You are on page 1of 30

NOTICE to LEAs:

Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA. The LEA should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS specific data has employment implications.

Act 82 Regulations:
http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol43/43-25/43_25_rr.pdf

Educator Effectiveness Project and Administrative Manual:


http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/educator_effectiveness_project/20903

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 1 of 29

Table of Contents
Process and Requirements ........................................................................................................................... 4 PVAAS Roster Verification Defined ........................................................................................................... 4 Purpose of PVAAS Roster Verification ...................................................................................................... 4 Teacher Not Available to Roster ............................................................................................................... 4 Roster Verification for a Teacher of Two LEAs.......................................................................................... 4 Class Size and Roster Verification ............................................................................................................. 5 Charter Schools, Roster Verification and PVAAS Teacher Reporting........................................................ 5 Teacher Eligibility .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Attribution of Teachers for PVAAS Teacher-Specific Reporting ............................................................... 6 Teachers and Eligibility ............................................................................................................................. 6 Content-Specific Instruction ..................................................................................................................... 7 Keystone-related Courses ......................................................................................................................... 8 Types of Eligible Teachers ......................................................................................................................... 8 Teachers Providing Interventions ............................................................................................................. 9 Instructional Coaches.............................................................................................................................. 10 Grade 3 Teachers .................................................................................................................................... 10 Science Teachers of PSSA Grades 4 and 8 .............................................................................................. 10 Online/Technology Enhanced Instruction .............................................................................................. 11 Long Term Substitutes (LTS) ................................................................................................................... 13 Homebound Instructors .......................................................................................................................... 13 Teachers of PASA Students ..................................................................................................................... 14 Teachers of Reading/Writing in the Content Areas ................................................................................ 14 Teachers and Standards for Literacy in History/Social Sciences, Science and Technical Subjects ...... 15 Co-Teaching and Highly Qualified ........................................................................................................... 15 AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) Teachers ............................................ 15 Intermediate Unit (IU) Teachers ............................................................................................................. 15 Career and Technical Education programs (CTEs) Teachers ................................................................... 15 Charter/Cyber Charter Teachers ............................................................................................................. 16 Teachers with One Section of Keystone Course ..................................................................................... 16 Teacher(s) for Reading and Literature Keystone Literature Exam ....................................................... 16 Teachers of Reading and English/Language Arts - PSSA ELA Assessment .............................................. 16 Teachers Providing Instruction in Multiple Schools or LEAs ................................................................... 17 Teachers in Multiple Schools within an LEA in a School Year ................................................................. 17 Teachers of Non-Public Students ............................................................................................................ 17 Instructional Responsibility......................................................................................................................... 18
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 2 of 29

Percent of Instructional Responsibility Defined ..................................................................................... 18 Determining % of Instructional Responsibility........................................................................................ 18 Determining % Student + Teacher Enrollment ....................................................................................... 18 Full/Partial % of Instruction Defined....................................................................................................... 19 % Student + Teacher Enrollment - NOT Attendance ............................................................................. 19 Rationale for Enrollment Instead of Attendance .................................................................................... 19 Determining Full/Partial % of Instruction with Multiple Teachers ......................................................... 20 Minimum % Instructional Responsibility to Claim a Student ................................................................. 21 Over-claimed Students within a School/LEA .......................................................................................... 21 Over-claimed Students across LEAs/Districts ......................................................................................... 21 Special Education Teachers Claiming Students without IEPs ................................................................. 22 Student Teachers and/or Paraprofessionals........................................................................................... 22 Tutoring/Supplemental Instruction as Supplemental Contract.............................................................. 23 Impact of Change in Keystone Testing Windows.................................................................................... 23 Teacher Rosters .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Teacher of Keystone Course with Students in a PSSA-tested Grade ...................................................... 24 Rosters for Keystone-related Courses in Block Schedule ....................................................................... 24 Inclusion of Students from Various Program Types................................................................................ 25 APPENDIX: Scenarios for Instructional Responsibility ................................................................................ 27

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 3 of 29

Process and Requirements


PVAAS Roster Verification Defined
Roster verification is the FINAL process used by an LEA for teachers and administrators to verify that teachers are linked accurately to students for the correct state assessed grade/subject/course and verify the proportion of instructional responsibility for each student. The goal is to provide PVAAS teacher-specific reporting based on accurate data. This will be accomplished via the PVAAS web-based roster verification system provided to LEAs by PDE. It is a secure, web-based system with double levels of authentication and login to ensure security of teacher-specific reporting. Each user is emailed when the roster verification window is opened. All roster changes are date and time-stamped to document each users activity in an audit trail within the PVAAS roster verification system. The submission of all rosters from your LEA as of the closing date of the District Admin PVAAS Roster Verification window is indication that all roster data have been reviewed and verified, and is true and correct to the best of your knowledge. This is also an indication that any and all disputes related to an individual educators roster data have been resolved prior to submission.

Purpose of PVAAS Roster Verification


PVAAS Roster Verification is a process in which teachers and administrators VERIFY that the right students are linked to the right teachers for EACH state-tested grade and subject or Keystone-related course, and for the right proportion of instructional responsibility. This is the FINAL opportunity for teachers and admins to verify the accuracy of these data. It is essential for a teachers rosters to accurately reflect ALL students in EACH tested grade and subject, and/or all students enrolled in a Keystone-related course(s) within a given school year for which the teacher had instructional responsibility. Since the linkage of students to teachers in an LEAs student information system may not always reflect the nuances of instructional responsibility, this process is an effort to verify those data so that students academic growth is tied to individual teachers in the fairest and most accurate way possible. Once the PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is released each fall, teachers and administrators will be able to drill-down within the PVAAS reporting and make sure the students included in the analyses reflect those students verified in the roster verification process.

Teacher Not Available to Roster


If a teacher is out on leave and/or is no longer an employee of the LEA, the School Admin and LEA should complete the roster verification process on behalf of the teacher.

Roster Verification for a Teacher of Two LEAs


If a teacher is employed by two LEAs, they should complete the respective roster(s) at each school for each LEA, with the students they taught through that LEA. When roster verification is complete, the web-based system is based on the assumption that the LEA(s)
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 4 of 29

a teacher completed roster verification with is their employed LEA(s). If a teacher completed roster verification at more than one LEA, they will receive value-added reporting from each LEA. If a teacher taught at multiple schools within the same LEA, they would still only get one report for each grade/subject/course for each school.

Class Size and Roster Verification


Class size does not impact whether or not a teacher participates in roster verification. The determining factor is whether the teacher instructs students in a state assessed subject/grade and/or course. More specifically, teachers who should participate are those who are permanent or temporary professional employees who hold a valid Pennsylvania teaching certificate AND who have full or partial responsibility for content-specific instruction of assessed eligible content as measured by the PSSA or Keystone exams, with or without accommodations.

