Frequently Asked Questions

In the future, the District and the PFT will continue to answer questions asked about the Plan and its seven initiatives. We will share these answers as quickly as possible through:

 

Additional information on RISE: Post-Gazette article, Spring Issue of The Pittsburgh Educator, eNews Archive

 

Q: How will the salaries of teachers not interested in the career ladders be affected?

A: The career ladder roles are designed to be a mark of distinction and carry additional compensation to reflect the additional responsibilities. The additional compensation for career ladder roles does not affect or diminish the compensation of teachers not in career ladder roles, and compensation issues for all teachers are a subject of collective bargaining.

Q: What happens if not enough teachers volunteer for any of the career ladders? How will they be chosen?

A: We hope that many teachers will be interested in the roles and opportunities afforded by career ladder positions and will choose to pursue them. Teachers will not be forced into career ladder positions.

 

Career ladder positions will be filled through a selection process which is yet to be designed. It is expected that rigorous interviews and some demonstration of effectiveness will be core components of eligibility for career ladder positions

 

Q: Are career ladders a part of collective bargaining?

A: Yes. Collective bargaining plays a huge role in the definition and execution of career ladders.

Q: Will turnaround teachers replace teachers?

A: Turnaround teachers will be deployed to schools that generally have been hard to staff and have vacancies. In high-needs schools, our first priority will be to use turnaround teachers to fill vacancies.

Q: What happens to career ladder teachers with regard to right-of-return?

As in the past, the District and PFT have to come to agreement on seniority rights and right-of-return. Seniority rights and right-of-return are subject to, and will be defined by, collective bargaining.

 

 

Beginning this year, all new PPS teachers, regardless of content/certification area, will have access to an enhanced 2-4 week summer induction program. The Teacher Academy will also offer specialized courses and seminars to all PPS teachers throughout the school year and in the summer. In addition to the opportunities currently outlined in the Plan, The Teacher Academy design team will work with the PFT and teacher representatives to expand opportunities for related arts teachers in The Teacher Academy.

How does the Teacher Academy benefit students?

As a cornerstone of the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan, The Teacher Academy is central to the District's bold vision, Pittsburgh's teachers will be empowered as effective leaders to do whatever it takes to foster a culture of striving, resilience and college-readiness, so that more than 80 percent of all students will be Promise-Ready and complete a college degree or workforce certification.

District students who attend The Teacher Academy will experience a learning environment and school culture that fosters a life-long appreciation of learning for teachers and students alike. Energized by the ideas and hard work of the new and experienced teachers who rotate through the program, and anchored by a select group of highly effective teachers, The Teacher Academy will prepare students to take advantage of The Pittsburgh Promise®.

Q: Who replaces teachers when they take part in the Immersion program at the Teacher Academy?

When experienced teachers leave their classrooms to take part in the Immersion program at The Teacher Academy during the second semester, they are replaced with resident teachers. Resident teachers are certified teachers who are in their first year of teaching in Pittsburgh Public Schools and participating in the 13-month Teacher Residency Program.

At the time when residents replace experienced teachers, they will have taught side-by-side with a Clinical Resident Instructor (CRI) in the Academy for an entire semester and consistently demonstrated effective teaching.Residents will continue to receive support from the Clinical Resident Instructor during their placement/field experience.

We believe that providing residents the opportunity to work in classrooms outside of The Teacher Academy will enrich their experience and give the residents a more holistic understanding of what is needed to be an effective teacher in Pittsburgh.

We will work with the residents to ensure the transitions are smooth and student learning is not compromised.

Q: What supports will be available for new teachers this summer?

 

Q: Why does the Plan call for the creation of an alternative certification program when we have so many great certified candidates looking to teach in Pittsburgh?

