Prairie State Wire

Illinois State Board of Education, Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force met May 20:

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

I. Call to Order/Roll Call:

Dr. Jason Helfer called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. and asked meeting facilitator Delaney Workman to conduct a roll call. A quorum was present.

Members Present:

Dr. John Burkey

Elizabeth Dampf

Dr. Vito Dipinto

Dr. Marie Donovan

Shauna Ejeh

Shannon Fehrholz

Jessica Handy

Katrina Hankison

Dr. Terry Husband

Dr. Lori James-Gross

Dr. Christie McIntyre

Erika Mendez

Jessica Nunez

Jennifer Smith

Dr. Michelle Stacy

Robin Steans

Kesa Thurman-Stovall

Dr. Diana Zaleski

Ex-officio member appointed by the state superintendent of education: Dr. Jason Helfer

Members Absent:

Senator Tom Bennett

Dr. Kathryn Chval

Representative Amy Elik

Dr. Andrea Evans

Lori Grant

Gloria Helin

Bob Langman

Senator Laura Murphy

Dr. Abir Othman

Claire Siejka

Representative Katie Stuart

Dr. Mary Ticknor

Others Present:

Meeting facilitator: Delaney Workman

Leslie Ellis

Sara Kaufman

Jen Kirmes

Jim O’Connor

Julie Peters

Omar Salem

Mercedes Wentworth-Nice

II. Approval of Minutes

Dr. Helfer called for discussion on the minutes. Hearing no discussion, he called for a motion to approve the minutes. The motion was made by Dr. Burkey and seconded by Dr. Donovan. Dr. Helfer then called for a roll call vote. Ms. Workman took the roll call vote on the motion.

Dr. John Burkey – Yes

Elizabeth Dampf – Yes

Dr. Vito Dipinto – Yes

Dr. Marie Donovan – Yes

Shauna Ejeh – Yes

Shannon Fehrholz – Yes

Katrina Hankison – Yes

Dr. Terry Husband – Yes

Dr. Lori James-Gross – Yes

Dr. Christie McIntyre – Abstain

Erika Mendez – Yes

Jessica Nunez – Yes

Jennifer Smith – Yes

Dr. Michelle Stacy – Yes

Robin Steans – Yes

Kesa Thurman-Stovall – Yes

Dr. Diana Zaleski – Yes

The motion was passed.

III. Old Business

Dr. Helfer moved on to old business, informing the group about the progress that has been made since the last meeting. There has been an amendment made to House Bill 5057 that will extend the end date of the task force to October 31, 2024, if it passes during this session. Dr. Helfer informed the task force members that they will vote on whether they agree with the amendment to extend the date.

Dr. Dipinto asked for clarification on the various timelines discussed during the previous meeting. He recalled multiple timelines being discussed but did not remember what specifically they were for.

Dr. Helfer clarified that the first timeline is what is being voted on today – the extension of the end date of the task force. The second timeline referenced was the start of veto session. The final timeline discussed was the date that a Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) becomes consequential.

Dr. McIntyre asked why an amendment was being added to this bill since it references a content test.

Dr. Helfer shared that he is aware that the Illinois General Assembly website may not show the most current amendment but will share the language with the group once he receives it. Later in the meeting, Ms. Workman shared the link to the full text in the chat.

Ms. Kaufman, a member of the public, said she believes a cooperating teacher is the best individual to measure the skills of a candidate. She recommended the task force create rubrics to be used by a cooperating teacher to assess a teacher candidate.

Dr. Dipinto responded to this statement by clarifying that not all student teaching experiences are the same. He encouraged the task force to reevaluate the role that a cooperating teacher plays as not all experiences have the same outcome.

Ms. Mendez asked for clarification about what will be covered at the coming meetings.

Dr. Helfer shared that he is in contact with other state Departments of Education and is hoping that a representative from one of them can come to a future meeting to share about the TPA in their state.