Charter Schools, Roster Verification and PVAAS Teacher Reporting


Charter schools fall under different mandates than Pennsylvania public school districts, and as a result, can have different requirements. In general, the following is a list of the requirements versus non-requirements related to charter schools. NOT mandated by Act 82 to participate in the new Teacher Evaluation System Are encouraged to participate in the new Teacher Evaluation System Are required to administer state assessments to their students Are required to submit data and reports to PIMS, as do Pennsylvanias public school districts Are required to have 75% certified teachers o As long as this 75% requirement is met, the charter school does not need to be concerned about certification for teachers if they choose to participate in PVAAS roster verification and PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. Receive a School Performance Profile (SPP) score Receive PVAAS school-level reporting (when available) and student-level projection data via PVAAS website Are eligible to participate in PVAAS roster verification and PVAAS teacher-specific reporting if they choose to do so Are eligible to participate in the Student Learning Objective (SLO) pilot and the supports provided to the SLO pilot sites Charter schools in Pennsylvania were eligible to apply for and receive Race to the Top funds. By accepting those funds, the charter school is then required to fulfill the requirements of the grant, some of which include teacher evaluation requirements. For additional information on Race to the Top as it applies in Pennsylvania, please contact Angela Eifert (aeifert@pa.gov) or Sherry Zerbe (shezerbe@pa.gov). For any additional information or further questions regarding charter schools in Pennsylvania, please contact Steven Carney, Special Assistant for Charter Schools (stevcarney@pa.gov).
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 5 of 29

Teacher Eligibility
Attribution of Teachers for PVAAS Teacher-Specific Reporting
Attribution of teachers does not follow the same rules as school attribution. Attribution of teachers for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is about WHICH teacher(s) had the instructional responsibility for a student in a tested subject/grade, or Keystone-related course within the specific school year as identified by the LEA. This does not depend upon what school the students are from, the school in which the students tested, or upon how the teacher is funded. These teachers should be reported in the PIMS Course/HQT file and linked to the tested subject(s)/grade(s) or Keystone-related course(s), and the students of those subject(s)/grade(s) or Keystone-related course(s). Those teachers should have access to the PVAAS roster verification system and have rosters within that system. They will be responsible for verifying their rosters within the specified timeframes for PVAAS roster verification. Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA/district. The LEA/district should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS specific data has employment implications.

Teachers and Eligibility


Act 82 regulations include the following language: A professional or temporary professional employee who provides direct instruction to students related to a specific subject or grade level. This FAQ is intended to serve as a guide for LEAs as they determine eligibility and responsibility and make determinations as to which teachers are providing direct instruction to students. Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA. The LEA should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS teacher-specific data has employment implications. Teachers who are permanent or temporary professional employees, who hold a valid PA teaching certificate and who have full or partial responsibility for content-specific instruction of assessed eligible content as measured by Pennsylvanias assessments (PSSA and/or Keystone exams) are eligible. This may include other teachers than those who are the teacher of record. Pennsylvania defines the teacher of record as a professional or temporary professional educator assigned by a school entity as the primary instructor for a group of students. (Source: Highly Qualified Teacher Guidelines on PDE website) This currently includes PA-certified teachers providing content-specific instruction in assessed eligible content in subjects/courses/grades assessed by the PSSA and Keystone exams (with and without accommodations). This includes the grades/subjects/courses of PSSA reading and mathematics in grades 4-8; PSSA science in grades 4 and 8; PSSA writing in grades 5 and 8; and Keystone-related courses (Algebra I, Biology, Literature).
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 6 of 29

Act 82 does not speak to ONLY teachers instructing students who are at grade level. Act 82 does not include or exclude students at specific achievement levels - at, above, or below grade level.

Note: Pennsylvanias Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) is not included in PVAAS analyses as there are a very low number of students tested statewide. A significant number of students are needed for each grade level and subject to build a statistical model to yield valueadded measures for teachers from this assessment.

Content-Specific Instruction
Act 82 regulations include the following language: A professional or temporary professional employee who provides direct instruction to students related to a specific subject or grade level. This FAQ is intended to serve as a guide for LEAs as they determine eligibility and responsibility and make determinations as to which teachers are providing direct instruction to students. Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA. The LEA should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS teacher-specific data has employment implications. For the purpose of PVAAS teacher-specific reporting, content-specific instruction may occur when a teacher has the responsibility to plan the instruction of the assessed eligible content, provide the instruction of the assessed eligible content, and use the assessment information to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction of the assessed eligible content on a PA state assessment. Domains 1 and 3 from the Framework for Teaching may provide a guide for LEAs as they make this determination: Domain 1: Planning and Preparation o 1a- Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy o 1b- Demonstrating Knowledge of Students o 1c- Setting Instructional Outcomes o 1d- Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources o 1e- Designing Coherent Instruction o 1f- Designing Student Assessments Domain 3: Instruction o 3a- Communicating with Students o 3b- Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques o 3c- Engaging Students in Learning o 3d- Using Assessment in Instruction o 3e- Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness Content-specific instruction is a determination made locally by the LEA.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 7 of 29

Keystone-related Courses
LEAs will identify each course, the final course before a student takes a Keystone exam (Algebra I, Literature, and Biology) as an end of course exam. Only the teacher(s) of the students enrolled in a Keystone-related course will be eligible for a PVAAS score. All students in a Keystone-related course are to take the end of course Keystone exam unless they were previously at least proficient on the Keystone exam. Keystone-related courses will be coded as a Keystone course in the PIMS Course/HQT file starting with the SY13-14 PIMS collections. These data will be used to prepopulate the PVAAS roster verification system. It is the teacher(s) of the students enrolled in that final Keystone-related course who are eligible to receive a PVAAS score. Example: For a sequence of courses such as Algebra I A, Algebra I B, and Algebra I C, Algebra I C is the course that will be identified as the Keystone-related course. In this example, teacher(s) of the students enrolled in Algebra I C are the only teacher(s) eligible for a PVAAS score. Are Keystone remediation courses considered Keystone courses? The question to ask as your LEA decides which courses are designated as Keystone-related courses is, are the students ALL receiving instruction on all of the Keystone eligible content again? (It is an LEA decision as to which courses are Keystone courses.) If the answer to the above question is yes, then that would be a Keystone-related course and the test score for those students would be included in PVAAS reporting. An example of this type of remediation course would be a re-take of the Keystone course but instruction is delivered differently in the remediation course. If the answer to the above question is no, then that would NOT be considered a Keystone-related course and students test scores would NOT be included in PVAAS reporting. However, those students test scores would count towards the banking of achievement scores for grade 11, where the best score to date would be used in the % Proficient/Advanced for the achievement portion of the School Performance Profile. An example of this type of remediation course would be one in which each student only receives instruction on the Keystone eligible content where the student needs improvement (the course is filling in the gaps).