A: We are extremely fortu, nate in Pittsburgh to have several traditional teacher preparation programs located in the region. We have historically (and continue to be) committed to hiring graduates of these programs to teach in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The truth is that while these programs graduate hundreds of new teachers each year, there are specific subject areas like math, science and special education where Pittsburgh Public Schools struggles to identify enough traditionally prepared applicants to fill open positions. The proposed alternative certification program for Pittsburgh will focus exclusively on recruiting and preparing individuals to teach math, science, and special education.

 

In addition to identifying additional candidates interested in teaching in traditionally hard to staff subjects, alternative certification programs tend to attract candidates of diverse backgrounds. We see tremendous benefits to attracting an increasingly diverse group of individuals to teach in Pittsburgh. Research also shows that alternative certified teachers coming from rigorous preparation programs, like the program we intend to build as a part of The Teacher Academy, perform similarly to graduates of traditional teacher preparation programs so we expect to maintain a high bar as we introduce this program.

Q: How will Human Resources improve response times?

A: Customer service is a top priority for improvement within Human Resources. Our goal is to respond to issues within 24 hours. We are currently building systems and processes to make accessing the right person and right information efficient and user-friendly. In order to improve we will keep track of response time and benchmark on this measure.

Q: How will Pittsburgh Public Schools retain effective teachers?

A: We all want our teachers to get deep satisfaction from their work. Understanding that different things matter to different individuals, we will listen to teachers to develop personalized options. We will ask teachers the best ways to gather this information.

Q: How will Human Resources identify the best candidates to teach in our schools?

 

A: The Human Resources Effectiveness initiative is implementing several strategies to ensure that Pittsburgh Public Schools attracts, retains and supports highly-effective teachers, while enabling earlier hires and enhancing services to our schools.

There are significant enhancements to both the internal transfer process and external recruiting. We know that part of attracting and retaining the best teachers is making sure that Pittsburgh Public Schools is a great place to teach.

We held the first internal Staffing Fair on Saturday April 10, 2010 to bringinternal transfer candidates and site based selection teams together. This event, attended by over 350 teachers and site based teams from over 60 schools, helped streamline internal placements and place transfers earlier.

Our external recruiting initiative is called Teach in Pittsburgh. As part of Teach in Pittsburgh we will offer a new application process that is online, more user friendly and enhances our ability to identify high potential applicants. We will also recruit more aggressively and hire new teachers earlier so that we are more competitive for talent.

Teach in Pittsburgh recruiting will provide applicants information about the expanded induction program and The Teacher Academy, starting in 2011-2012.

Through these efforts, we will provide unprecedented levels of support to current and new teachers equipping them for success in the District.


My tenure is six months away. How will I be affected by changes to the review process?

The new Research-based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE) will go District-wide in September 2010 after one and one-half years of careful scrutiny, revisions and teacher and administrator input. Though you may notice what we consider to be positive changes in the evaluation process, when you receive your sixth satisfactory rating, you will achieve tenure – that has not changed. Now your achievement will be recognized and celebrated. Tenure will signify our confidence in a teacher's effective performance.

 

The Human Resources Effectiveness initiative is implementing several strategies to ensure that Pittsburgh Public Schools attracts, retains and supports highly-effective teachers, while enabling earlier hires and enhancing services to our schools.

Our external recruiting initiative is called Teach in Pittsburgh. As part of this initiative, we are using a new assessment tool called TeacherInsight to help the District identify people who have the talents that are important predictors of future effectiveness in the classroom.

This tool is part of the user-friendly, online application that enhances our ability to identify high potential applicants. The tool has been developed using 30 years of Gallup data and research and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race or expe, rience.

We will recruit more aggressively and hire new teachers earlier , so that we are more competitive for talent. Teach in Pittsburgh will provide potential applicants information about the benefits of teaching in Pittsburgh - especially the unprecedented support we are providing to new teachers through the expanded induction program and, start, ing in 2011-2012, The Teacher Academy.

These programs will prepare new teachers for success and help them transition effectively into the District.

