Measures of Teacher Practice

The 2021–22 school year observation cycle is as follows:

Initial planning conferences will be held between Sept. 9 and Oct. 29.
Fall observations must take place between your IPC and Jan. 31.
Spring observations must take place between Feb. 1 and June 3.
Summative conferences will be held between April 29 and June 24.

Informal observation timeline

Feedback is to be provided within 10 school days.
This feedback can be in the form of in-person conversations, in writing, via email or any other form of communication.
The Teacher Observation Report should be provided within 30 days of the observation.

Formal observation timeline

Preobservation interviews can occur up to 20 school days prior to the observation.
Collection of evidence of planning and preparation can occur up to 15 days prior to the observation.
Feedback (in any of the forms stated above) is to be provided within 10 school days.
A postobservation meeting should be held within 20 school days of the observation.
The Teacher Observation Report should be provided within 30 days of the observation.

Measures of Student Learning

At the start of the school year, principals and chapter leaders must create a committee that will select the Measures of Student Learning (MOSL) to be included in evaluations. The committee is made up of the chapter leader, three staff members chosen by the chapter leader, the principal (or designee) and three staff members selected by the principal. If you do not know who is on your school’s MOSL committee, ask your chapter leader.

Along with making the school-level MOSL choice, the MOSL committee is responsible for ensuring that teachers are made aware of the MOSL choices and they understand how their MOSL score will be calculated. You should have been informed of your school’s MOSL selection by Oct. 22.

Here are the highlights of changes to MOSL selection for this school year:

State assessments are no longer required for MOSL purposes in grades/subjects that culminate in a state assessment. However, schools may, if they choose, continue to use these assessments.
NYSAA and NYSESLAT no longer must be used as a MOSL for teachers who had been required to use them in years past.
The diagnostic screenings being used this fall as a part of the DOE’s Academic Recovery Plan (including Acadience, MAP Growth, iReady, STAR and DRP) cannot be used as a measure of student learning. However, SANDI/FAST and WebABLLS may be used.

After weeks of negotiations, the DOE agreed to change its position that the lack of ratings in 2019–20 should be a determining factor in the number and type of observations that teachers are required to have this school year. Any tenured teacher rated Effective for the 2020–21 school year will receive a minimum of two informal observations this year. (As before, members can request a formal observation if they wish, but it is not required.)

If a tenured teacher received a rating of Effective for the previous two school years, that teacher only needs a minimum of two informal observations for the current school year. However, because teachers did not receive a rating for the 2019–20 school year due to the pandemic, the city Department of Education instructed principals in September that tenured teachers rated Effective would need one formal and one informal observation this school year.

No change has been made to the number of observations required for teachers rated Highly Effective (two informal observations) or teachers rated Developing (three informal observations and one formal) for the 2020–21 school year.

Lack of ratings won’t affect observations

Switching schools

Tax deduction for educators now $300

UFT functional chapters