Dr. Helfer thanked the members for the discussion and called for a motion to approve the extension of the task force. Ms. Dampf made the motion, and it was seconded by Dr. Dipinto. Dr. Helfer then called for a roll call vote. Ms. Workman took the roll call vote on the motion.

Dr. John Burkey – Yes

Elizabeth Dampf – Yes

Dr. Vito Dipinto – Yes

Dr. Marie Donovan – Yes

Shauna Ejeh – Yes

Shannon Fehrholz – Yes

Jessica Handy – Yes

Katrina Hankison – Yes

Dr. Terry Husband – Yes

Dr. Lori James-Gross – Yes

Dr. Christie McIntyre – Yes

Erika Mendez – Yes

Jessica Nunez – Yes

Jennifer Smith – Yes

Dr. Michelle Stacy – Yes

Robin Steans – Yes

Kesa Thurman-Stovall – Yes

Dr. Diana Zaleski – Yes

The motion was passed.

IV. Public Comment

Dr. Helfer called for any public comment. No members of the public provided commentary, but Dr. McIntyre offered clarification on her vote. She said she voted only to approve the task force extension and not the full text of HB 5057.

V. New Business

Dr. Helfer moved on to new business and thanked members for their time and thoughtful consideration when taking the survey. He also reminded the task force that ISBE staff are reaching out to other states for information on their TPAs. Next, he shared with the group that many task force members reached out to him regarding next steps and items that should be revisited. He summarized these thoughts in a slide deck that was shared during the meeting. The following themes were included:

1. A TPA is an opportunity for a candidate to show a particular set of skills important for a teacher of record to possess.

2. Experiences with a TPA vary based upon role and how the data is used.

3. A TPA is only one part of a constellation of experiences that include other requirements.

The slide deck ended with two questions being posed to the task force – What do we believe constitutes a “Day 1 ready teacher?” and “How can a TPA be part of the larger arc of developing professional practice inclusive of and extending from initial preparation?”

After showing the first slide, Dr. Helfer called on the members to share their thoughts on what should be required in a TPA.

Dr. McIntyre began the conversation by saying that she would want to ensure a candidate can plan and deliver instruction and reflect on the cultural implications and contextual information of their students to be able to inform decisions related to their instruction.

Ms. Steans asked if there is overlap between the Danielson Framework, the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, and the national teaching standards.

Dr. Helfer summarized the previous comments made by Dr. McIntyre and Ms. Steans.

Dr. McIntyre added that it is also important for candidates to be able to access resources required by their students and plan long term instruction.

Ms. Steans said that it is important for the cultural backgrounds of students to be considered.

Dr. Donovan said that the committee also must keep in mind to do what is developmentally appropriate. After presenting and explaining the remainder of the slides, Dr. Helfer called for members to share any additional insight.

Ms. Dampf reminded the task force that it is important to consider what a teacher candidate gets out of the process of completing a TPA.

Dr. Dipinto echoed Ms. Dampf's thoughts.

Dr. McIntyre said that she believes that the format of the TPA should consist of a clinical evaluation and an assignment embedded within the evaluation that assesses a candidate’s ability to plan a series of lessons.

Ms. Mendez shared that she believes a teacher candidate should view the TPA as a process in which they are able to receive feedback and use that in their practice. She said that this is an important skill to be used in the field and it is important for a TPA to build this skill.

Ms. Steans emphasized the importance of consistency in whatever tools the task force decides to use.

Dr. Helfer summarized Ms. Stean’s comments by saying that it is important to have consistency in language. He shared an example of using the categories from the Danielson Framework among all components.

Ms. Steans said that yes, it is important to have consistency in the components, but also consistency among all the components of a teacher candidate’s preparation. She suggested looking at the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and any other standards that a teacher preparation program must align to.

Dr. Burkey wondered if it would be possible for a TPA to measure the candidate’s passion for teaching.

Dr. Helfer thanked the task force members for sharing their thoughts and then asked them to share their thoughts on what should not be required in a TPA.

