School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation: Student Learning Objectives (SLO) Guidebook

School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation: Student Learning Objectives (SLO) Guidebook 2016-17 October 2016 1

Contents I. Overview of the guidebook...3 II. An introduction to SLOs...3 A. What is an SLO?...4 III. How can SLOs support the school s instructional vision?...5 IV. SLO timeline and process...6 A. Key dates for the SY 2016-17 SLO process...6 B. Roles and responsibilities for the SY 2016-17 SLO process...7 1. Principals...7 2. Instructional Leadership Executive Directors (ILEDs)...7 V. Writing SLOs...8 Modifying/aligning an SPP goal for SLOs...8 VI. Approving SLOs...9 VII. Scoring SLOs... 10 SLO Guidance: The 7 SLO Elements... 11 Appendices and special guidance... 19 APPENDIX A: 2016-17 Principal Student Learning Objective (SLO) submission template... 19 APPENDIX B: 2016-17 Principal Student Learning Objective (SLO) Approval Rubric... 23 APPENDIX C: SY 2016-17 Student Learning Objective (SLO) final scoring rubric... 24 APPENDIX D: Principal SLO Guidance for Charter Schools, Alternative Schools and Programs, Separate Public Day Programs, and Special Education Programs... 25 APPENDIX E: Secondary principal SLOs: HSA SLO... 26 2

I. Overview of the guidebook Dynamic school leadership is essential for student achievement. Effective principals are key to strengthening instruction and cultivating strong learning environments. As a part of the SY 2016-17 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation, Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) are in place to help measure student progress for principals throughout the current school year. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to principals and Instructional Leadership Executive Directors (ILEDs) for the SY 2016-17 SLO process. The development of principal s SLOs will follow a similar structure to the principal s development of his/her SMART goals for the SY 2016-17 School Performance Plan (SPP). This will provide principals with the option to use an approved goal from their School Performance Plan for use as their SLO or to draft a new SLO target, depending on their school priorities. Additionally, in line with the expectations set by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), school leaders at middle-high schools and high schools will develop a separate SLO measured by their SY 2016-17 High School Assessment (HSA) results. Progress towards this HSA SLO target will be assessed and applied to the SY 2017-18 evaluation. II. An introduction to SLOs Clearly, student learning is the most important measure of the success of a teacher, a principal, a school and our district. Ensuring that students progress through school and graduate from high school ready for college, career training, and life success in the 21 st century is the district s central mission. A key part of improving student learning is setting clear, measurable learning goals for students, and educators throughout our district. School leaders do this as a matter of good practice and work with their Instructional Leadership Teams to set and monitor SMART goals in their School Performance Plans annually. Teachers complete this same practice through their SLO development process. Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) are intended to reinforce this good practice that many educators already embrace, where school leaders, teachers and other instructional staff examine their students strengths and areas for growth early in the year, set gradelevel and school-wide goals for students, and gauge their progress over the year towards those goals. The SLO process simply formalizes this practice. SLOs also help guide data-driven instruction, provide an anchor for collaborative planning and promote student-learning focused dialogue between principals and their ILT teams and between principals and their ILEDs. All school leaders will have a minimum of one SLO for SY 2016-17. This includes new principals, school leaders who have been PEP d as principals, managing assistant principals, and interim principals. Secondary principals will write an SLO for SY 2016-17 HSA, which will be scored and incorporated in their SY 2017-18 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation Current principals who wrote an SLO for SY 2015-16 HSA will have this SLO incorporated in this year s SY 2016-17 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation As with other measures included in the SY 2016-17 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation, SLOs are another important data source to help support principals by: Using student performance data to drive instruction and school improvement; Collecting information about how educators affect student growth and achievement; 3

Promoting rigorous expectations for students and for practitioners by setting ambitious learning targets; Identifying data that alerts school leaders when students are not making adequate progress during the school year and help identify appropriate interventions; Providing additional data to help identify practitioners individual strengths and weaknesses; Strengthening school leaders conversations with the school community on school improvement initiatives based on the identification of prioritized needs; and Enabling a stronger connection between individual and collective improvement practices of school leaders and teachers as they work together to develop goals and strategies that bring school improvement to scale. A. What is an SLO? Student Learning Objectives (SLOs): A specific, long-term goal for student learning, that may be customized to a range of students. SLOs are designed to support the instructional vision at the school and measure student progress for principal evaluation. Similar to the goal setting process outlined for principals in their School Performance Plan, developing an SLO target starts with engaging in an inquiry process where questions around teaching (adult actions), learning (student s outcomes) and leadership (ILT actions) within the school community, with special attention to Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS), are generated. Following this inquiry process, principals can then engage in a root-cause analysis to identify the strengths and areas of need for their schools. Based on data about current students Collaborative with ILT and ILED Focused on the most valuable learning Aligned to current curriculum standards Identified through an inquiry process SLO: an academic goal for specific students for a specific time interval Specific and measurable Once principals identify their strengths and needs, they work with their Instructional Leadership Team to prioritize the needs having the greatest impact on the district and their school goals. The SLO target is developed to measure the progress of the students identified through this prioritization process. When establishing a target, principals are advised to use assessments which measure growth or mastery of content by students from 4

