CEA_Summer 2023 Advisor

SUMMER 2023 CEA ADVISOR 3

New Teacher Evaluation Means More Freedom, maintains existing Protections Guidelines take effect in 2024-2025

Teaching is one of the world’s most rewarding professions but also among the most difficult. “Unfortunately, what makes a teacher truly great is often hard to measure and, therefore, not part of a teacher’s evaluation rating,” says CEA Teacher Development Specialist Kate Field. “Connecticut’s evaluation guidelines, created in 2012, were based on the fundamental misconception that children’s progress is standardized and can be reliably linked to teachers’ classroom performance. The guidelines were convoluted and overly burdensome for both teachers and administrators, but their most egregious flaw was reducing the transformational work of teachers into a numerical score at the end of the year.” Fortunately, thanks to strong CEA advocacy, teacher evaluation is changing. On June 14, 2023, the State Board of Education approved sweeping new teacher evaluation (TEVAL) guidelines to be

implemented in 2024-2025. The week before, Connecticut’s legislators voted to eliminate the annual educator performance rating requirement from state statute, making Connecticut among the first states in the country to do so. The new TEVAL guidelines, coupled with elimination of the rating requirement from statute, means your school district’s Professional Development and Evaluation Committee (PDEC) will need to create a new TEVAL plan for 2024-2025. The new guidelines are simple, they focus on support rather than mathematical calculations, and they offer districts more freedom to design a TEVAL plan that meets the needs of their teachers rather than follow a one-size-fits-all statewide approach. While the new guidelines give more autonomy to districts, they also maintain existing protections to guard against arbitrary or punitive TEVAL practices. Indicators or measures of accomplishment must be mutually agreed upon. Three conferences are still required each year (fall, mid-year, summative) to ensure opportunities to progress and provide feedback. The PDEC must include teachers selected by their collective bargaining unit. The PDEC must make decisions through mutual agreement. The TEVAL plan must be approved by the SDE, and the superintendent must indicate mutual agreement was reached. Beginning teachers must be provided a TEAM mentor and interactions between the mentor and beginning teacher remain strictly non-evaluative . Teachers may not be arbitrarily placed on a support plan, and the plan must be created in collaboration with the collective bargaining unit. A neutral dispute resolution process must be mutually agreed to by the PDEC and included in the TEVAL plan; this process must involve the collective bargaining unit. Teachers may grieve any misstep in TEVAL process or procedures. All teachers must be assigned a primary evaluator with an 092 certificate; all evaluators must be trained. PROTECTIONS FOR TEACHERS STAY THE SAME Ongoing, regular, and timely feedback is required. A narrative report is required in lieu of a summative rating. Goals must be mutually agreed upon.

For Educators, Some Debt Relief Still in Place Supreme Court decision impacts other loan programs In a widely criticized decision, the Supreme Court on June 30 struck down the Biden administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan, which would have offered $10,000 to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness for borrowers. The court’s decision, however, has no any bearing on teachers’ eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) adjustment that ends December 31. Both opportunities are still available to educators. The IDR adjustment opportunity that lasts until New Year’s allows federal loan holders to receive retroactive credit for payments made on ineligible loans or through an ineligible repayment plan. “In essence, it’s like last year’s waiver in that it clears away two of the biggest obstacles that prevented CEA members from receiving the loan forgiveness that had been promised,” says Martin Lynch, director of education at Cambridge Credit Counseling. In addition, the Biden Administration’s newest and best income-driven repayment plan, SAVE, will be available this summer and could offer you substantial savings. If you enroll in the REPAYE plan now, by simply contacting your loan servicer you will automatically be transitioned to the SAVE plan, which will result in a lower monthly payment than any other income-driven plan currently available, and any unpaid interest will be erased monthly. What to Expect When Payments Resume • Your servicer will contact you about payments resuming. • You will receive an invoice at least 21 days before your first payment is due. • Your loans will start accumulating interest September 1. A CEA Member Benefits partner, Cambridge Credit Counseling offers free webinars and counseling to every CEA member looking to take advantage of the IDR payment adjustment and qualify for PSLF, including members who may still be far short of 120 payments. For upcoming webinar dates and times, visit cea.org or contact Cambridge student loan counseling manager Todd Friedhaber ( tfriedhaber@cambridgecredit.org , 800-757-1788, ext. 5373) or Marty Lynch ( mlynch@cambridgecredit.org ) directly.

NEW AREAS OF FLEXIBILITY

No ratings are required.

No student learning objectives (SLOs) are required. No standardized learning indicator is required.

Goals for tenured teachers may span up to three years, they may be collaborative in nature (groups of teachers may share the same goal), and the focus may be on professional learning. PDEC determines the number, length, and type of observations required; these requirements may differ for teachers in different roles and years of experience.

Beginning teachers may select TEAM-related goal.

A tiered support plan process is required for teachers with a pattern of documented performance concerns. This tiered process is written by the PDEC. Observation rubrics must be standards-based but may be simplified or otherwise modified by the PDEC. TEVAL process may be differentiated for teachers in different roles and years of experience.

CEA Welcomes CFO Lovel Cassells On July 5, CEA welcomed Chief Financial Officer Lovel Cassells, who works closely with CEA’s executive director, managers, and governance team to provide vision, direction, and guidance for CEA’s fiscal growth and success. His responsibilities include finance, budgeting, oversight of membership registration, property management, and information technology. Cassells previously served as director of finance for the Connecticut Science Center, finance manager for InterCommunity Health Care, and accounting manager at SS&C Technologies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business information from Eastern Connecticut State University and an M.B.A. from Springfield College.

Join fellow educators and supporters for a gala event celebrating 175 years of elevating the teaching profession. A fundraiser for the Connecticut Education Foundation (CEF), the evening includes a cocktail reception, awards, dinner, and dancing. All proceeds support CEF’s many charitable programs. Single tickets, tables, and sponsorships are available. RSVP at cea.org/2023gala .

CEA CELEBRATES

anniversary

Friday, September 29 | 6–11 p.m. Doubletree Hotel, Bristol