Dr. Stacy said she does not believe a TPA should measure all possible outcomes of teacher candidates in a single setting. She shared that although there are many valuable comments being shared in the task force discussion, it will be overwhelming to candidates to have all of that to be measured in a single assessment.

Dr. Helfer asked for an example of how that would be done.

Ms. Nunez said that she does not believe a single video assessment would be appropriate in a TPA. She believes that it must show candidate growth over time.

Ms. Steans shared that she believes it is important to remain focused on what needs to be assessed before determining how it will be assessed.

Dr. Helfer responded by sharing that yes, it is important keep this in mind, and said that oftentimes identifying what needs to be assessed and how it needs to be assessed go hand in hand.

Dr. Donovan said that she finds it important to measure how a teacher candidate builds relationships and engages their students in learning.

Ms. Ejeh added to Dr. Donovan’s comments by saying that it is important for teacher candidates to maintain and model positive adult relationships and know how to seek resources for their students.

Ms. Steans asked the members how they feel about including family and community interaction on a TPA.

Dr. McIntyre answered that she believes it to be critical. She shared that it is important for the families in the community to be heard so that the family and community values can be reflected within the classroom.

Ms. Mendez said that she worries that teacher candidates do not have full autonomy within the classrooms they are placed in, so it is important to not put too much emphasis on this area as it is often an area in which the candidate has no control over.

Ms. Steans said that she agrees that it is difficult to assess this area as it is beyond the teacher candidate's control. She also shared that it is important to consider that measuring the cultural competency of teacher candidates can be difficult as exposure to students with different backgrounds largely depends on the student teaching placement.

Dr. Helfer shared that he is hearing four main ideas:

1. The notion of caring about kids.

2. Building learner engagement.

3. Developing relationships within the classroom and community.

4. Some ideas may not be able to be assessed in a TPA.

He said that although there are many important skills and ideas that teacher candidates need to know, each skill may not be able to be assessed with a TPA.

Ms. Nunez said she feels professional responsibilities need to be included in the TPA. She shared that this can be done by having teacher candidates reflect on their responsibilities outside of the classroom. She also shared that she, along with others, has seen new teachers lacking in this area so it is important to introduce teacher candidates to this prior to their first day in the classroom.

Ms. Mendez shared an idea of having a candidate complete a community needs landscape or a community resource mapping assignment to ensure that candidates are prepared in this area.

Ms. Dampf reminded the task force that many attributes to be assessed within the realm of professional responsibilities can be learned by the teacher candidate in the early stages of their career. She encouraged the group to remain focused on the skills necessary for a Day 1 ready teacher.

Ms. Thurman-Stovall shared some of the core competencies that the Golden Apple Foundation believes all educators should walk into the classroom having a basic understanding of. Those competencies are reflection, civic engagement, cultural relevancy, growth mindset, instructional best practices, and professional expectations.

Dr. Helfer called for members to share any additional ideas to revisit in the following meetings.

Dr. McIntyre requested that the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards be shared with the task force. She reminded the task force that all preparation programs are aligned to these standards and must demonstrate candidate proficiency in these areas.

Ms. Steans agreed and requested that the standards be shared to help the task force move forward.

Dr. Helfer said that Ms. Workman would follow up with the task force to share the standards.

Ms. Steans said it would be helpful if the members looked at the standards before the next meeting to help identify which things should be included and left to the preparation programs.

Dr. McIntyre responded by explaining that student teaching is a time for teacher candidates to demonstrate proficiency of those standards.

Dr. Helfer called for any final comments or questions. Hearing none, he explained the next steps for the task force and reminded them that the committee will hear from Missouri representatives during the next meeting.

VI. Adjournment

Dr. Helfer asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Steans motioned for adjournment. Dr. Evans seconded. All members present unanimously agreed to adjourn.

The motion was passed.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

https://www.isbe.net/Documents_TPA/20240520-Minutes.pdf