Assignment 1: Current Reality and GSAPS Review Rubric

Criteria Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced

The vision is comprehensive and
The vision clearly describes addresses learning outcomes, as
The vision is incomplete and
the aspirations and intents well as technology outcomes. It
does not clearly describe how
Criterion 1 for how teachers and clearly and concisely states how
teachers and students will use
Vision The vision is not students will use technology will be used to
technology in the teaching and
(PSC 1.1) included. (2 pts or less) technology in the teaching improve student learning; It
learning process; OR very few
10 pts and learning process. indicates the benefits that will
examples are included or they
Specific examples are result from the use of technology
are vague or incomplete. (6 pts)
included. (8 pts) by students, teachers,
administrators or others. (10 pts)
The description of how the
professional learning needs are
The description of how the
identified in the school is clear
The description of how professional learning needs
Criterion 2 The description of how the and comprehensive. The candidate
the professional learning are identified in the school
Needs Assessment professional learning needs are evaluates whether the strategies
needs are identified in clearly identifies the
(PSC 5.1) identified in the school is vague used to identify the professional
the school is not strategies used to determine
10 pts or incomplete. (6 pts) learning needs are data-driven.
included. (2 pts or less) the professional learning
Perspectives from both teachers
needs in the school. (8 pts)
and administrators are included.
(10 pts)
The forms of professional
learning (study groups,
The forms of professional
learning teams, book
learning (study groups, learning The forms of professional
studies, workshops,
teams, book studies, workshops, learning provided in the school
mentoring, peer
The forms of mentoring, peer observations, are thoroughly described. Follow-
Criterion 3 observations, coaching,
professional learning coaching, examining student up strategies used in the school
Professional Learning examining student work
available in the school work using protocols, lesson are also described. Specific
(PSC 5.2) using protocols, lesson
are not described. (2 pts planning, etc.) and the types of examples of professional learning
10 pts planning, etc.) and the
or less) technology-related professional programs offered in the school are
types of technology-related
learning offered in the school are described in detail. (10 pts)
professional learning
not clearly described, vague or
offered in the school are
incomplete. (6 pts)
clearly identified and
described. (8 pts)

Version: Spring 2016

 Assignment 1: Current Reality and GSAPS Review Rubric
Criterion 4 The alignment (or non- The alignment (or non- The alignment (or non- The alignment (or non-alignment)
Alignment to School alignment) to the school alignment) to the school alignment) to the school to the school improvement goals
Improvement Goals improvement goals is improvement goals is not clearly improvement goals is is thoroughly described and a
(PSC 1.2) not described. (2 pts or described, vague or incomplete. clearly identified and detailed analysis is provided. (10
10 pts less) (6 pts) described. (8 pts) pts)
Criterion 5 The funding sources and The funding sources and The funding sources and
The funding sources and
Funding & Incentives incentives are not clearly incentives are clearly incentives are thoroughly
incentives are not
(PSC 1.3, 1.4) described, vague or incomplete. identified and described. (8 described with specific budget
described. (2 pts or less)
10 pts (6 pts) pts) figures included. (10 pts)
The professional The professional learning The professional learning
Criterion 6 The professional learning
learning opportunities opportunities focused on opportunities focused on
Diversity opportunities focused on diversity
focused on diversity (if diversity (if available) are not diversity (if available) are
(PSC 4.3) (if available) are thoroughly
available) are not clearly described, vague or clearly identified and
10 pts described. (10 pts)
described. (2 pts or less) incomplete. (6 pts) described. (8 pts)
The types of The types of collaborative The types of collaborative school-
Criterion 7 The types of collaborative
collaborative school- school-wide professional wide professional learning teams
Collaboration school-wide professional
wide professional learning teams are not clearly and how they are related to the
(PSC 3.7) learning teams are clearly
learning teams are not described, vague or incomplete. school improvement plan are
10 pts described. (8 pts)
described. (2 pts or less) (6 pts) thoroughly described. (10 pts)
The description thoroughly
describes how professional
Criterion 8 A description of how The description clearly learning is evaluated in the
The description of how
Evaluation professional learning is identifies how professional school. Specific examples of how
professional learning is evaluated
(PSC 5.3) evaluated is not learning is evaluated in the professional learning is changing
is vague or incomplete. (6 pts)
10 pts included. (2 pts or less) school. (8 pts) teacher practice and improving
student learning is included. (10
pts)
The Georgia Assessment Explanations are vague or Explanations are detailed;
Explanations are detailed,
Criterion 9 of Performance on incomplete; OR recommendations are provided
recommendations are
GSAPS Review School Standards recommendations are provided and justified with anecdotal
provided and justified with
(PSC 5.3) (GAPSS) review is not but not justified with anecdotal evidence and/or cited literature.
anecdotal evidence and/or
45 pts completed. (5 pts or evidence and/or cited literature. Evidence is linked or viewable by
cited literature. (30 pts)
less) (15 pts) reader. (45 pts)
_____Total Points

125 Total Possible Points

Version: Spring 2016

 Georgia School Performance Standards
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The means by which teachers, administrators, and other staff acquire, enhance, and refine the knowledge, skills, practices, and
dispositions necessary to create and support high levels of learning for all students