We also know that part of attracting and retaining the best teachers is making sure that Pittsburgh Public Schools is a great place to teach. Therefore, we are committed to providing opportunities for teachers to grow and develop within the District, thereby ensuring that the great candidates we attract have rewarding careers.

>How do I add teaching certifications?

The 2010-2011 school year staffing process is underway.Many schools are staffing positions for which dual certifications are needed.Examples of this may be chemistry/biology or communications and a foreign language.

The Pittsburgh School District and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers encourage teachers who may be interested in attaining an additional certification(s) to sign up for the next available Praxis II examination.

The next available Praxis II testing date is June 12. Most content area tests are offered on June 12, but a small number are not offered until the July 24 testing date. This opportunity is one that all teachers, not just displaced teachers, might consider.

If you are interested, the Praxis II registration deadline is May 13 for the June 12 test.

Directions for registering for Praxis II tests are as follows:

1. Determine which certification area you would like to add.Click here for a full list of PA content area tests and passing scores.

2. Click the link to find a Pittsburgh area testing center.There are multiple testing centers in the area. You will want to verify that the testing center is open on your desired testing date.

3. Register online.Don't forget to verify the testing date for your desired content area.

Those taking the exam in June can view scores online July 13th.To view scores online, login to your Praxis™ Profile via this link.You can also get your score over the phone by calling ETS at 1-877-387-8322.

Human Resources will need to receive a copy of your passing scores or written verification of a passing score from ETS before your additional certification(s) can be added.

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Q: Who in the District will have access to teacher information and performance data?

A: Security and confidentiality are fundamental priorities of the IT Systems initiative work. The District and the PFT realize the sensitive nature of collecting data tied to individuals, and will maintain confidentiality standards to ensure that access is controlled appropriately. Those standards, along with use, accessibility and purpose of information within all IT sources will remain central to improving systems that support the success of all teachers and schools throughout the District.

Q: Will we have access from home?

A: Yes! We realize that ease-of-access is fundamental to the use of technology tools for our teachers. To proactively support our teachers, the information they need must be accessible safely and conveniently wherever they work. In order to achieve this goal, the IT Systems initiative work is focused on providing access to necessary school systems within one secure and easy-to-use web-based portal that teachers can use either on personal or school computers both within PPS buildings and outside.

Q: What changes will I see next year, and in the years to come?

A: To maximize how the IT Initiative works to support the other work within the Empowering Effect Teachers Plan, it is important that technology tools be improved upon and developed alongside other initiatives. Work has already begun, and we will continue this work with teacher and principal involvement through 2010 and into 2011. While some components may be improved or released next year, the majority of teachers and principals will only start using and relying on the improved IT Systems in the 2011/2012 school-year.

Q: Will more IT people be hired to reach these goals?

A: The District realizes that our technical staff already supports a range of IT systems and equipment throughout our schools. In order to effectively support our IT Systems initiative, the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan includes the addition of strategic staffing to support the planning, management, analysis and training necessary to improve existing and new IT services. By working in conjunction with our existing departments and staff, the aim is to realize our goals of the IT Systems initiative by having technical staff focused on its development alongside the other initiatives. In addition, the Plan also includes the addition of IT staff after implementation to ensure effective continuity and maintenance of the new and newly integrated IT systems.

With the development of new IT Systems, will teachers and staff have access to school systems data outside of Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings?

The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) and the District realize that ease-of-access is fundamental to the use of technology tools in order for teachers and staff to be successful.

To proactively support our teachers and staff, the information they need must be accessible safely and conveniently wherever they work.

In order to achieve this goal, the IT Systems initiative is focused on providing access to necessary school systems within one secure and easy-to-use web-based portal.

This new single web-based experience will be accessible to teachers and staff on personal or school computers both within, and outside of, Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings.

The IT Systems initiative will be implemented over time, with some components launching during the 2010-2011 school year, while other tools and capabilities will be rolled out over the next several years.

When and how will training be done for the new IT Systems?