Types of Eligible Teachers


There may be more than one teacher planning, instructing and assessing the students, such as but not limited to co-teaching, team teaching, RtII, push-in programs, pull-out programs, and inclusive practices. This may include but not be limited to General Education, Special Education, ESL, Gifted, Title I, Reading/Math Specialist, and Intervention Teachers. Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA. The LEA should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS teacher-specific data has employment implications.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 8 of 29

Teachers Providing Interventions


Some LEAs use pre-developed, scripted intervention programs. Some are delivered in a face-to-face approach, while others may be delivered via an online approach. LEAs determine if the certified teacher for the intervention and/or support program is eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. Act 82 regulations include the following language: A professional or temporary professional employee who provides direct instruction to students related to a specific subject or grade level. These guiding questions below are intended to serve as a guide as LEAs make this determination for each teacher. The determination is made by the LEA. Do you as the LEA have Domain 1 and 3 expectations for the role of the certified teacher to ensure that students learn the intended eligible content? Does the teacher function more like a room monitor, similar to a study hall monitor, where the teacher might be monitoring behaviors while also grading papers, working on lesson plans, preparing work for the next class? OR Is the role of the teacher to circulate around the room, making sure that students are engaged in the work, helping/instructing students when they need support or have questions, stopping students to show them/instruct them another way to approach the task or explain why the answer they chose is incorrect? Is the teacher using assessment data to ensure that the students are working on the correct module (the module/lessons that targets their specific areas of need), and is the teacher expected to re-adjust as needed based on the students needs? Does the teacher communicate/share student needs and progress with other teachers who also have responsibility for these students in the same subject/grade/course, thereby assisting in the planning for the student? Is the teacher reviewing, assessing (formative/summative), grading and re-assigning students to complete, repeat, or redo certain portions of the program? Does the teacher use assessment data embedded in the program to determine (plan) which module/lesson or which point in the program the student should begin/do next? (student takes a pre-test and teacher uses pre-test data to determine/plan what level to place a student, or what module/lesson will serve as the starting point/next step)? Does the teacher intervene/instruct as students are working and help them understand/instruct them on their mistakes or address their misconceptions? If the student continued to struggle with the eligible content does the teacher have a role to instruct the student?

Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA. The LEA should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS specific data has employment implications.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 9 of 29

Instructional Coaches
If the role of the instructional coach is only to provide support and consultation only to PA certified educator(s), this does not meet the criteria for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is provided to those who provide content-specific instruction to the students. (Framework for Teaching, Domains 1 and 3)

Grade 3 Teachers
Grade 3 teachers are not eligible for PVAAS teacher specific reporting. Grade 3 is included in the PIMS Course/HQT collection for HQT reporting purposes. However, there is no grade 3 PVAAS district, school, or teacher-specific reporting as grade 3 is the first time in which a state assessment is administered to students. Grade 3 teachers do not need to complete roster verification. For grade 3 in PIMS Course/HQT: LEAs can default the two percentages to 100%. LEAs only need to report the teacher of record for HQT purposes. LEAs do NOT need to report other teachers who share instruction with that teacher of record for those students receiving instruction on grade 3 PSSA standards/eligible content.

Science Teachers of PSSA Grades 4 and 8


Science teachers of only grades 4 and 8 are eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting based on the PSSA. The grade 8 science assessment is considered a grade-level assessment as verified by PDE, Bureau of Assessment and Accountability. It is designed to assess the grade 8 science standards, assessment anchors, and eligible content. Grade 8 science (using your LEAs local course name) is considered the final course where the student is to be prepared for the grade 8 science assessment. PVAAS looks at the academic growth of a group of students WITHIN a school year. Please see the PVAAS Methodology on the PVAAS login page at https://pvaas.sas.com for how growth is determined for PVAAS science reporting. Science has its own set of standards and assessment anchors for 8th grade. Unless there are concurrent/simultaneous science courses in a grade level utilizing the same grade level standards, the science teacher(s) at the 8th grade level has the responsibility for the 8th grade Science Standards. The Science Standards state, "These standards describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level." Therefore the teacher(s) of 8th grade science are responsible for instruction of the grade 8 eligible content. It is an LEA local decision as to how standards are implemented. A sequenced course approach would be designed such that the students are leaving each of the courses with the required skills for that specific grade level. It is the teacher(s) in the final course of the sequence for that grade level/subject-specific assessment that will have those assessment scores attributed to them for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 10 of 29

The same approach is taken, for example, in sequences of courses for Algebra I; it is the final Keystone-related course that will be linked to students and a teacher to receive a PVAAS eligible score. For example, in a sequence of courses such as Algebra I A, Algebra I B, and Algebra I C, it is the Algebra I C course that will identified as the Keystone-related course. In this example, the teacher(s) of the students in Algebra I C are the only teacher(s) eligible for a PVAAS score. All teachers will have teacher specific data (fifteen percent (15%) teacher-specific data) as determined by the LEA as part of the overall teacher evaluation system. There are several options for teacher specific data for teachers in non-tested grades. These include (1) student performance on assessments (percent Proficient and Advanced); (2) valueadded assessment system data made available by the department under section 221 (must be at least 10%); (3) progress in meeting the goals of student individualized education plans required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Public Law 91-230, 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); and (4) locally developed school district rubrics (electives/SLOs).

Online/Technology Enhanced Instruction


LEAs may purchase online course/online content from private providers (units, lessons, assessments). Additionally, LEAs provide instruction to students using a range of approaches and resources. Many LEAs are providing instruction via online courses and/or instructional technologies. Face to face instructors and online instructors often use purchased or pre-developed curriculum materials for instructional purposes. Responsibility and eligibility for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is a determination made locally by the LEA. The LEA should consult its solicitor regarding any such determination because the application of PVAAS teacher-specific data has employment implications. In making this local determination related to online course content, the LEA may want to consider the following questions: Who is the teacher of record for this online/technology enhanced grade/subject/course? What is the role/responsibility of your online teachers related to state tested eligible content? Who is responsible for ensuring the student is making progress in the subject? What happens if a student is not successful on a lesson or unit? What is the role of the teacher of record/primary instructor? Who is responsible for issuing the final grade the student receives for the course? Who is responsible for addressing any questions or concerns raised by parents of individual students related to a students performance in these online courses? Below is a crosswalk of Domains 1 and 3 to online instruction/technology enhanced instruction. This is intended to illustrate the alignment between the role of a teacher and online/technology enhanced learning environments. Standards for online instruction - there are a range of resources describing effective online instruction. Two examples: International Association for K-12 Online Learning o http://www.inacol.org/
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 11 of 29

Best Practices in Online Teaching o http://www.uwec.edu/AcadAff/resources/edtech/upload/Best-Practices-inOnline-Teaching-Strategies-Membership.pdf

Content-specific instruction is a determination made locally by the LEA.


