PEER ASSISTANCE AND REVIEW NEWSLETTER
Peer
SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN THE CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Tina Morgan-Mosley has been a part of
the Clark County
School District from
the start of her own
education. After
graduating from
Eldorado High
School, Tina
began working as
support staff with the district while
completing her undergraduate work at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She
recalls thinking at the start of every school
year that she should be setting up her
own classroom and meeting her new
students. Well, now thats a
reality! Today, you can find Ms. Morgan-
Mosley making a positive impact at
Manch Elementary School.
Tina feels that Manch is a great fit for her
and is excited to come to work every day
because her students are depending on
her. She says, parents trust me with
their kids all day long and I think that is so
cool and it makes me feel like Im doing
something important. Ms. Morgan-
Mosley truly wants to make a difference in
the lives of students and tries to expose
them to new experiences that they may
have otherwise not encountered.
The Mid-Year Review
Student learning goals provide an
opportunity for educators to inform
the way in which their practice is
evaluated. Approaching the
halfway point in the school year,
teachers should be meeting with
their administrator to monitor
progress on the student learning
goal (SLG), professional practice
goal (PPG), and professional
growth plan (PGP).
At the start of the school year,
teachers sat down with their
administrator and shared their
SLG. The SLG was used to help
develop and identify the PPG that
would support improved
instruction and the attainment of
the SLG.
Now, in Phase II of the SLG
process, teachers should be:
Planning and delivering
instruction
Monitoring progress
towards goals
ccsdpar@nv.ccsd.net
Assistance
and Review
Newsletter
February 2017
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Adapting instruction in
response to the collected
data
Discussing progress
towards goals with
educator teams and
supervising administrator
Revising supports and
interventions if students
are not progressing
towards goals
Make mid-year SLG and
PPG adjustments as
necessary with supervising
administrators
Each PGP was designed with the
PPG in mind. During Step 4 of
the PGP documentation, teachers
have the opportunity to share the
progress that has been made and
make any necessary
adjustments. Remember that
each educator is responsible for
their own PGP and must maintain
evidence and ensure that
activities count toward contact
units and column advancement.
@ccsdpar
PEER ASSISTANCE AND REVIEW NEWSLETTER | Volume 1, Issue 2
Frequently Asked Questions About PAR
Who does PAR serve?
First-year teachers, across all
grade levels and content areas,
who are new to the profession are
assigned a consulting teacher to
work with. Currently, the PAR
program serves teachers at 25
schools.
How is PAR organized in the
structure of CCSD?
In an effort to provide enhanced
support to schools, the PAR
Program recently underwent a
change in leadership. The Talent
and Leadership Development
Department, which includes
Leadership Development and
AB394 training development, now
houses the PAR Program. The
Talent and Leadership
Development Department is
overseen by Assistant
Superintendent Kim Mangino.
How are consulting teachers
selected?
A consulting teacher (CT) is an
experienced teaching professional
who was selected by the PAR
Panel. A rigorous selection
process ensures that they are
outstanding teaching
professionals and that they are
able to communicate their
knowledge and strategies about
best practices to adult learners
through a coaching
relationship. Consulting teachers
can work a three-year term in the
PAR Program.
What is the PAR Panel and
what is their role?
The PAR Panel consists of ten
members appointed by the
Superintendent: five teacher
representatives recommended by
CCEA and five school-based
administrators recommended by
CCASAPE. The members of the
PAR Panel meet with the CTs to
receive updates on the
performance of teachers in PAR.
Recommendations are then sent
directly to the Superintendent,
who reviews and makes all final
decisions on matters related to an
individual teachers nonrenewal,
dismissal, or continuation of
contract.
What are the roles of the
consulting teachers?
Consulting teachers work
collaboratively with the mentees
on their caseloads with the goal of
improving classroom
instruction. While differentiating
their support based on the needs
of each teacher, CTs could be
coaching mentees on teaching
strategies, offering suggestions
pertaining to resources,
demonstrating lessons, engaging
in team teaching experiences, and
offering informal feedback. In
order to coordinate their efforts
with the many other supports that
exist, CTs maintain open lines of
communication with the
administration at the sites that
they serve.
Whats the difference between a
consulting teacher and learning
strategist?
While learning strategists could be
tasked with a myriad of
responsibilities, the focus of the
CTs is based on the Nevada
Educator Performance
Framework in the
classroom. Learning strategists
are held accountable at their site
and CTs are held accountable by
the Talent and Leadership
Development Department.
2
After teaching elementary school for 11
years, Kathleen (Kate) Schaeffer decided
that she wanted to teach mathematics all
day and moved
to the middle
school level.
Learning can
be just as
exciting for
teachers as it
is for students
and Kate is no
exception.
Feeling the desire to expand her horizons
even further, 17 years later, Ms. Schaeffer
made the decision to take on the challenge
of the consulting teacher role. Her favorite
part of this new job is being in the
classrooms and seeing the students
excited about what they are learning.
Now, Kate is focused on relaying that
message to new teachers. Her advice to
the teachers that she works with is to be
open to feedback and reflect on your
practice. With a focus on the NEPF in the
classrooms she visits, Ms. Schaeffer has
come to the realization that no matter
what grade level or subject area, the NEPF
standards are just universally good
teaching practices.
Kate was recently honored as a 2014
Presidential Awardee in Mathematics and
Science Teaching. During the summer of
2016, she traveled to India and visited
classrooms as a fellow for Teachers for
Global Classrooms. With her knowledge
of growth mindsets and National Board
teaching standards, we are excited to have
Ms. Schaeffer as part of the PAR team and
look forward to the help that she can give
to first-year teachers.
Talent and Leadership Development
Department
Kim Mangino
Assistant Superintendent
Susan Unaite
Administrative Secretary
Area Service Center at Valley High School
702.799.1222