WHEREAS, Delaware’s administrators, teachers, and specialists are evaluated under the Delaware Performance Appraisal System II-R (DPAS II-R); and

WHEREAS, the Delaware Performance Appraisal System was created to provide credible evidence on the performance of educators and enhance the skills and knowledge of educators through professional growth; and

WHEREAS, 99% of Delaware educators have been rated highly effective or effective; and

WHEREAS, according to the year seven report of the Delaware Performance Appraisal System II-R, 78% of administrators, 70% of teachers, and 78% of specialists believe the current evaluation system should not continue in its current form; and

WHEREAS, given the significance of the feedback on the Delaware Performance Appraisal System II-R, the system needs to be reviewed; and

WHEREAS, the review of the system would benefit from the continued engagement and input of the education stakeholders on the DPAS-II Advisory Committee and practitioners affected by the system;

NOW THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 148^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, with the approval of the Governor, that:

1. The Delaware Department of Education shall not propose any changes to 14 DE Administrative Code §106A, 107A and 108A that will take effect in the 2016- 2017 school year, unless such changes are the direct result of the approval of Delaware’s ESEA flexibility waiver application;

2. The DPAS II Advisory Committee is hereby directed to establish a sub-committee before July 30, 2015, in order to review and make recommendations for changes to the current educator evaluation system;

3. All changes to statute and regulation regarding educator evaluations should be focused on professional growth, continuous improvement of student outcomes, and providing quality educators in every school building and classroom;

4. The sub-committee shall review existing state statutes and regulations relating to teacher evaluations and make recommendations on the following:

a. Multiple measures which reflect the impact of clear teaching standards and where the components include detailed indicators that guide teacher performance and a teacher’s contribution to student growth. Measures to be considered include, but are not limited to, student learning objectives and other non-test options such as end-of-course projects;

b. Differentiated by years of experience;

5. In addition to the forgoing, the sub-committee shall also review existing state statutes and regulations relating to specialist evaluations and make recommendations based on the following:

a. Multiple measures based on standards developed by specialist national organizations in order to provide specialists with clear and actionable feedback to enhance their practice;

b. Relevance to the work of the specialist;

c. Differentiated between direct and indirect services; and

d. Flexibility for districts and charter schools to set building level goals for each specialist.

6. The sub-committee shall be composed of the following members:

a. Seven representatives of the DPAS II Advisory Committee appointed by the Chair, including at least one teacher and one administrator;

b. Three administrators, one representing each county, appointed by the Delaware Association of State Administrators;

c. Three educators, one representing each county and including at least one specialist, appointed by the Delaware State Education Association;

d. One administrator and one educator appointed by the Charter School Network; and

e. The sub-committee shall designate a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson from amongst its membership;

7. The sub-committee shall work in collaboration with the Department, and include the Secretary of Education or his/her designee and the President of the State Board of Education or his/her designee, who may participate in the sub-committee as non-voting members;

8. The sub-committee shall be staffed by existing personnel at the Department of Education; and

9. Recommendations must be sent to the Secretary of Education, the State Board of Education, and the House and Senate Education Committees by March 31, 2016.

SPONSOR:	Rep. Jaques & Sen. Sokola