Probationary teachers welcome UFT tenure workshops

Probationary teachers — those who have not yet achieved tenure — flocked to a series of workshops sponsored by the UFT to explain the Department of Education’s new tenure-granting process and what teachers can do to prepare for it.

The UFT offered the workshops in March because of widespread confusion and concern about the new policy. To help ensure that everyone had the same information and understanding about how this policy would play out, administrators, as well as UFT district representatives, were invited to join with teachers at the workshops — and many came.

Participating teachers expressed their gratitude for the workshops to the Teacher Center and other UFT staff who made most of the presentations. With a can-do attitude typical of many teachers, they focused on learning what had to be done under this new tenure framework and asking questions to clarify their understanding.

Below is a brief summary of the information presented at the workshops. An additional session is planned for May 5 at the Queens UFT. For details, check the UFT calendar.

What’s new in the tenure-granting process?

Many aspects of the tenure-granting process are unchanged but there are some important new elements.

While tenure has never been granted automatically, this is the first time that the DOE is trying to structure the process with appropriate, consistent and clear criteria. This is a good goal and the UFT will do its part to make sure tenure decisions are made in keeping with this goal.

As in the past, principals will recommend to superintendents whether individual teachers should be granted or denied tenure, or if they think their probation should be extended; and superintendents remain the final decision-makers. However, the principal’s recommendation is now broken down into four categories — highly effective, effective, developing or ineffective — depending on the teacher’s performance as measured according to particular standards and expectations.

Those standards and expectations are the keys to the new tenure policy because principals must now present evidence that supports their specific recommendation. The evidence must refer to multiple factors that demonstrate each teacher’s professional skills, including the teacher’s: 1. impact on student learning; 2. instructional practice; and 3. professional contributions.

The DOE’s new tenure decision-making framework lists examples of evidence for each factor. For example, evidence of a teacher’s impact on student learning, the most controversial factor, consists of such items as standardized test scores and Teacher Data Reports (where available), but also student work products and portfolios.

Finally, principals are urged to be in communication with probationary teachers so they understand what is expected of them and know how well they are doing in meeting those expectations.

How can teachers prepare for their tenure decision?

The UFT encourages teachers to be proactive in preparing for their tenure decision. Here are some steps you can take throughout your probationary period:

• If your principal has not initiated a meeting about your tenure decision, ask for an appointment to find out where things stand and what is expected of you. Do this even if your tenure decision is a year or two away so you have time on your side.
• Become familiar with the multiple sources of evidence for each factor that principals will use to prepare their tenure recommendations.
• Put together a professional portfolio of your effectiveness as a teacher. Organize your portfolio with a table of contents to separate the various components. Include a cross-section of your work but be selective in choosing the materials to include. Add a brief explanation or context for each piece of evidence you include and be sure to show how you differentiate to accommodate children with diverse abilities.