The IT Systems initiative team, including Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) and District leadership, have identified the foundational and specific technical needs of teachers and staff and established a meaningful IT improvement plan rooted in systems already operating throughout the District.

An early milestone for the IT Systems initiative is the selection of the consortium of vendors that will help us develop and implement the new IT systems.

As part of the improvement plan, the IT Systems initiative team will also engage the existing technical systems and departments and involve teachers in the development of the new IT Systems.

There is an important role for teachers throughout this process to clarify and prioritize user needs, test and give feedback as systems develop, and train colleagues and peers on how to use them.

Training on certain features might start as early as late summer or early fall 2010 on some of the first elements of these new systems.

Throughout the development and implementation of new IT Systems, will be ongoing training available online and through internal staff and teachers who participate in the design and testing of the system.

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Research-Based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE)

 

Q. How was RISE developed?
A. The Research-based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE) was developed in response to teachers' desires for an improved evaluation system that more effectively supports, empowers and recognizes teacher practice.

From the beginning, RISE was designed to be an equitable, fair and rigorous evaluation system. The intention of RISE was to collaboratively design a new teacher evaluation system informed by and for Pittsburgh teachers.

In May 2009, the RISE Design Team consisting of about 120 teachers, principals, and District and PFT leaders, spent four days developing the evaluation system. During the 2009-2010 school year, 24 schools chose to participate in the pilot.

The Design Team met throughout the 2009-2010 school year and continues to refine the RISE process. Teachers have contributed countless hours to create a tool that will be fair to their colleagues. In 2010-2011 the system will be expanded to include all schools.

On May 13th, 2010, District administration and PFT leadership hosted an event to celebrate a successful 2009-2010 pilot year and induct new pilot schools beginning RISE next school year.

At the event, pilot schools were paired with non-pilot RISE schools for next year. Pilot schools will provide support to non-pilot schools during their first year of implementation.

Over the course of a two-day retreat - on May 12 and 14, 2010 - a group of teachers, principals, District staff and PFT leaders developed a plan for the supported growth strand of RISE, which will be piloted in District schools in the 2010-11 school year.

In June and August, non-pilot RISE schools will have opportunities to be trained on RISE prior to the start of the 2010-11 school year and work with RISE pilot schools as part of this training.

Additional information on RISE: Post-Gazette article, Spring Issue of The Pittsburgh Educator, eNews Archive

Q. What does highly-effective teaching mean?
A. As we know, great teaching is multi-dimensional. Therefore, it should be viewed through multiple measures, none of which are sufficient to stand alone. The District and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) have been collaborating on a system of evaluation to inform and move teacher practice.

According to the Research-Based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE) model, effective PreK-12 teachers are professional educators who:

• Hold high expectations for all students and the belief that effort creates ability;
• Know their students, content and the curriculum thoroughly and have a broad repertoire of content-specific, culturally responsive strategies and activities to use with students to meet rigorous learning goals;
• Demonstrate flexibility to meet their students' learning needs and use formative assessment to adapt instruction to maximize learning opportunities for all students;
• Establish rituals and routines that foster a safe learning environment where effort is privileged allowing students to fully engage in instructional activities, ask questions and take part in class discussions; and
• Work continuously to improve their practice and knowledge of students while acting as a resource for others in their professional learning community.

During the 2009-10 school year, RISE was piloted in 24 schools. In 2010-11, RISE will be rolled out District-wide.
As RISE is implemented, and as additional tools such as Value-Added Measures (VAM) are developed, processes will be formed to apply these measures to improve decision-making and to reach a widely shared and accepted understanding of highly-effective teaching.

Throughout, this work will build on existing initiatives within the District, most notably RISE, and the collaborative process which has been critical to its success thus far.

Additional information on RISE: Post-Gazette article, Spring Issue of The Pittsburgh Educator, eNews Archive

Q. What were the results of the RISE Pilot Survey?
A. In the recently conducted year-end RISE Pilot Survey, completed by 418 respondents, over 80% of responding school staff from the 24 RISE pilot schools indicated they were satisfied with the RISE evaluation process. Furthermore, 93% of survey respondents felt engaged as active participants in the evaluation process.