the beginning of the school year and throughout the year. By establishing a benchmark, principals can better measure progress towards the target using multiple types of assessments such as formative, interim and summative assessments. It is essential that SLOs are based on high-quality assessments in order for the process to yield accurate and meaningful results. City Schools has identified quality assessments for which principal SLOs can be written. This will ensure consistency across the district and reduce the burden of assessment design and selection on principals and ILEDs. In addition, given the timing of when assessment results are available and in line with the district assessment strategy, principals should write a SLO either for mathematics or for literacy. The SLO target should address as many students in the school as possible. Finally, principals should differentiate their SLOs to reflect the varied starting places and learning levels of their students. SLOs can be summarized with simple statements that describe what students will know and be able to do by the end of the year. SLOs are most powerful when they address the most important learning goals for the school, and when they are developed in collaboration with colleagues and the ILED to assure alignment with school and district learning goals. As stated earlier, the development of the SLO target follows a similar inquiry-based process that principals engaged in when developing their SMART academic goals for their School Performance Plan. Therefore, a principal may use or modify an academic goal written in their SPP as their SLO target. This is not mandatory and is at the principal s discretion. The criteria for a SPP goal that can serve as a SLO target include: Goal is academic in nature; Goal should include what specific subject the SLO addresses (e.g., literacy, mathematics); Goal should identify the targeted group of students assessed (e.g., grade band), in line with relevant guidance; and Data point identified for the target must be collected prior to June 12, 2017. III. How can SLOs support the school s instructional vision? The process of setting goals, monitoring progress against those goals and evaluating performance supports effective school management. SLOs promote these strong practices across schools and districts. Additional benefits include: SLOs allow principals to customize goals to the context of each school s vision and population. Principals review student data and develop SLOs that reflect the school vision and target specific grade bands and content areas. SLOs may be based on either growth or mastery in each area. SLOs help principals focus on school-level objectives, potentially aligned with the School Performance Plan, that directly connect to student academic performance. The SLO development process helps 5

principals use current data and trends to understand students changing instructional needs and practitioners professional development needs based on current data and trends. The SLO process promotes collaboration, ongoing reflection, and continuous improvement. The development of SLOs yields rich discussions between principals, ILEDs and teachers about student learning that can drive strategies for improvement (e.g., professional development can be tailored to teachers with common needs) and that build practitioner capacity to use data to inform instructional practice. IV. SLO timeline and process Principals will submit their SLO to their ILEDs for review and approval by Monday, October 31, 2016. ILEDs can request revisions as needed to ensure that the SLO meets quality standards (See SLO Approval section later in guidebook) and will approve the SLO once they ve determined it has met these standards. ILEDs must ensure that all SLOs are approved by Monday, November 21, 2016. By June 12, 2017, principals will provide the evidence of their students progress towards meeting the SLO target to their ILED. ILEDs will then score the principal SLO using the Final Scoring Rubric. Additionally, ILEDs and principals may discuss the principal s attainment of the SLO target while also reviewing the school s SY 2016-17 SPP at the end of year meeting. Below is an overview of the SLO process for SY 2016-17 as well as a chart with key dates. Please note that SLOs will be included as a part of a principal s composite score for his/her annual evaluation in the 2016-17 school year under the School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation. A. Key dates for the SY 2016-17 SLO process Key SY 2016-17 SLO process dates Principal submission of SLO for ILED approval October 31, 2016 SLO review and approval window for ILED November 1-20, 2016 SLO approval deadline November 21, 2016 Progress monitoring of SLO by Principal November 2016 -June 2017 Submission of final SLO results by Principal June 12, 2017 NOTE: For principals using EOC assessments for their SLO targets, we strongly recommend that the EOC assessment for your SLO target be given in your school at the start of the EOC window. Calendar dates do not reflect the impact of any snow days. 6

1 2 3 CONDUCT AN INQUIRY PROCESS Principal conducts an inquiry process to identify prioritized need through data analysis DRAFT AND SUBMIT SLO Principal determines whether to use an existing SMART goal from his or her SPP or draft a new SLO target for submission SLO APPROVAL ILEDs review and approve proposed SLOs (or request revisions) and meet with principals (as appropriate). 4 5 SLO SCORING Principals submit SLO results to ILED. ILED reviews data and scores SLO. REFLECTION Principal and ILED discuss progress and implications for next year s SLO(s). B. Roles and responsibilities for the SY 2016-17 SLO process 1. Principals Principals hold primary responsibility for ensuring that their SLO(s) addresses the most important learning goals for their schools within the timeline. Principals are responsible for: Collecting and reviewing baseline data for their students; Drafting a SLO(s) per the guidance provided and submitting to their ILED by the deadline; Reminder: Middle-high school and high school principals must also develop a SLO that is measured by data from the SY 2016-17 state mandated High School Assessment (HSA) for use in the SY 2017-18 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation process. Working with their ILED to have their SLO(s) approved by the deadline; and Presenting and reflecting on the evidence of their students progress toward the targets set in the SLO(s) by the deadline. 2. Instructional Leadership Executive Directors (ILEDs) ILEDs hold primary responsibility for assuring the quality of principal s Student Learning Objectives. Each ILED is responsible for: Collaborating with principals and approving SLOs by the deadline; Reviewing data and scoring principals SLOs; and Discussing the results and progress on principals achievement of the SLO target, and the implications for the next school year 7