Professional Learning Standard 1: Aligns professional learning with needs identified through analysis of a variety of data

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary
Operational
Emerging
Not Evident
Professional learning needs are
identified and differentiated
through a collaborative analysis
process using a variety of data
(e.g., student achievement data,
examination of student work,
process data, teacher and leader
effectiveness data, action
research data, perception data
from students, staff, and
families). Ongoing support is
provided through differentiated
professional learning.
Professional learning needs are Professional learning needs are Professional learning needs are
identified through a identified using limited sources identified using little or no
collaborative analysis process of data. data.
using a variety of data (e.g.,
student achievement data,
examination of student work,
process data, teacher and leader
effectiveness data, action
research data, perception data
from students, staff, and
families).

EVIDENCE:
Professional learning needs at the school level have been identified using limited sources of data (MAP results) and teachers have
not been involved in this analysis. One survey in regards to instructional technology needs was administered at the beginning of the
year (https://goo.gl/asRMxk), but there was no strategic plan designed to address the needs expressed by teachers though the
survey. No differentiated professional learning has been offered during the last few years.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Data teams should be formed in order to build a data driven culture at the school. The school leadership team along with the grade
level chair should look at various student data sources in order to identify the professional learning needs. Professional learning
sessions should be differentiated and ongoing support should be offered during the implementation of all initiatives.


Georgia Department of Education
April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
Professional Learning Standard 2: Establishes a culture of collaboration among administrators and staff to enhance individual and
collective performance

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident
Administrators and staff, as a Administrators and staff Administrators and staff Administrators and staff
foundational practice, routinely collaborate to routinely collaborate to routinely collaborate to
consistently collaborate to improve individual and improve individual and improve individual and
support leadership and personal collective performance (e.g., collective performance (e.g., collective performance (e.g.,
accountability and to enhance construct knowledge, acquire construct knowledge, acquire construct knowledge, acquire
individual and collective skills, refine practice, provide skills, refine practice, provide skills, refine practice, provide
performance (e.g., construct feedback). feedback). feedback).
knowledge, acquire skills,
refine practice, provide
feedback).
Teachers conduct action
research and assume ownership
of professional learning
processes.

EVIDENCE: A culture of collaboration at Vision International School is just emerging. Up until this year, the teachers worked
collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities, but stating with this school year, the only collaborative teams are the
common planning teams, and many of these teams are composed of two members (grade level counterparts from the girls and
boys school) and the administrators are rarely is ever present. The teachers receive feedback from administrators only one time a
year during the appraisal process as a result of the classroom observations conducted throughout the year.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Establishing a culture of collaboration among administrators and staff is critical for enhancing individual and collective performance.
One of the strategies that VIS could adopt would be the use of professional learning communities designed around professional
learning needs identified through analysis of a variety of data sources.

Georgia Department of Education

April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
Professional Learning Standard 3: Defines expectations for implementing professional learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident
Administrators, teacher leaders, Administrators, teacher leaders, Administrators, teacher leaders, Administrators, teacher leaders,
or both consistently define or both regularly define or both occasionally define or both rarely, if ever, define
expectations for the expectations for the expectations for the expectations for the
implementation of professional implementation of professional implementation of professional implementation of professional
learning, including details learning. learning. learning.
regarding the stages of
implementation and how
monitoring will occur as
implementation progresses.

EVIDENCE:
Administrators occasionally define expectations for the implementation of professional learning. There are no monitoring protocols
in place and during the course of this year the teachers have been presented with very few professional learning sessions and no
new initiatives have been developed or implemented this year. Teachers are expected to develop lessons plans that are shared with
the curriculum director using G Suite and they are also expected to use Atlas as a curriculum-mapping tool. The lesson plans and the
curriculum maps are documenting the implementation of professional learning.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Administrators and team chairs should work collaboratively to develop rubrics for the implementation of various initiatives along
with timelines for their implementation. Monitoring protocols and support systems should be put in place. To encourage the
teachers to implement initiatives with fidelity and set out examples of good practices, the administrative team could share success
stories via newsletters or Shout Out web pages.

Georgia Department of Education

April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
Professional Learning Standard 4: Uses multiple professional learning designs to support the various learning needs of the staff

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident
Staff members actively Staff members actively Some staff members are Staff members receive single,
participate in job-embedded participate in professional engaged in professional stand-alone professional
professional learning that learning, most of which is job- learning that makes use of learning events that are
engages collaborative teams in embedded, which includes more than one learning design informational and mostly large-
a variety of appropriate multiple designs (e.g., to address their identified group presentation designs.
learning designs (e.g., collaborative lesson study, needs.
collaborative lesson study, analysis of student work,
analysis of student work, problem-solving sessions,
problem solving sessions, curriculum development,
curriculum development, coursework, action research,
coursework, action research, classroom observations, online
classroom observations, online networks) to support their
networks). Professional various learning needs.
learning includes extensive Professional learning includes
follow-up with descriptive follow-up with feedback and
feedback and coaching. coaching.

