation: How School Leaders Can Prepare  Aligned Resources: Teacher Effectiveness Resources on WeTeach At A Glance Best Practices MYP Conversation Preparation Template  21

During the Conversation… Observe 2. Prepare and Share Feedback 3. Develop

Objective: Use the additional resources, sample MYP conversation video, and last year’s experience to reflect on the elements of effective MYP conversations. Activity: Planning for Effective MYP Conversations During Conversation (Handout: MYP conversations sample video reflection) 5 minutes: Watch and Jot: Watch the MYP conversation and jot the elements of effective practice you notice. 5 minutes: Team reflection and share. 23

6. During Conversation: Setting the Tone  Establish an environment that invites and values teacher input: Foster a collaborative dialogue with invitational inquiry. Elicit teacher’s reflections on teaching and learning throughout the conversation. Ask what feedback and professional learning has been most helpful.  Use a protocol to guide the conversation. Set a timeframe – like a lesson plan for how long each part of the conversation should take – and stay on time.  Review the protocol and objectives with the teacher.  Engage Effective and Highly Effective teachers in a conversation about retention and professional growth: Ask teachers where they hope to be five years in their career. Suggest ways Highly Effective teachers can coach and support other teachers. Aligned Resources: MYPC At a Glance  24

7. During Conversation: Meeting Expected Outcomes  Ground the conversation in data.  Reflect on and discuss teacher practice.  Discuss student outcomes: Discuss questions, standards, or benchmarks that were/were not mastered. Identify students that are/are not on target to meeting goals. If baseline data is also available, identify areas where growth is on target or is insufficient.  Although you have pre-identified areas for growth, first ask the teacher what he/she believes are the essential focus areas based on teacher practice data and student assessment data. Be open to the outcomes of the dialogue.  Finish by co-developing a clear plan of action that includes: evidence that will demonstrate growth, support and professional development offered by the school, and dates for follow-up. Aligned Resources: MYPC At a Glance  25

After the Conversation… Observe 2. Prepare and Share Feedback 3. Develop

Objective: Use the provided resources and cross-site experiences to reflect on the elements of effective Before, During, and After MYP conversations. Activity: Planning for Effective MYP Conversations After Conversation & Beyond 6 minutes: Content-driven challenges/solutions for After Conversations. After reading the content, a group member shares a challenge experienced with “After Conversations.” 5 minutes: Review and discuss Action Planning reflection questions. 27

8. After MYP Conversation: Next Steps for School Leaders  Conversation Reflection: School Leaders need to ask themselves after each MYP conversation: Were teachers appropriately prepared to contribute to the conversation in meaningful ways (i.e., teacher had already reflected on growth areas and analyzed student assessment data)? Did I facilitate a dialogue where the teacher was actively engaged in the conversation? Is there anything I would change for future professional conversations? How can I best continue to support this teacher’s development?  Record Next Steps for follow-up: Consider creating a list of next steps discussed in each conversation along with a plan for follow-up.  Reflect on your professional learning plan for the rest of the school year: How might you use the information from these conversations to revise your school’s professional learning plan? 28