V. Writing SLOs While SLOs will vary from principal to principal, the following are basic steps for writing strong SLOs: Writing SLOs 1. Conduct inquiry process by asking key questions Focus on the instructional programming at the school and expectations set for mastery of the MCCRS 2. Identify prioritized needs by analyzing data Engage in a root cause analysis to identify the strengths and areas of need for school 3. Construct goal Design a mastery or growth goal that best suits the school s focus in either ELA or math and the associated assessment 4. Articulate how target will be verified Explain how ILED will verify whether target was met or not through the review of data 5. Develop SLO monitoring and implementation plan Describe the instructional and leadership strategies to implement your SLO and data progress monitoring plan Modifying/aligning an SPP goal for SLOs As outlined earlier, school leaders do not have to align their SLO with one of their SPP academic goals. For those school leaders who choose to align the two, we have provided several examples of SMART goals found in their SPP that may not meet the requirements of a SLO target. A critical difference between the structures of the two types of goals is based on how SLOs will be scored, so that when modifying the SPP goal for a principal SLO, the percentage of students is not included. 8

As a reminder, and as stated earlier in this guidebook, principals should write a SLO either for mathematics or for literacy. Problem SPP Example Recommendation The goal specifies a percentage or number of students within the population who will meet the target More than one goal and/or more than one assessment is covered within an SPP The subject/topic or the assessment is not specified The learning target is not specified in an SPP goal By June 2017, 50% of students in grades 3-5 will grow 0.75 years on Admin III of the I-Ready reading assessment. By June 2017, students in grades 3-5 will grow 0.75 years on Admin III of the I-Ready reading assessment and students in grades 6-8 will grow 1.0 years on the Admin III of the I-Ready math assessment. By June 2017, students in grades 3-8 will score a 60% or better By June 2017, students in grades K-2 will show growth based on the Amplify EOY TRC district assessment Revisit the SPP goal and: -Remove the percentage/count of students (this is in Final Scoring) and -Potentially reassess target for rigor and attainability Revisit and determine the best goal: - Separate the goals and select one for the SLO or - Structure the goal as a differentiated target IF the same subject area is being assessed Revisit SPP goal and identify appropriate subject/topic and assessment Revisit SPP goal and identify appropriate target VI. Approving SLOs While SLOs may look different across schools and districts, all strong SLOs have common characteristics: Prioritize content that is aligned to MCCRS, international, national, state, local or industry-recognized standards; Identify a high-quality assessment to measure student progress; and Articulate rigorous, but reasonable, expectations for student progress. In order to submit their SLO, principals will complete the SLO Learning Target form in TSS to electronically submit their SLOs by the deadline for their ILED for. The ILEDs review and confirm that the SLO is complete and the goals are appropriate for the principal and his/her school by using the SLO approval rubric (Appendix B) to guide their decision to approve or deny each submitted SLO. It is recommended that the ILED set up a meeting with the principal to discuss SLOs, as appropriate. In this meeting, the principal and ILED discuss: Whether the SPP goal meets the SLO criteria (if applicable); 9

Whether the SLO is approved if not, what revisions are needed; How the SLO will measure the progress in student learning; Plans for supporting student learning toward the SLO target; and Ways the ILED can support the principal in meeting the objective. IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for every SLO in SY 2016-17 to be approved by November 21, 2016, principals must submit their SLO in TSS on time and ILEDs will review SLOs in a timely manner to allow time for feedback, revisions, and resubmission. If the SLO does not meet one or more criteria, it is not approved. The ILED must return the SLO to the principal with guidance about how to improve it and a deadline for resubmission. ILEDs will complete the approval process using the rubric in TSS. The SLO will be submitted as an assignment and the approval rubric will be used to respond to and approve it. ILEDs can plan to discuss the principal s progress on the SLO as a part of other meetings scheduled with principals, as appropriate. This includes the second PSASA Conference. Additionally, ILEDs and principals may discuss the principal s attainment of the SLO target while also reviewing the school s SY 2016-17 SPP at the end of year meeting. VII. Scoring SLOs Once the data required by the SLO are available, principals will submit their students results to their ILED using TSS. This must be by the June 12, 2016 deadline, and may be earlier if the data is available. The principals will submit the results of the SLO and provide context for why the target was not met (if applicable). ILEDs will review student performance data to determine the SLO score. The score will be based on the SLO Final Scoring Rubric for SY 2016-17. This scoring rubric is in Appendix C. It is recommended that the principal and ILED will meet to discuss the results and the implications for next year s planning. We encourage ILEDs to plan ahead and work with their principals on the scoring since some of the SLO final results will be available sooner than others. As a reminder, the SLO Final Score results will be included in a principal s composite annual evaluation score under the School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation. 10