DOMAIN Domain 1 COMPONENT 1a- Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy 1b- Demonstrating Knowledge of Students Online/Technology Enhanced Examples Teacher ensures that content builds from prior knowledge and is aligned to PA Core Standards Utilizing student data to guide student learning; Teacher adapts lessons/content based on mastery of standards; Accommodations are made for students who have IEPs or need adaptations; Content is presented and adjusted in a way to meet the needs of a range of learners Ensures alignment to the PA Core Standards; Communicates goals to students In addition to interactive course content, the teacher provides resources such as internet resources (for supplement and extension to learning) Lesson instructions are detailed; Students have a clear understanding and pathway of what they need to accomplish in an online/ technology enhanced environment; Presenting content and questions; Injecting knowledge from diverse sources; Responding to technical concerns and understanding/misunderstanding about course content/design/delivery Student assessments assess the learning objective; Formative Assessments are used in online course to inform and adjust instruction Essential Questions are clearly defined and students have an understanding of course expectations through guidance of online teacher; Frequent and meaningful interaction with students; Focusing the discussion; Summarizing the discussion; Online discussion forums are used to promote interactive and engaging class discussions (synchronous and/or asynchronous) Content is rigorous and relevant to course content; Activities provide students with opportunities to work on authentic learning activities/projects, 1:1 or in small or whole group approaches Provides frequent and meaningful feedback to students. Feedback is used to adjust instruction to create individual learning paths for the students; Confirming understanding; Diagnosing misperceptions; Alternative assignments are made to differentiate and assess performance Teacher is flexible in adjusting and modifying lessons based on student needs; Teacher is willing to respond to student questions and relate questions to curriculum.

Domain 1

Domain 1 Domain 1

1c- Setting Instructional Outcomes 1d- Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources

Domain 1

1e- Designing Coherent Instruction

Domain 1

1f- Designing Student Assessments 3a- Communicating with Students

Domain 3

Domain 3 Domain 3

3b- Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques 3c- Engaging Students in Learning 3d- Using Assessment in Instruction

Domain 3

Domain 3

3e- Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 12 of 29

Long Term Substitutes (LTS)


Act 82 is for temporary professional employees or permanent professional employees. If your LTS is a temporary professional employee or permanent professional employee, then yes, they would fall under Act 82, PAs Educator Effectiveness System. If not, the LEA is not required to evaluate them. The LEA may choose to evaluate them as many LTS may be working towards their Level II certification. The % of Student + Teacher Enrollment (Concurrent Enrollment) should accurately reflect for the non-LTS teacher the % of days the teacher is concurrently enrolled with each student, from Day 1 of the tested subject/grade/course to the last day before the LEAs testing window opens for that tested subject/course. Hence, if an LTS takes over responsibility for another teacher, the % of concurrent enrollment for that other teacher would be reduced accordingly to reflect the % of concurrent enrollment. These are the specific reporting requirements for substitutes and PIMS: PIMS reporting rules for the Course/HQT collection are slightly different than the October Staff collection. Subs are to be reported in Course/HQT when any of the below statements are true: o They have all of the instructional responsibility for a given course, all year. This makes them the Teacher of Record automatically. o They are the Teacher of Record for a course. o They work in the same teaching assignment for 70 or more days, regardless of whether or not they are considered the Teacher of Record. It may be necessary to report a LTS in PIMS even if that LTS will not get a PVAAS score. This is due to a couple of factors. First, LTS may be considered Teachers of Record and would need to be reported for HQT calculations. Second, LTS may use their work that covers 70 or more days towards obtaining their Level II Certification. Also, keep in mind that reporting rules for Course/HQT changed this year for teachers on leave. Teachers on leave for the entire year (i.e., never actually taught students) cannot be reported as teachers of record. Pennsylvania defines the Teacher of Record as the primary instructor.

Homebound Instructors
When considering the inclusion of teachers in the PVAAS roster verification process/system and eligibility for a PVAAS score, the question to consider is, Who is/are the teacher(s) responsible for the content-specific instruction of the student? If the teacher who is responsible is in fact a temporary or permanent professional employee, then they would fall under Act 82 and would be eligible for participation in the PVAAS roster verification process if they also hold a valid PA teaching certificate and have full or partial responsibility for the content-specific instruction of the assessed eligible content as assessed by the PSSA or Keystone exam. Based on the role of the instructor, LEAs will make this determination. Key questions: Is the homebound teacher the teacher of record/defined in PA as the primary instructor?
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 13 of 29

Is the homebound teacher the only instructor with the responsibility for the content-specific instruction of the student (Domains 1 & 3)? Is this work within the scope of the teachers employment? Or, is the work completed under a supplemental contract? For the situation where an employee also holds a supplemental contract, the LEA determines if the supplemental work is reflected in the teachers evaluation. "Homebound Instruction" is the instruction a district or charter school may provide when a student has been excused from compulsory attendance under 22 Pa. Code 11.25 due to temporary mental or physical illness or other urgent reasons. (PDE BEC Instruction Conducted in the Home) "Instruction conducted in the home" is included in the definition of special education located in the federal regulations (34 CFR 300.39(a)(i)) and is recognized as a placement option on the continuum of alternative placements for students with disabilities (34 CFR 300.115). The use of instruction conducted in the home is restricted to students whose needs require full-time special education services and programs outside the school setting for the entire day. Ordinarily, these will be students who, because of a severe medical condition or mobility impairment, are unable to leave home to attend school. (PDE BEC Instruction Conducted in the Home)

Teachers of PASA Students


Students taking the PASA are not included in the analyses for PVAAS district, school, or teacher reporting. If a teacher has instructional responsibility for ONLY students who take the PASA, there will not be a roster. That teacher does not need to complete the PVAAS roster verification process. If a teacher does have instructional responsibility for a subject/grade/course tested by the PSSA or Keystone exam, the teacher should claim all students for the appropriate % of instructional responsibility on their PSSA and Keystone rosters. SAS EVAAS will remove those students who take the PASA before the value-added analyses. When SAS EVAAS sees a PASA score for a student in the data file, the student will be removed prior to any analyses. This way, all students are accounted for and no students are accidentally excluded. Note: Refer to the PIMS Course/HQT requirements for reporting Highly Qualified, as related to courses for students taking the PASA. HQT requirements are separate from the needs for PVAAS roster verification and teacher-specific reporting.

Teachers of Reading/Writing in the Content Areas


Many teachers who provide instruction in non-state assessed grades/subjects/courses only (ex. Social Studies) integrate reading and writing across the content areas. These teachers are not eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. The PA School Performance Profile reflects the influence of all teaching staff on school-wide academic results.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 14 of 29

Teachers and Standards for Literacy in History/Social Sciences, Science and Technical Subjects
The PA Core Standards includes Standards for Literacy in History/Social Sciences, Science and technical Subjects. The Standards for Literacy in History/Social Sciences, Science, and Technical Subjects are not assessed on the PSSA and/or the Keystone exams. PVAAS teacher-specific reporting is aligned to those teachers providing content-specific instruction of the assessed eligible content on PSSA and Keystone exams.