"I think the collaboration of the teacher and principal is essential and important. I also like the fact that the teacher is able to provide evidence and play a more integral part in the evaluation process." -Survey Respondent

Respondents indicated that the Research-based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE) process was useful in supporting their professional development and that the process itself was administered effectively. For instance:

• 99% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that "Teachers in my school want to continuously improve their practice."
• 95% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that "My principal effectively evaluates teachers using the RISE process."
• 88% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that "The RISE evaluation process supported and encouraged my professional growth."

Survey respondents also mentioned the need to address the somewhat cumbersome nature of the evaluation tool. With the help of teachers, we are working to address this concern through the IT Systems initiative.

Q. Will all schools in the District participate in RISE in the 2010-11 school year?
A. The collaborative momentum of RISE (Research-Based Inclusive System of Evaluation) builds next year as all schools in the District participate in the evaluation process.

As this successful pilot year came to a close in 200-2010, another group of RISE teacher leaders began training with the tool to take it back to their schools next year.

Each of the pilot schools paired with at least one new RISE school to provide support through their first year of implementation. On June 7 and 8, 2010, representatives from new RISE schools, supported by their RISE pilot school, participated in a training session that will enable them to share RISE with their colleagues at a June 21 professional development session.

RISE pilot schools are expected to offer support and guidance to the new RISE schools they are paired with by:

• Attending summer training sessions,
• Inviting their new RISE schools to observe formal observations of teachers who have already been through the RISE process,
• Visiting their new RISE schools to observe and support formal observations, and
• Providing support throughout the next school year.

Additionally, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) and consultants from the Danielson Group will offer added support through regular site visits. Paired schools may also choose to observe each other's site visits.

Beginning in the fall 2010-2011, new RISE schools will participate in the formal observation module. Schools in their second year of RISE (about 2/3 of staff) will participate in the formal observation module or pilot the supported growth module (up to 1/3 of staff).

Special schools will also participate in the RISE process next year and help us learn more about how we can best apply the RISE rubric to their schools, including any modifications that might need to be made.

Over the 2010 summer, we will be working with our IT vendor, Global Scholar, to ensure that RISE will become an automated process. For more information about the RISE process, click here.

Q. What is the supported growth module?
A. Over the course of a two-day retreat - on May 12 and 14 - a group of teachers, principals, District staff and leaders from the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) developed a plan for the supported growth module of the Research-based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE).

The supported growth module will be piloted in District schools in the 2010-11 school year and will:

• Encourage collaboration within schools to grow student learning;
• Honor the presumption of professionalism to continually improve practice;
• Promote individualized teacher learning, teacher reflection, and growth of practice;
• Support school and District initiatives;
• Provide assessment-driven professional growth based on evidence from student learning data, school data, self-assessment, administrators evaluations, etc.; and
• Provide job-embedded learning and growth opportunities.

The supported growth module will enable about one-third of experienced teachers from current RISE pilot schools to engage in a rigorous, year-long study targeted specifically toward improving their practice in one or more components of the RISE framework. Teachers will meet with their principal regularly for support and feedback.

RISE was developed in response to teachers' desires for an improved evaluation system that more effectively supports, empowers and recognizes teacher practice.

From the beginning, RISE was designed to be an equitable, fair and rigorous evaluation system. The intention of RISE was to collaboratively design a new teacher evaluation system informed by and for Pittsburgh teachers.

Value-Added Measures (VAM)

Q. When will the model for the District's Value-Added Measure (VAM) be constructed and rolled out?
A. Value-Added Measures (VAM) go beyond a simple measure of average classroom achievement in order to provide a more accurate picture of a teacher's contribution to student learning.

Currently, we are working with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to develop a Value-Added Measure and other measures of teacher effectiveness that are as fair and transparent as possible.