Guidance: Principal SLO Elements There are 7 SLO Elements that teachers and school leaders should take into consideration in the writing, approving, and monitoring of an SLO. While each element serves a vital purpose, the elements work together interdependently to form a cohesive goal and actionable plan for student learning. Student population and differentiation of target The SLO process is intended to have a positive impact on instructional outcomes for the greatest number of students possible. The Student Population describes the students addressed by the SLO. A principal SLO should cover multiple grades depending on the subject level identified (either ELA or math) and the assessments used to measure students progress in the subject area. As many students as possible should be covered in the principal s SLO. As such, the principal s SLO may either: Address specific grade bands (e.g., K-8, 9-12), or Focus on the students at the school assessed with the assessment identified in the principal s SLO (e.g., In a K-8 school, grades 3-8 in the school participate in i-ready). Schools leaders should write their SLO using the approach that allows them to incorporate the largest group of students in their SLO Student Population as possible. *NOTE: For SY 2016-17, given the relatively new nature of i-ready, if i-ready represents the largest group of the school s tested student population, school leaders may elect to use the assessment that covers the 2 nd largest body of students. The number of students indicated in the student population for the SLO target submission is based on enrollment at the time of submitting the SLO. Principals need to be able to describe what they know about the performance/skills/achievement levels at the beginning of the SLO window for the students addressed in their SLO. Principals should make every effort to ensure students participate in the relevant pre-assessment so they have baseline data. Students who arrive after the SLO is approved are not included in the principal s SLO; students for whom the principal was unable to have baseline data are also not included in the principal s SLO. As the Baseline Data section highlights, there are a broad range of data types that may be considered. Principals must make every effort to review available data and include students in their SLO Population. As with teacher SLOs, principals are reminded that it is not recommended to create group of students that consists of less than 10 students within a differentiated SLO target. If students are no longer enrolled in the school at the time the SLO is scored will be removed from the total count of students addressed by the SLO. Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 1a) Does the SLO cover the appropriate grade levels for the assessment identified? 1b) Does the SLO cover the appropriate set of students? 11

SLO learning content As confirmed in research, learning content is a vital element to an SLO. It truly anchors the SLO by providing the content to measure, staging the interval during which strategies are employed, and setting up the level of growth/mastery students will attain for the standards. This should correspond with the academic subject assessed. For SY 2016-17, principals are advised to either develop an ELA or math SLO and to consider the timeless and timely nature of their SLO learning content. Content need Timeless I know what I have found to typically be difficult but important content. I reviewed those standards my district, state, or national group say are critical. I considered content that is foundational to my students academic success and potential for deeper learning. Student need Timely I broadly reviewed student data available across various content areas. I reviewed the baseline assessment results to understand specific student-group needs. Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 2a) Is the SLO written for the correct subject area as outlined in the SLO guidebook? 2b) Does the SLO address a prioritized need of the school? Baseline data In order to set meaningful SLO Student Learning Targets that are sufficiently challenging, principals need to review baseline data about where their students are starting. Baseline data may be gathered in a number of ways, and needs to be relevant to the specific SLO learning content and the assessment identified in the submitted SLO. For assessments with BOY and MOY data points, principals must use the BOY data for their students as their baseline data. When setting SLO targets, data are most informative when they are Aligned Measure the same standards included in the SLO Valid Correlate to other justifiable measures of success in the content area Recent and longitudinal Provide updated as well as trend information Comparable Can be reliably combined with and across other data Relevant Are meaningful in educational terms Research shows that it is the thinking process that matters when principals craft SLOs. Principals take the data they have examined and weigh the relative value of each kind of data. Principals may look at various types of baseline data related to the SLO Student Learning Target: Pre-assessment that is specific to the SLO Historical or additional data of current students performance Historical data of previous students performance on the same assessment/content 12