Co-Teaching and Highly Qualified


In a co-teaching situation there may be only one teacher who is highly qualified. However, both may be eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. If the LEA determines that there is shared instructional responsibility for the assessed eligible content, then the percent of instructional responsibility will be less than 100% for each teacher, if there is more than one PA certified teacher who is responsible for instruction for the subject/grade/course. Note that the key word is PA certified teacher, NOT PA content-certified teacher. Highly qualified teacher (HQT) reporting only looks to see if there is one highly qualified teacher per course. (The percent of instructional responsibility determines how much each student is weighted in each teachers value-added analysis and reporting.)

AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) Teachers


Since AP and IB courses have different standards and are not directly tested with state assessments, teachers of AP and IB courses typically do not complete rosters for those courses unless an LEA/district has identified an AP or IB course as a Keystone course for Keystone Algebra I, Keystone Literature, and/or Keystone Biology. Keystone courses are identified and coded by LEAs as Keystone courses in the PIMS Course/HQT submission to PDE. Keystone courses result in students taking the Keystone exam as an end of course exam. If an AP or IB course is identified by the LEA as a Keystone course, it would be reflected in the PVAAS roster verification system by the name of the state assessment associated with that Keystone identified course (for example, Keystone Winter-tested or Keystone Spring-tested).

Intermediate Unit (IU) Teachers


If an IU has PA certified teachers (temporary professional employees or permanent professional employees), who have either full or partial responsibility for the contentspecific instruction of the assessed eligible content as measured by PSSA or Keystone exams, these teachers are eligible for a PVAAS score. This would be used as part of a teachers final rating form once a PVAAS three-year rolling average is available.

Career and Technical Education programs (CTEs) Teachers


If a CTE has PA certified teachers (temporary professional employees or permanent professional employees), who have either full or partial responsibility for the contentspecific instruction of the assessed eligible content as measured by PSSA or Keystone exams, these teachers are eligible for a PVAAS score. This would be used as part of a teachers final rating form once a PVAAS three-year rolling average is available.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 15 of 29

Charter/Cyber Charter Teachers


Charter schools and cyber charter schools receiving funds through Pennsylvanias Race to the Top (RTTT) program are encouraged to use Pennsylvanias Educator Effectiveness System as per Act 82. This includes PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. See RTTT for specific requirements for Educator Effectiveness. The use of Pennsylvanias new Educator Effectiveness System is encouraged for all other Pennsylvania charter schools and cyber charter schools. PDE will provide PVAAS teacherspecific reporting to charters/cyber charters if they participate in PVAAS roster verification.

Teachers with One Section of Keystone Course


Teachers of only one section of students are eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. However, PDE developed business rules regarding PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. The business rules will address a minimum number of students necessary to yield PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. See PVAAS Teacher-Specific Reporting FAQ on N counts.

Teacher(s) for Reading and Literature Keystone Literature Exam


There are situations where there may be more than one course aligned to a single state assessment. For example, there may be a student taking Reading and Literature, with both courses identified by the LEA as Keystone courses. LEAs will make the determination as to which teacher(s) have students attributed to them for the Keystone exam based on their local curriculum. An LEA will determine which teacher(s) are providing content-specific instruction of the assessed Keystone Literature eligible content.

Teachers of Reading and English/Language Arts - PSSA ELA Assessment


There may be scenarios where the reading and the English/Language Arts teachers are eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. Each LEA must carefully consider how the curriculum and instruction is delivered in these grade levels. It is an LEA decision as to which teachers have instructional responsibility for the assessed eligible content at each tested grade level. For each student, the LEA and teachers should discuss who has provided the instruction towards the assessed eligible content. For some students, this may only be the English teacher; for other students, this may only be the reading teacher. While for another group of students, both teachers may be providing the instruction of the assessed eligible content. An LEA will determine which teacher(s) are providing content-specific instruction of the assessed eligible content on the PSSA Reading and/or PSSA Writing assessment. LEAs will make this same determination with the PSSA ELA assessment when it is operational. In some cases, there may be additional teacher(s), who also provide(s) instruction of the assessed eligible content, such as a Learning Support teacher and/or intervention specialist. For students where both (or even three or more) teachers are providing the instruction, the LEA and teachers will need to discuss for each student the % of Full or Partial Instruction that was provided by EACH teacher.
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 16 of 29

o This is a local LEA decision as to how the 100% of a students instruction is shared between the multiple teachers who are providing instruction; it is the LEA and teachers who know how the instructional responsibility is actually shared amongst multiple teachers.

Teachers Providing Instruction in Multiple Schools or LEAs


Teachers who provide instruction to students from multiple schools or LEAs are eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. This may occur in situations including but not limited to, teachers with instructional responsibility for students in programs operated by an Intermediate Unit, cyber schools, online learning courses, and/or LEA/district consortiums. A teacher may have a roster with students from multiple LEAs. Teachers may be employed by an LEA to provide instruction to students from multiple LEAs such as a multiLEA/district special education consortium, a multi-LEA/district online course consortium and/or an IU providing services to students from multiple LEAs. If the instruction provided by the employee is in a state assessed subject/grade/course, the teacher is eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. The PVAAS reporting would include the students from all LEAs/districts instructed by the teacher in the specific subject/grade/course. The employer of the teacher reports the students in PIMS Course/HQT and verifies the roster(s) for the teacher.

Teachers in Multiple Schools within an LEA in a School Year


There are teachers who provide instruction in more than one school within an LEA/district in a given school year. Teachers will complete a roster for each state assessed grade/subject/course BY SCHOOL. One value-added report will be provided for each state assessed grade/subject/course, across schools within the LEA.

Teachers of Non-Public Students


Some LEAs have temporary professional employees or permanent professional employees who only provide instruction to non-public students. LEA teachers who provide instruction to non-public school students in non-public schools do NOT receive PVAAS teacher-specific data for non-public school students. Non-public students are not required to take the state assessments. This is the choice of each non-public school. Non-public students are not required to have a PAsecureID. The PAsecureID is the only unique student level identifier in PA. The PAsecureID is needed to longitudinally merge student assessment scores at a level of high quality.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 17 of 29

Instructional Responsibility
Percent of Instructional Responsibility Defined
The Percent of Instructional Responsibility represents the amount that each student will be weighted in the value-added analyses for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. PVAAS teacher-specific reporting should fairly represent the proportion of instructional responsibility for each student with each teacher for each tested subject/grade/course. This proportion may vary by student. Students with less than 100% instructional responsibility are weighted less than those with 100% instructional responsibility.