Later this spring, Mathematica will report on VAM simulations run with anonymous, historical PPS PSSA data in reading and math (grades 4-8). This work is meant to be illustrative of how data from these assessments might work in a Value Added analysis. The information from these simulations will be used to inform the VAM development process. Results will be anonymous, and will not be used for evaluative purposes.

This Fall Mathematica will calculate VAM scores for the first time and will do so in each subsequent Fall, refining the measure each time. We have contracted with Mathematica through 2014 for technical assistance.

The Teacher Practice and Evaluation initiative recognizes the complexity and the importance of effective teaching. We are committed to working together with teachers, Mathematica and the AFT to ensure that the VAM tool is an accurate and a fair measure of a teacher's contribution to student learning.

Q. What are the challenges of collecting VAM (Value-added Measures) given the high number of transient students?
A. Currently, we are working with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to develop a Value-Added Measure (VAM) and other measures of teacher effectiveness that are as fair and transparent as possible.

The VAM data system we are developing will track the moves of individual students, making it possible to attribute a student's achievement gains proportionally to the teachers and schools in which he or she was enrolled.

Students enrolled with a teacher or school for a minimal number of days can be excluded from calculations. In addition, teachers will have the opportunity to verify the accuracy of the student rosters used in their VAM calculations.

Finally, the VAM will make statistical adjustments for the expected achievement gains of highly transient students.

Q. What is the VAM Student Learning Subcommittee?
A. The VAM Student Learning Sub-committee is part of the larger Teacher Practice and Evaluation initiative. The Sub-committee includes the Value Added Measure (VAM) Development Team (consisting of PFT and District staff, American Federation of Teachers leaders and Mathematica consultants), in collaboration with the Research-based Inclusive System of Evaluation (RISE) Design Group.

Currently, 44 volunteers have signed up for the Student Learning Sub-committee including five principals, 32 teachers and seven other district staff. These numbers include three Special Education teachers, and one Early Childhood Supervisor.

These volunteers are participating in the process of developing a useful system of measurement surrounding student learning as it relates to measures of effective teaching. This is an important process with potential to provide valuable information to teachers and principals that will be useful to improving teaching and learning.

The goals of the Student Learning Subcommittee are to:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the strengths, limitations and potential uses of VAM, and other measures associated with student learning.
• Study the use of VAM and other measures of student learning as they relate to the component of RISE that involves student assessment data.
• Assist in the development of ways to report VAM and other measures so that all teachers can use the information to influence their value added.
• Be involved in shared decision-making and planning for system-wide and sustained professional development on using information from VAM and other measures to improve practice.
• Help with sharing information at the schools about VAM and other measures.

The Student Learning Subcommittee is still looking for English Language Arts and Social Studies teachers to volunteer. If you are interested, please contact Mary Wolfson by emailing mwolfson1@pghboe.net or calling 412-622-3924.

Q. How is the use of student achievement data in VAM different than current uses of student achievement data?
A. In the attainment model currently used, student achievement data indicate whether students are performing below, at or above grade level.

In the Value Added Model (VAM), student achievement data are used to measure how much growth students make from year to year, regardless of whether students are performing below, at or above grade level.

The Value Added Research Center (VARC) has developed an analogy illustrating the differences between the attainment model and the Value Added Model.

Please visit the The Oak Tree Analogy to view the three-minute slide show from the Value Added Research Center.

There are some real challenges with value-added measures, including the fact that currently they can only be calculated for subject areas that have valid standardized tests. However, value-added measures are recognized to be a fairer use of test scores to understand a teacher's impact on student achievement because they are based on growth rather than absolute scores.

Q. How will we ensure the VAM model is accurate and valid?
A. We are planning to convene a VAM (Value-Added Measure) Technical Advisory Board to help guide the VAM development process.

This group, which would consist of professionals with expertise in value-added measurement, would provide input into the ongoing process of developing models that help measure a teacher's contribution to student learning.