Historical or additional data related to current student performance may include unit assessments within this content area, performance on assessments in other areas (ie: reading level assessments, performance on end of year assessments from the previous year), or IEP status. This is not a definitive list, and principals are encouraged to discuss student data points to inform the target-setting with their ILED. School leaders must attach their baseline data in TSS when they submit their SLO. This baseline data should be identifiable by the students who are included in the SLO. Attachments may be reports pulled from the appropriate assessment system and should include the Excel data report provided by the district and formatted to clearly compile the baseline information in an identifiable manner. Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 3a) Is the target anchored in baseline data for current students? Assessment used to measure SLO student learning target The selection of assessments is a crucial component of an SLO. These measures enable principals and ILEDs to determine progress towards and attainment of the student learning target in the SLO. An assessment must be a measure that allows students to demonstrate what they know and can do related to the SLO learning content. Examples of assessments that may be appropriate for SY 2016-17 Principal SLOs include: Assessment Grade Levels Content TRC K-2 Literacy Final Assessment Window May 15 June 2, 2017 Reports TRC class summary reports i-ready 3-12 Literacy, math March 1-22, 2017 School reports export Diagnostic and Instruction Data LDC writing 6-12 ELA, social studies Align with end of quarter Excel spreadsheet Share student samples with ILED in EOY conference End of course 9-12 Algebra I and II, English, other June 7-12, 2017 Data Link end of course studentlevel report PARCC and MSAs are not acceptable as the results from these assessments arrive after evaluation deadlines, however, state assessment data may be included when analyzing the baseline data which will inform the SLO Learning Target. The only exception for using a state mandated assessment as an SLO are for schools serving students in grades 9-12 that are also required to create a HSA SLO using SY 2016-17 data for the SY 2017-18 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation. 13

Principals should articulate how they and their ILED will verify whether the target was met or not based on data analyzed. This should address when and how the data will be provided for review. For the same assessments listed above, here are considerations to keep in mind for principal SLOs: Assessment Baseline Data Considerations for SLO Sample SLO Goal TRC BOY Levels vary chart to consider 1 and 1.5 year growth Students in grades K-2 will show one year of growth from BOY TRC to EOY TRC i-ready Admin I - Excel spreadsheet for baseline -Use scale score and recommended growth chart Students in grades 3-8 will show.75 year growth from Admin I of the math i-ready assessment to Admin III LDC writing Q1 LDC module - Excel spreadsheet to compile data teacher-scored results -LASW protocols for normed scoring Students will score a 3 or 4 on the Q4 writing task for the Reading LDC module End of course Other Q1 assessments and last year s data - Growth goal not recommended - Baseline includes multiple measures - Use district-provided EOC Students in grades 9-10 will score at least 70% on the EOC assessment in Algebra I Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 4a) Is it clear what data the ILED will be provided to verify that the target was met? 4b) Does this address when and how the data can be accessed by the ILED to verify whether the target was met? 4c) Does this align with relevant district guidance? Establishing the SLO student learning target Setting student learning targets begins with developing a full and accurate understanding of students, then involves analyzing and selecting target setting approaches, and leads to setting specific targets for each student. Research shows that the SLO as a whole, and the student learning target setting component in particular, need to meet three standards of validity: The student academic growth is demonstrable Meeting the growth target makes sense to frontline educators The target setting is perceived as fair. 14

A principal s SLO must state a specific target for student achievement. This SLO student learning target is a description of success in the SLO learning content and based on the assessment identified in the submitted SLO. This target may be a growth target or a mastery target, and should be sufficiently challenging based on the student baseline data and appropriate SLO guidance. Reminder: The SLO Student Learning Target describes success in terms of the level of achievement, and does not include the final attainment of SLO student learning target (the percentage or number of students who will reach the target.) Rather, this percentage is described within the SLO final scoring rubric with specific ranges of the percentage of the student population who reach the SLO student learning target. This is a shift from principals experience in SY 2014-15. Here is an example of that difference: SY 2014-15 Example SLO Target 50% of students in Algebra I will score at least a 75% on the district-provided end of course exam for Algebra I. Current Example SLO Student Learning Target My goal is that students in Algebra I will score at least a 70% on the district-provided end of course exam for Algebra I. [Based on the Final Scoring Rubric, it is Highly Effective attainment if 93-100% of students meet this target.] The SLO target should be SMART: Specific: Targeted content area, grade level, and student population Measurable: Performance/ target area must be measurable and include growth or mastery targets Achievable: Percentage of expected change Relevant: Content areas; is the goal addressing an urgent need? Timely: Bound by a timeframe; current reality or baseline data point (if available) Principals should engage in an inquiry-based process to develop the SLO goal, including: 1) Ask key questions regarding the instructional programming at the school. 2) Analyze past and current data to identify the prioritized strengths and needs of the school. 3) Construct either a mastery or growth target that is best suited for the school s prioritized focus area and associated assessment. Types of targets: Mastery or growth Mastery Target - Students grow to a common level of mastery. This measures student knowledge of skills they are taught throughout the year. In developing a target for a mastery goal, the school principal may look at past performances to inform the trajectory of the performance of current students. As an example, a mastery goal could be, Students in grades 6-8 will score a 3 or a 4 on the 4 th Quarter writing task for the ELA LDC module 15

