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Toms River to consider voluntary alternatives to long teacher observation
Summary
District curriculum staff presented six commissioner-approved, voluntary activities that tenured, highly effective teachers may use instead of a long observation; teachers must notify supervisors by Sept. 30 and the board will vote next week on offering the option to staff.
The Toms River Regional School District curriculum director outlined six commissioner-approved activities that tenured teachers rated highly effective may voluntarily select in place of a single long observation, district staff said at Monday’s curriculum subcommittee meeting.
Rachel Chakala, the district’s curriculum director, told the board the activities — which the commissioner approved — are intended to promote self-reflection and professional growth. “They have to let their supervisor know by September 30th if they would like to participate in one of these activities,” Chakala said. She emphasized participation would be voluntary: “It can’t be mandated and it’s completely voluntary.”
Chakala listed the six options the district plans to offer if the board approves distributing the choice to staff: leading a professional-development session at the school or district level; participating in a data-protocol review of assessment results; a peer-to-peer observation protocol; an action-research project (typically for teachers pursuing advanced degrees); a digital-capture exercise in which a teacher records a lesson and submits only a reflective analysis; and a reflective-practice activity based on student-perspective surveys.
Board members and staff clarified that the long observation comprises about 25% of the overall evaluation framework, and that choosing an alternate activity would not eliminate other evaluation components such as short observations and student-growth objectives (SGOs). Chakala said the district reviewed the options with the DAT committee — composed of administrators and teachers and including an invited Mr. Campbell — and agreed to present the option to teachers.
The board was told the formal action — board approval to offer the option to teachers — will appear on the full-board agenda next Wednesday. If approved, staff plan to present the option to teachers at a September or October professional-development day and teachers will have until Sept. 30 to opt in or not.
The curriculum subcommittee concluded without a vote; the next procedural step is the full-board agenda vote next week.
