Professional Development: Texas

Analysis of Texas's policies

Texas requires that teachers receive written feedback in the form of a summative annual appraisal report. In addition, unless waived by the teacher, a summative conference is held focusing on the contents of the summative report and other available data sources. The state also specifies that professional development activities for teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations must be aligned with findings from teacher evaluations. However, Texas does not require that teachers who receive less than effective rating be placed on professional improvement plans.  

Texas is currently piloting a new evaluation system, called T-TESS, which will require postobservation conferences as well as end-of-year conferences that address "the teacher's areas of reinforcement and refinement for that school year, the teacher's progress toward accomplishing goals and following through with his or her professional development plan, and a time to establish goals and a professional development plan for the following school year." It is not clear at this point whether T-TESS will require improvement plans. 

Citation

Texas Administrative Code 150.1003; 150.1004 Forms http://www5.esc13.net/pdas/forms.html

Recommendations for Texas

Ensure that professional development is aligned with findings from teachers' evaluations.
While Texas has taken steps to ensure that teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations receive coordinated professional development based on these findings, the state should strengthen this policy by requiring that all teachers receive professional development that is aligned with their evaluation results.

Ensure that teachers receiving less than effective ratings are placed on a professional improvement plan.
Texas should adopt a policy requiring that teachers who receive even one less than effective evaluation be placed on structured improvement plans. Even though the state requires coordinated professional development for teachers with unsatisfactory ratings, Texas should strengthen this policy by requiring that the plans define specific action steps necessary to address deficiencies and describe how and when progress will be measured.

State response to our analysis

Texas asserted that under T-TESS, the new evaluation system, all teachers will establish practice improvement goals aligned with appraisal results and develop a professional development plan to attain those goals.