Growth Target Students are expected to grow by a common amount. This considers the achievement levels of a student at the start of the school year in order to measure student growth throughout the year. As an example, a growth goal could be, Students in grades 9-12 will show 0.75 years of growth from the 1 st Administration of the math i-ready assessment to the 3 rd Administration. Once the principal determines whether a mastery or growth target is to be used, then he/she establishes a target that encompasses the whole group of students OR establishes different targets for different groups of students, depending on their starting places on the SAME assessment. Types of targets: Whole group or differentiated Whole group target The principal has set one SLO student learning target for the entire student population addressed by the SLO. o Students in grades 1-2 will score at least 80% on the 4 th quarter math interim Differentiated SLO student learning target The principal has set different SLO Student Learning Targets for different groups of students within the student population addressed by the SLO. All students in grades 9-12 will demonstrate growth in math on the i-ready assessment. defined as follows: Students in grades 9-12 who are 3 or more Placement Levels below will show 1.5 years of growth from the Admin I of the math i-ready assessment to Admin III Students in grades 9-12 who are 2 Placement Levels below or less will show 0.75 years of growth from the Admin I of the math i-ready assessment to Admin III Note: Aligning SLO learning target with SPP Principals should work with their ILED to determine whether an SPP goal will serve as the SLO learning target, or how best to write an SLO goal that will support progress towards one of their SPP goals. Principals do not have to write an SLO that is directly aligned with one of their SPP goals. Principals are responsible for identifying their SY 2016-17 SPP goal that is aligned with their SLO learning target, only if applicable. Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 5a) Is the target sufficiently challenging based on the student baseline data and appropriate SLO guidance? Rigor is determined by analyzing past performance of students to determine a reasonable goal for mastery/growth given the instructional period. 16

Instructional leadership strategies Principals should give their ILED an idea of what they think are the most effective and targeted instructional strategies to reach the SLO student learning target. These strategies must be appropriate to learning content and relevant characteristics of the student population (i.e., abilities, needs, experiences and interests). Principals are highly encouraged to review the instructional and leadership strategies identified in their SPP for SY 2016-17 and identify those strategies that: Are most appropriate to their submitted SLO, and Have the most opportunity to help their students reach the SLO student learning target. To help understand which strategies may be most appropriate and relevant to their SLO, principals should review and consider the results indicators they included in their SPP. As SPP guidance reminds principals and ILEDs, instructional strategies are research-based strategies implemented in the classroom to activate the knowledge of students, engage the learner, and strengthen reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking. Examples include: Cycle of Professional Learning (CoPL) Explicit instruction Quality feedback Nonlinguistic representation Co-teaching Note-taking Collaborative learning Leadership strategies are those that involve the principal and/or ILT to take specific actions that impact implementation of recommended strategies. Examples include: How leaders spend money/resources Learning walks to check strategies Examination of student work Scheduling Monitoring and evaluation Professional development Increase frequency and quality of ILT meetings Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 6a) Are the strategies directly linked to prioritized needs? 6b) Are the strategies research based or reflect best practices? 6c) Do the strategies pertain to adult actions? 17

Progress monitoring strategies Principals should describe interim assessments and other progress checks he/she will use during the SLO Window to see whether students are on track to meet the SLO student learning target. These strategies must be appropriate to the SLO learning content, relevant characteristics of the student population (i.e., abilities, needs, experiences and interests), and the instructional and leadership strategies identified. Principals are highly encouraged to review the progress monitoring strategies identified in their SPP for SY 2016-17 and identify those strategies that: Are most appropriate to their submitted SLO, and Have the most opportunity to help their students reach the SLO student learning target. SPP guidance reminds principals and ILEDs that the schools who made significant progress addressed the following monitoring issues, including: What should be monitored? How will practices and student progress be monitored? When and how often will practices and student progress be monitored? Who will be responsible for monitoring and reporting the progress? Questions to consider when a principal SLO is approved: 7a) Are the data and strategies related to the learning content and target of the SLO? 7b) Do the strategies reflect multiple, ongoing efforts to review student progress? 18

Appendices and special guidance City Schools has developed special guidance for SLOs on the following topics: A. SLO submission template B. SLO approval rubric C. SLO final scoring rubric D. AOP, special programs, and charter schools E. High school principals (Use of HSA) APPENDIX A: 2016-17 Principal Student Learning Objective (SLO) submission template Principal: Employee ID#: School Name: School #: Evaluator: Principals will submit their SLOs electronically in TSS. This template is for planning purposes only. Student Population and Differentiation of Target Language TSS Format Your Draft Response Please select the grade levels of all students included in the grade band for your SLO. (Please select all that apply.) Check-boxes where principal can select more than one grade, K-12 What is the total number of students Text box addressed by your SLO? Whole Group Target, Differentiated Target Group A: Describe the students in Group A, including rationale for identifying student group(s) by describing the performance level and other relevant characteristics of the targeted student population (i.e., abilities, needs, experiences and interests). Text box Differentiated Target Group B: Describe the students in Group B and why you differentiated for this group, including rationale for identifying student group(s) by describing the performance level and other relevant characteristics of the targeted student population (i.e., abilities, needs, experiences and interests). Note: If your target is Whole Group, leave this blank. Text box SLO Learning Content 19