Determining % of Instructional Responsibility


There are two pieces of information used to determine the total Percent of Instructional Responsibility for each student instructed by a teacher. Part 1 of 2: Percentage of Student + Teacher Enrollment The percentage of days that a student and a teacher are concurrently enrolled in a grade/subject/course together; and Part 2 of 2: Percentage of Instruction The percentage of direct instruction for which a teacher is responsible for a grade/subject/course for a specific student. o The Percentage of Instruction is 100% if there is only one PA certified teacher who is fully responsible for the instruction while concurrently enrolled with the student. o The Percentage of Instruction will be less than 100% if there is more than one PA certified teacher who is responsible for the instruction, such as co-teaching and team teaching.

Determining % Student + Teacher Enrollment


The percentage of days that a student and a teacher are enrolled together (concurrently enrolled) for a subject/grade/course, from Day One of the subject/grade/course up to and including the last school day before the LEAs testing window opens in that subject/course. % Student + Teacher Enrollment is equal to (Total # Days Student + Teacher Concurrently Enrolled) divided by (Total # Days for Course/Subject/Grade). o Total # Days Student + Teacher Concurrently Enrolled Number of school days for a course/subject/grade that student and teacher are enrolled together, from Day One of the subject/grade/course up to and including the last school day before the LEAs testing window opens in that subject/course. o Examples of days that can decrease this number: Student and/or teacher enroll part way through a subject/grade/course Student and/or teacher un-enroll from a subject/grade/course Extended, LEA-approved, or board-approved leave of absence for student or teacher o Examples of days that cannot decrease this number: Teacher or student absent for sick day or vacation Instruction provided by student teacher or paraprofessional Student out for extracurricular activity Teacher out for meeting, professional development, or coaching
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 18 of 29

Total # Days for Course/Subject/Grade Number of days for a course/subject/grade, from Day One of the subject/grade/course up to and including the last school day before the LEAs testing window opens in that subject/grade/course. o Does NOT include days when all students are not in school: Holidays Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences Professional Development Days Weather-related closings

Full/Partial % of Instruction Defined


The full/partial % of instruction" is defined as the percent of instruction of a course/grade/subject that the teacher is responsible for the content-specific instruction of a student while concurrently enrolled with the student. This cannot be greater than 100%; a student cannot be claimed for more than 100%. If a teacher is the only PA certified educator providing the content-specific instruction of the assessed eligible content while concurrently enrolled with the student, the % of Instruction is 100%. In most situations the percent of instruction will equal 100%. If the teacher shares the responsibility for the content-specific instruction of the assessed eligible content with another PA certified teacher (for example: coteaching, team teaching, RtII, push-in/pull-out programs, inclusive practices), the % of Instruction is adjusted accordingly. The Percent of Instruction is NOT adjusted based on enrollment or attendance. The % of instruction is based on which PA certified teachers provide instruction in a subject/grade/course to a student and determining the proportion of instruction they each had for each student.

% Student + Teacher Enrollment - NOT Attendance


The percentage of student + teacher enrollment is specific to the percentage of school days that a student and a teacher are concurrently enrolled in a subject/grade/course while the teacher is responsible for content-specific instruction for the course/grade/subject. This is not the same as student or teacher attendance. Teachers should NOT adjust their data to account for student absenteeism.

Rationale for Enrollment Instead of Attendance


The district, school, and individual teacher(s) each have a role in preventing and intervening with student attendance issues. The School Performance Profile reflects the effectiveness of the schools efforts to address student attendance. The use of enrollment in PVAAS teacher-specific reporting reflects the responsibility of individual teachers in preventing and intervening with student attendance issues. Teachers are responsible for the education of each student in a subject/grade/course which results in a subject/course grade, as well as performance on state assessments.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 19 of 29

Teacher-specific strategies include areas such as high expectations, relevant/meaningful/engaging instruction, relationship building with students, mentoring, parent communication, group and individual incentive programs, and continuity of instruction (teacher attendance). Students can be dropped/un-enrolled from a subject/grade/course based on LEA policy.

Determining Full/Partial % of Instruction with Multiple Teachers


First, it is important to remember that the total Percent of Instructional Responsibility for a student in PVAAS roster verification is comprised of two separate percentages: (1) % Student + Teacher Enrollment and (2) Full or Partial % of Instruction. These two separate percentages are multiplied together for each student to determine the overall total percent of instructional responsibility for that studentthis is used to determine how much a student is weighted in a teachers value-added analyses and reporting. The % Student + Teacher Enrollment is considered to be the proportion of the subject/grade/course in which the student and teacher are concurrently enrolled. That is not the percent discussed here. The Full or Partial % of Instruction is defined as the proportion of instruction for which a teacher was responsible during the time in which the student and teacher were enrolled together in the subject/grade/course. If there is only one teacher who is solely responsible for the content-specific instruction for the student, then the Full or Partial % of Instruction should equal 100%. If there is more than one teacher responsible for the content-specific instruction for the student, then the Full or Partial % of Instruction for each student will be less than 100%. This may occur in situations like the following: o Co-teaching o Team teaching o Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) o Push-in or Pull-out programs o Shared instruction between General Education Teacher and, including, but not limited to: Special Education Teacher Intervention Specialist Reading/Math Specialist Gifted Teacher Title I Teacher ESL Teacher When calculating the Full or Partial % of Instruction for each student where the contentspecific instruction is provided by multiple teachers, the questions to ask are: 1. How much of the instruction (Domains 1 and 3) belong with Teacher 1? 2. How much of the instruction (Domains 1 and 3) belong with Teacher 2? With Teacher 3 (if applicable)? Etc. 3. NOTE: Some LEAs are using time instructing to determine the percent of Full/Partial Instruction
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 20 of 29

It is important to remember that the Full or Partial % of Instruction may and can vary for each student. Hence, it is vital that teachers and administrators work together to decide how the Full or Partial % of Instruction is shared for a student as a student cannot be claimed for more than 100%. In any case where instruction is shared amongst multiple teachers, only ONE of the teachers in the subject/grade/course needs to be Highly Qualified for HQT reporting purposes. Teachers do NOT have to be Highly Qualified in order to share in the Full or Partial % of Instruction for a student for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting.

Minimum % Instructional Responsibility to Claim a Student


All students are to be included and rostered if a temporary professional employee or permanent professional employee is responsible for the instruction in a state assessed subject/grade/course (PSSA and/or Keystone). For any student claimed less than 10% overall Instructional Responsibility (% Student+ Teacher Enrollment X % Full/Partial Instruction), then the student will be excluded from a teacher value-added analyses prior to the analyses. SAS EVAAS will exclude the student from the analyses. SAS EVAAS will remove any student claimed for less than 10% overall Instructional Responsibility (% Student+ Teacher Enrollment X % Full/Partial Instruction) before the PVAAS analyses are completed. Teachers can drill down in their PVAAS teacher-specific reporting to see which students were included and exclude from the analyses and reporting.