Specifically, members of the VAM Technical Advisory Board would be asked to offer feedback to the work of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and suggest revisions to increase the applicability and reliability of the measurements.

We are currently working with Mathematica and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to develop this Value-Added Measure and other measures of teacher effectiveness that are as fair and transparent as possible.

Other Measures

Q. What is the Measures of Effective Teaching research project?
A. The District and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) recently pursued and were awarded a separate grant to participate in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) research project from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

During the 2009-2010 school year, we began participating in this groundbreaking two-year national project to develop fair, consistent and reliable measures of effective teaching.

The goal of the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) research project is to help educators and policymakers identify and support good teaching by improving the quality of information available about teacher practice. Approximately 3,700 teachers, in a number of districts around the nation, will participate in this project.

One example of how this funding will be used includes the opportunity to get feedback from all of our teachers to directly inform strategies to improve the teaching and learning environment through the creation of the Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey.

Additionally, through the MET research project, Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers will have the opportunity to participate in the development of new measures of teacher content knowledge closely tied to the practice of teaching.

Great teaching is multi-dimensional. We therefore believe it should be viewed through multiple measures, none of which are sufficient to stand alone. Teachers should know what expectations are for good teaching and what they can do to improve their practice.

Q. What is the Knowledge for Teaching Assessments project?
A. Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) is participating in a two-year research project to develop fair and reliable measures of effective teaching called the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project.
The Knowledge for Teaching Assessments is part of the Measures of Effective Teaching research project and represented another opportunity for Pittsburgh teachers to volunteer and provide their input, and further improve the quality of information available about teacher practice.
Teachers choosing to participate received a $50 gift card for each assessment they complete. The Knowledge for Teaching Assessments administration dates were as follows:

• Mathematics teachers in Grades 4 - 5 and ELA in Grades 4 - 6: May 17 - June 30, 2010
• Mathematics teachers in Grades 6 - 8, Algebra I, and ELA in Grades 7 - 9: July 1 - August 31, 2010.

If you have additional questions or comments, please contact Mary Wolfson in the Pittsburgh Public Schools Office of Research, Assessment and Accountability.

Teaching and Learning Environment

1. Establishing behavior expectations of students that promote learning and college-readiness;
2. Empowering teachers as leaders in maintaining a positive learning environment;
3. Providing wrap-around support to assist with behavior-related interventions;
4. Continually assessing improvements in the learning environment.

• Development of a common one-page, easy to reference, set of District-wide behavior expectations
• Improved referral processes to make it easier to produce, track and share student referrals
• Behavior Specialists, teachers with outstanding classroom management and interpersonal skills who coach peers on creating a positive teaching and learning environment

1. Establishing behavior expectations of students that promote learning and college-readiness;
2. Empowering teachers as leaders in maintaining a positive learning environment;
3. Providing wrap-around support to assist with behavior-related interventions; and
4. Continually assessing improvements in the learning environment.

While the learning conditions survey will help inform much of the Positive Teaching and Learning Environment initiative, here are a few specific things that are already in the works:

1. Development of a common one-page, easy to reference, set of District-wide behavior expectations;

2. Improved referral processes to make it easier to produce, track and share student referrals; and

3. Behavior Specialists, teachers with outstanding classroom management and interpersonal skills who coach peers on creating a positive teaching and learning environment.

Additional concrete items are being explored and include the development of a Teaching and Learning Environment rubric that will become part of the teaching and learning walks, and an intervention matrix that will be a useful tool for teachers to help connect students to different District wrap-around support services.

Furthermore, we are working to integrate components of the Teaching and Learning Environment into other initiatives of the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan, including the Promise-Readiness Corps, The Teacher Academy, Career Opportunities, IT Systems, and additional District systems. To do so we will be addressing the Teaching and Learning Environment in District leadership groups such as Academic Cabinet. These efforts represent a coordinated approach to significantly improve teaching and learning environments in our schools and positively impact student achievement.