What is the subject area that best describes the learning content of your SLO? If you selected Other for the subject area of your learning content, please list the name of the subject in the space provided. Reflect upon your school s baseline data, your academic goals, and the focus for your school instructional planning. Describe how this content addresses a prioritized academic need for your school and students. Drop-down where principal can select Math, ELA, Other (this only allowable for HSA SLOs) Text box Text box Baseline Data The student roster and relevant baseline data must be attached to this SLO Target Submission form. The Upload Artifacts section is at the bottom of this form. If you have written a Differentiated SLO Student Learning Target with different targets for two different groups within the student population addressed by your SLO, your baseline data should identify and distinguish the baseline data for students included in Target A from the baseline data for students included in Target B. Which of the following describes the type of baseline data you used for your SLO submission? (Please select all that apply.) Describe how you used this baseline data to help anchor your SLO learning target. You must attach your student population, baseline data, and target(s) using the appropriate SLO Data Submission Template. You should also attach a copy of relevant baseline data reports here in TSS, or be able to provide it if requested. Check-list where principal can select: -SLO-Specific Pre- Assessment, -Historical/ Additional data of current students past performance, -Historical data of previous students performance on the same assessment/content Text box Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No 20

Please confirm, have you attached all of your baseline data to this submission form? What is the assessment that you are using to measure your students success on your SLO? If you selected Other for the assessment of your SLO, please list the name of the assessment in the space provided. You must attach a copy or thorough description of the assessment here in TSS. As a reminder, due to the timeline for EOC exams, all final assessment data must be submitted by the principal by June 12, 2017. If data is available earlier, it should be provided earlier as well. When will this final assessment data be provided? Please indicate whether or not your SLO stems from one of your current SPP goals. If you selected yes, please list the SPP goal that you have aligned your SLO with. Please indicate whether or not your SLO was informed by any data from any State/MSDE required assessment (e.g. PARCC, MSA, WIDA, KRA). Assessment Used to Measure and Verify SLO Learning Target Drop-down where principal can select i- Ready, TRC, LDC, District Provided End of Course, Other Text box Text box Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No Text box Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No SLO Student Learning Target Here you will write your specific target for student achievement, to be reached by the end of the period identified for this SLO. The target must be academic in nature, identify a specific subject, and grades assessed. The data point identified for the target must also be collected prior to June 12, 2016. The target must be sufficiently challenging and written in accordance with the relevant guidance. The target may be differentiated, with two distinct student groups being measured, or whole group. The target may be a growth goal or mastery goal. Note: This describes success in terms of the level of achievement, and does not include the percentage or number of students who will reach the target. Please select the type of SLO learning target you are writing, growth or mastery. Drop-down where school leader may select Growth Target, Mastery Target 21

Please select the type of SLO learning target you are writing, whole group or differentiated. Whole Group Target, Differentiated Target - Group A: If your target is differentiated, use this space to state your specific learning target for only Group A. Differentiated Target - Group B: If your target is differentiated, use this space to state your specific learning target for only Group B. Note: If your target is Whole Group, leave this blank. Explain why this student learning target is sufficiently challenging, based on what you know about your students performance and the content standards for this SLO. Drop-down where school leader may select Whole Group Target, Differentiated Target Text box Complete the following statement The students in this Target Group will: Text box Complete the following statement The students in this Target Group will: Text box Instructional Leadership Strategies Describe your instructional leadership Text box strategies for meeting your SLO target. Reflect upon your strategies and Drop-down where consider, have you shown how they are school leader may select directly linked to prioritized learning Yes, No content needs? Have you selected research-based strategies or strategies that reflect best practice? Do your strategies pertain to adult actions? Describe how you will monitor progress towards meeting this SLO target throughout the school year. Reflect and consider, have you described how the data and strategies are related to the learning content and target of your SLO? Do your strategies reflect multiple, ongoing efforts to review student progress? Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No Progress Monitoring Strategies Text box Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No Drop-down where school leader may select Yes, No 22

APPENDIX B: 2016-17 Principal Student Learning Objective (SLO) Approval Rubric Principal: Employee ID#: School Name: School #: Evaluator: This approval rubric will be completed electronically by the ILED in TSS. SLO Element Student Population and Differentiation of Target Approval Criteria: 1a) Does the SLO cover the appropriate grade levels for the assessment identified? 1b) Does the SLO cover the appropriate set of students? Meets Does Not Meet Comments/Revision Needed SLO Learning Content 2a) Is the SLO written for the correct subject area as outlined in the SLO guidebook? 2b) Does the SLO address a prioritized need of the school? Baseline Data 3a) Is the target anchored in baseline data for current students? Assessment Used to Measure and Verify SLO Student Learning Target 4a) Is it clear what data your ILED will be provided to verify that the target was met? 4b) Does this address when and how the data can be accessed by your ILED to verify whether the target was met? 4c) Does this align with relevant district guidance? SLO Student Learning Target 5a) Is the target sufficiently challenging based on the student baseline data and appropriate SLO guidance? Instructional Leadership Strategies 6a) Are the strategies directly linked to prioritized needs? 6b) Are the strategies research based or reflect best practices? 6c) Do the strategies pertain to adult actions? Progress Monitoring Strategies 7a) Are the data and strategies related to the learning content and target of the SLO? 7b) Do the strategies reflect multiple, ongoing efforts to review student progress? 23