Over-claimed Students within a School/LEA


All over-claiming within an LEA is to be resolved. School administrators will work with other school administrators within the same LEA to correct the over-claiming of any student within the same LEA. Any teachers roster which is modified is returned to the teacher by the School Admin for review, and then will be resubmitted to the School Admin. In the teacher value-added reports, the percentage of instructional responsibility claimed for an individual student cannot exceed 100% across all teachers in a particular subject, grade, and year. If the percentage claimed does exceed 100% and is not resolved during the roster verification process, then each teacher's instructional responsibility will be reallocated proportionally so that the total percentage equals 100% for the student. For example, if Teacher A claims a student for 75% of the 5th grade PSSA Math instruction and Teacher B claims the same student for 50% of the 5th grade PSSA Math instruction, then Teacher A's claim is re-allocated to 60% (75/125) and Teacher B's claim is re-allocated to 40% (50/125).

Over-claimed Students across LEAs/Districts


It is not always realistic to expect LEAs to contact other LEAs regarding students who are over-claimed across LEAs. LEAs are only expected to resolve over-claiming across LEAs if they share a student with another LEA simultaneously (example: co-teaching between district teacher and IU teacher). In the teacher value-added reports, the percentage of instructional responsibility claimed for an individual student cannot exceed 100% across all teachers in a particular subject, grade, and year. If the percentage claimed does exceed 100% and is not resolved during the roster verification process, then each teacher's instructional responsibility will be re-allocated proportionally so that the total percentage
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 21 of 29

equals 100% for the student. For example, if Teacher A in LEA #1 claims a student for 75% of the 5th grade PSSA math instruction and Teacher B in LEA #2 claims the same student for 50% of the 5th grade PSSA math instruction, then Teacher A's claim is re-allocated to 60% (75/125) and Teacher B's claim is re-allocated to 40% (50/125).

Special Education Teachers Claiming Students without IEPs


Special education teachers CAN have students without IEPs attributed to them in which they would claim a proportion of a students Full or Partial % of Instruction. (This was verified through the Director of the PDE, Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality.) The question to ask is, who does the special education teacher actually have instructional responsibility for? This may vary from classroom to classroom, and from coteaching team to co-teaching team. In one instance, the general education and special education teacher in a co-teaching model could both have all students attributed to each of them. However, in another instance, the general education teacher could have all students attributed to him/her, while the special education teacher could have just the students with IEPs attributed to him/her. This will depend on the model of co-teaching in place. In all situations, it is a local LEA decision as to how the Full or Partial % of Instruction is shared for a student who is receiving content-specific instruction from multiple teachers. We strongly encourage that teachers and administrators in these situations work together to determine these percentages. In any cases where instruction is shared amongst multiple teachers, only ONE of the teachers in the subject/grade/course needs to be Highly Qualified for HQT reporting purposes. Teachers do NOT have to be Highly Qualified in order to share in the Full or Partial % of Instruction for a student.

Student Teachers and/or Paraprofessionals


PA certified teachers working with a student teacher and/or paraprofessional are responsible for the content-specific instruction of the students and are not excluded from PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. Student teachers and paraprofessionals are NOT included in PVAAS teacher-specific reporting because they are not serving in a position that requires PA instructional certification. Although a teacher is working with a student teacher/paraprofessional, a teacher eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting would still claim 100% responsibility of instruction unless that instruction is shared with another PA certified teacher (e.g., coteaching, team teaching). A recent study was conducted to compare teacher value-added reports for teachers who did have a student teacher in the classroom to their reports when these same teachers did not have a student teacher in the classroom. SAS EVAAS, 2014 Preliminary Report: The Impact of Student Teachers on Teacher Value-Added Reporting. The report can be found at http://www.state.tn.us/thec/Divisions/AcademicAffairs/aa_main.html under the Integrating TVAAS into Pre-Service Teacher Training heading.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 22 of 29

Tutoring/Supplemental Instruction as Supplemental Contract


An LEA may have teachers who provide tutoring/supplemental instruction outside the scope of the employees contract. The employer has the option of whether or not work under a supplemental contract is reflected with an employees evaluation.

Impact of Change in Keystone Testing Windows


Unfortunately the winter weather during SY2013-14 added some challenging scheduling situations for schools for which we could not have anticipated or planned for regarding data collection or PVAAS roster verification. There is no single approach in how to adjust enrollment percentages needed for PVAAS roster verification for those LEAs who made the decision to change their testing windows. As you know, the dates for PVAAS Roster Verification are as follows: April 28 May 4: LEA/Admin Preview Window May 5 May 18: Teacher Verification Window May 19 June 1: School Admin Verification Window June 2 June 8: District Admin Verification Window If your LEA decided to make a change to your testing window(s), then it is possible that the overall percentage of Instructional Responsibility for each student may not be correct based upon what was entered into the system. That is true for any changes which occurred since your LEAs PIMS submission. LEAs may be interested in providing some additional time for teachers to verify rosters given the new testing windows. There is a built-in option for that to occur in the PVAAS system. See below. The PVAAS roster system is set up to work statewide all windows opening and closing at the same time. The teacher can begin work on rosters when the Teacher Verification window opens. Once the Teacher Verification window closes, if the School Admin wants to give a teacher(s) more time to verify rosters, s/he can send the rosters back to the teacher during the two week School Admin Verification window. At the beginning of the two week Teacher Verification window, what can be done by teachers: o Make sure the right rosters are in the system. If they need Winter-tested Keystone Roster and/or Spring-tested Keystone roster, make sure the right roster is setup. o Make sure all students to date are included, reflecting the correct percentages as of that date. o For the students who are there until the last school day before your LEA testing window opens, no changes would be needed - unless WHO is teaching them/not teaching them changes. During or near end of the Teacher Verification window (or if the school Admin sends the rosters back to a teacher) if any student leaves after that point or the teacher goes on leave, the % can be adjusted accordingly.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 23 of 29

o Reminder: If the School Admin wants to give teachers more time, s/he can send the rosters back to the teacher during the two week School Admin Verification window. Neither PVAAS nor PIMS can make the changes for LEAs as each LEAs testing window(s) are different. For example, LEAs start school on different days, start semesters on different days, have different calendars overall, and have different testing windows. PVAAS teacher-specific reporting does EXCLUDE students from PVAAS analyses if the overall percentage of Instructional Responsibility is less than 10%. Some LEAs are using their Student Information System to generate reports with the new % Student + Teacher Enrollments based on changes in testing windows. They are giving these reports to administrators AND teachers so they can have them on hand when they verify or make changes to these percentages. The way your LEA needs to adjust for the changes in testing windows will depend on what Student Information System (SIS) you use and how much the LEAs Student Information System has re-aligned to PIMS state reporting needs in SY2013-14. Does your SIS have any reporting capabilities to provide reports regarding the % Student + Teacher Enrollment which could help as modifications are needed based on changes in testing windows? Or, is a staff member available who is good at pulling data from your SIS to obtain this information?