APPENDIX C: SY 2016-17 Student Learning Objective (SLO) final scoring rubric Final Attainment of SLO Student Learning Target % of student group who meet SLO Student Learning Target* Highly Effective attainment 93-100 Effective attainment 77-92 Developing attainment 60-76 Ineffective attainment 0-59 - SLO with Whole Group Student Learning Target Target has Highly Effective attainment - Target has Effective attainment - Target has Developing attainment Target has Ineffective attainment SLO with Differentiated Student Learning Target Both Target A and Target B have Highly Effective attainment One Target has Highly Effective attainment and one Target has Effective attainment One Target has Highly Effective attainment and one Target has Developing attainment OR Both Target A and Target B have Effective attainment One Target has Highly Effective attainment and one Target has Ineffective attainment OR One Target has Effective attainment and one Target has Developing attainment One Target has Effective attainment and one Target has Ineffective attainment OR Both Target A and Target B have Developing attainment One Target has Developing attainment and one Target has Ineffective attainment Both Target A and Target B have Ineffective attainment SLO Final Score (For Evaluation) 100 93 SLO Final Score Definition (For Evaluation) Highly Effective Highly Effective 85 Effective 77 Effective 69 Developing 62 Developing 54 Ineffective 24

APPENDIX D: Principal SLO Guidance for Charter Schools, Alternative Schools and Programs, Separate Public Day Programs, and Special Education Programs For schools or programs that do not take part in district assessments or may want to recommend using other assessments which more appropriately measure or align with the mission of the school and/or student population, the following guidance should be used in formulating Principal SLOs. Other guidelines for SLO targets still apply: Principals should attempt to measure a majority of the students impacted or measured by the assessment tool they select Principals should attempt to use all of the data sources available to identify the specific students incorporated in the SLO o Students must be included in both the baseline and end of year data to be included in the SLO scoring plan o Additional data sources should be used to differentiate students for the purpose of setting SLO goals, instructional and progress monitoring strategies The target should be measurable and rigorous within the scope of your school s academic mission It is permissible to use non-district assessments as long as they o Measures math or literacy proficiency or growth o Students have baseline and end of course data aligned to individual students and the assessment o The ILED and Principal agree it is an appropriate tool Final data (at the student level) based on the last administration of the applicable assessment is provided for review by the principal. If your SLO target relies on data that can t be readily accessed by your evaluator or district office staff, you must attach the baseline and final assessment data in TSS. SLO Scoring will follow the same format to which traditional schools are subjected. If your school/program administers district assessments, you are encouraged to use that assessment in formulating your SLO targets. Most importantly, work with your evaluator in formulating your SLO targets. Given the unique nature of your program, your evaluator will use their discretion in helping you formulate appropriate SLO targets. 25

APPENDIX E: Secondary principal SLOs: HSA SLO Secondary principals who wrote an HSA-based SLO in SY 2015-16 will have the results of this SLO incorporated in the SY 2016-17 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation. Current secondary principals who were not required to write an HSA-based SLO in SY 2015-16 will not have an HSA-based SLO incorporated in this year s School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation. Even if the previous principal for their school wrote an HSA-based SLO, this will not be attributed to the current principal. Additionally, as with last year, principals serving students in grades 9-12 must develop a second SLO measured by a SY 2016-17 HSA (US Government or Biology) to be used for the SY 2017-18 School Leader Effectiveness Evaluation. Note that HSA results (May administration) are not available by the end of the school year and therefore the HSA SLO cannot be scored until the fall of the following school year. As such, the SLO results based on SY 2016-17 HSAs will be included in the SY 2017-18 evaluation. Based on available testing, this means that school leaders will base their HSA SLO on either Biology or US Government content. This SLO will be submitted in TSS similar to the other non-hsa based SLO, and principals must adhere to the same submission deadlines as outlined in this guidebook for the other non-hsa based SLO. In addition, per the guidance from MSDE, principals may identify a particular subgroup to focus the target on. However, principals should provide a clear rationale for the population selection based on the prioritized needs of the school. For the HSA SLO, the target must reflect either a mastery or growth target, and the target should reflect the students scores on the test. A target cannot be based on completion of Bridge Plan or passing the HSA requirement via a combined score. SLO Learning Target Structure when Using HSA Data Given the structure and scoring plan for SY 2016-17 Principal SLOs and the focus on looking at how all of the students in the SLO population perform, this guidance specific to HSA-based SLOs outlines the two (2) recommended target structures for school leaders to review and consider for their HSA SLO. These structures help school leaders consider their students who are taking the specific HSA assessment and first identify the student population they will focus on: repeat test takers and first-time test takers. Focus on Repeat Test Takers Looking at Near Passers School leaders may review individual HSA data for current students in Data Link. For all students who will retake the same HSA exam, principals may establish either a mastery target or growth target (see below). Whether a growth or mastery target, principals should consider what level of growth is needed or what scale score students need to achieve in order to pass the HSA exam. 26