Teacher Rosters
Teacher of Keystone Course with Students in a PSSA-tested Grade
This kind of situation occurs when students are taking a PSSA along with a Keystone exam as they are enrolled in a Keystone-related course. In these situations, a teacher who taught students taking both the PSSA and the Keystone exams will need a roster for each. Most often, this kind of scenario occurs in middle schools where grade 8 students are enrolled in an Algebra I Keystone-related course. In this scenario, the middle school Math teacher who taught the 8th grade students in Algebra I would need two rosters: one for PSSA grade 8 Math and one for Keystone Algebra I. In this type of situation, grade 8 Math does NOT need to be taught as a separate course. There may, in fact, be occasional situations where the teacher has both 7th and 8th grade students (and possibly even earlier grade levels of students) in a Keystone Algebra I course. In this scenario, the teacher would need three rosters: one for PSSA grade 7 Math, one for PSSA grade 8 Math, and one for Keystone Algebra I. The teacher will receive PVAAS teacher-specific reporting for both the PSSA subject/grade area assessment(s) and the Keystone course.

Rosters for Keystone-related Courses in Block Schedule


When considering students who are to be reported on a teachers roster in the PVAAS roster verification system, it is important to remember that students should only be included on a teachers roster if the student is concurrently enrolled with the teacher at any point while enrolled in the Keystone-related course. The students score on the Keystone exam at the end of that course will then be used in the analyses for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting.
PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 24 of 29

If a teacher is providing instruction in a semester-long course (versus a year-long course), it is important for that teacher to have the appropriate roster (Winter-tested roster versus Spring-tested roster) so that information is accurately captured on the semester in which a student is actually enrolled in a Keystone-related course and linked to the test score from the correct testing window. Consider these two different examples. 1. Teacher of Year-Long Biology Course Consider Teacher Jackson who teaches a year-long Biology course in his high school. Throughout the school year, Teacher Jackson teaches four periods of this year-long course. In this case, Teacher Jackson will need only ONE roster that will include students from all four periods who are concurrently enrolled with him at any point during the Spring tested Biology course. This roster will appear in the PVAAS roster verification system as Biology (Spring tested) as those students will test in the Spring testing window at the end of the year-long course. 2. Teacher of Two Semester-Long Biology Courses Consider Teacher Jones who teaches two semester-long Biology courses in her high school. Throughout semester 1, Teacher Jones teaches four periods of this semester-long course. Throughout semester 2, Teacher Jones teaches only two periods of the semester-long course. In this case, Teacher Jones needs TWO rosters as indicated below: o The first roster will appear in the PVAAS roster verification System as Biology (Winter-tested) and include all students from all four periods of the Semester 1 course who were concurrently enrolled with her at any point in the Semester 1 course and consequently tested in the Winter testing window at the end of the semester-long course. o The second roster will appear in the PVAAS roster verification System as Biology (Spring-tested) and include all students from the two periods of the Semester 2 course who were concurrently enrolled with her at any point in the Semester 2 course and consequently tested in the Spring testing window at the end of the semester-long course.

Inclusion of Students from Various Program Types


PDE recognizes that many students are being provided instruction in non-traditional classroom placements or approaches. These could include (but are not limited to) programs such as cyber programs, alternative education placements, and private residential rehabilitation. If your LEA/district employs a temporary professional employee or permanent professional employee who is responsible for the instruction of students, including in these types of non-traditional classroom placements or approaches, then the teacher does fall under Act 82 and would be eligible for PVAAS teacher-specific reporting. It will be important for administrators to work with those teachers to determine the % of instructional responsibility the teacher has for each student in the assessed subjects/grades/courses in which the teacher provided instruction. If the students are in facilities run by the school district, it is important for ALL teachers who are providing instruction to determine % instructional responsibility; this includes teachers who are co-teaching or sharing the instruction of students.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 25 of 29

If the students are in outside placements in private facilities WITH privately-employed teachers (BOTH must be true), then you do not need to report course data in PIMS. If the teachers of the students are IU teachers, the IU must report course data in PIMS. If the teachers are employed by private entities, you may use ID 9999999.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 26 of 29

APPENDIX: Scenarios for Instructional Responsibility


See Sample Scenarios document on PVAAS login page for additional examples: https://pvaas.sas.com Example 1
Mrs. Johnson teaches Grade 4 Reading. Her class consists of 3 students: Billy, Jane, and Mary. This is a full year course, and Mrs. Johnson is the only teacher in this grade/subject. All three students and Mrs. Johnson are enrolled concurrently from Day 1 of Grade 4 Reading until the last school day before the PSSA Reading testing window opens for Mrs. Johnsons LEA.

Example 2 (Self-Contained Elementary Classroom)


Mrs. Johnson teaches Grade 4. She teaches both Math and Reading in a self-contained environment. Her class consists of three students: Billy, Jane, and Mary. Both Math and Reading are full year courses, and Mrs. Johnson is the only teacher in these subjects.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 27 of 29

Example 3 (Shared Instruction)


Mr. Smith and Mrs. Wolf co-teach Algebra I to a class of three 9th grade students: Billy, Jane, and Mary. They have agreed that they share the instruction for all three students 50/50. All students/teachers are enrolled for the entire course.

Example 4 (Shared Instruction)


Mr. Smith teaches Biology to three students: Charlie, Angela, and Phillip. Phillip has an IEP and receives additional content instruction from Mrs. Wolf. They have determined that Mrs. Wolf has 10 percent of the shared instruction for Phillip in this course. All students/teachers are enrolled for the entire course.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 28 of 29

Example 5 (Student/Teacher Movement)


Mrs. Gardner teaches Biology to a class of three 9th grade students: Gary, Tony, and Liz. Tony enrolled in the course 70% of the way into it. Mrs. Gardner went on maternity leave 70% of the way into the course. She was not enrolled with Tony. Tony can be removed from her roster, if he was on it. Mrs. Stafford filled in for the rest of the year.

Example 6 (Open Campus/Consortium)


Mrs. Rodriguez teaches an online Keystone Literature class. The class is part of an open campus program and is open to students from neighboring partner-districts. She teaches three students: Tim, Jessica, and Laura. Tim comes from a neighboring district. Jessica and Laura are from her employing district/LEA. All students and the teacher are enrolled for the entire course.

PVAAS Statewide Team for PDE pdepvaas@iu13.org April 2014

Page 29 of 29

You might also like