EVIDENCE:
This school year, staff members have received single, stand-alone professional learning events that were informational and all of
them in a large group format.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Some of my recommendations would be to have the administrative team design collaboratively with the grade level chairs a
professional learning plan for the year. The professional learning plan should include various job-embedded professional
development designs and would be derived from the staffs learning needs and closely related to the schools goals and vision and
mission. Another easy to implement solution would be to encourage peer observations and offer incentives to teachers who are
willing to lead professional development for groups of teachers. Lastly, the administration could organize teacher led professional
development sessions using a carrousel format.


Georgia Department of Education
April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
Professional Learning Standard 5: Allocates resources and establishes systems to support and sustain effective professional learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident
Extensive resources (e.g., Adequate resources (e.g., Some resources and systems Few, if any, resources and
substitute teachers, materials, substitute teachers, materials, are allocated to support and systems are provided to support
handouts, tools, stipends, handouts, tools, stipends, sustain professional learning. and sustain professional
facilitators, technology) and facilitators, technology) and learning.
systems (e.g., conducive systems (e.g., conducive
schedules, adequate schedules, adequate
collaborative time, model collaborative time, model
classrooms) are allocated to classrooms) are in place to
support and sustain effective support and sustain
professional learning. professional learning.
Opportunities to practice skills,
receive follow-up, feedback,
and coaching are provided to
support the effectiveness of
professional learning.

EVIDENCE:
Professional learning that takes place outside of school is funded with $1,200 per teacher, per year. Teachers are dismissed from
their regular duties when they attend professional development sessions outside of school, and substitute teachers are provided.
(Affour, interview, January 2017). However, when teachers come back from professional development, they have not been required
to disseminate their learning and share good practices they learned.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
In order to meet the demands of this standard, my school leaders would need to develop systems in order to sustain effective
professional learning. Employing instructional coaches who could provide teachers with individualized support during the
implementation of various initiatives could be of great help. As the school offers $1200 a year for professional development, the
curriculum director could establish a protocol for disseminating good practices by the teachers who attend professional
development outside of school.


Georgia Department of Education
April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
Professional Learning Standard 6: Monitors and evaluates the impact of professional learning on staff practices and student
learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident
Monitoring and evaluating the Monitoring and evaluating the Monitoring and evaluating the Monitoring and evaluating the
impact of professional learning impact of professional learning impact of professional learning impact of professional learning
on staff practices and increases on staff practices and student on staff practices occurs on staff practices occurs rarely,
in student learning occurs learning occurs routinely. sporadically. if ever.
extensively. Evaluation results
are used to identify and
implement processes to extend
student learning.

EVIDENCE:
The monitoring and evaluating the impact of professional learning on staff happens through classroom observations, which occur
sporadically. (Affour, interview, January, 2017)

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Data analysis is critical because it creates opportunities for making adjustments to the professional learning plan. Through data
analysis school leaders can take a closer look at the data about people, practices, and perceptions, engage in data driven decision-
making and collaborative inquiry and, therefore, explore systematically the various causes of student learning problems and propose
solutions. Teachers could engage in action research in order to find evidence in regards to the effectiveness of professional learning
practices. Besides conducting classroom observations, the administrative team could design monitoring plans to ensure that the
initiatives are fully implemented and they should share with the teachers the tools utilized to evaluate the depth and breath of the
implementation practices. To evaluate the impact of professional development, the teachers and the administrative team could
develop surveys that would be shared with students and parents. Collaborative item-level data analysis would also help monitor
and evaluate the impact of professional learning.

Georgia Department of Education

April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
KSU ITEC Professional Learning Standard: Professional learning reinforces educators understanding and use of strategies for
promoting equity and high expectations for all students, application of research-based teaching strategies and assessment processes,
and involvement of families and other stakeholders in promoting student learning.

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident
Classroom practices (e.g., Classroom practices of most Classroom practices of some Classroom practices reflect
considering interests, backgrounds, teachers reflect skill in teachers reflect evidence of little or no evidence of
strengths, and preferences to
communicating high teachers training in teachers training in
provide meaningful, relevant
lessons and assess student
expectations for each student understanding the impact that understanding the impact that
progress, differentiating and adjusting classroom attitudes regarding race, attitudes regarding race,
instruction, and nurturing student activities to meet student disabilities, background, disabilities, background,
capacity for self-management) of all needs. Respect for students culture, high expectations, and culture, high expectations, and
teachers reflect an emotionally and cultures and life experiences is social class of both students social class of both students
physically safe environment where evident through the and teachers have on the
respect and appreciation for a
and teachers have on the
emotionally and physically teaching and learning process. teaching and learning process.
diverse population is evident.
There are high achievement safe learning environment
expectations for all students and where students of diverse
teachers. The principal and other backgrounds and experiences
leaders provide professional are taught the school code of
learning for teachers lacking conduct (customs) to help
understanding of the impact that them be successful in the
attitudes regarding race,
school context.
disabilities, background, culture,
high expectations, and social class
of both students and teachers have
on the teaching and learning
process.

EVIDENCE:
Classroom practices of some teachers reflect skill in communicating high expectations for each student and adjusting classroom
activities to meet student needs. The English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers collaborate with the regular teachers and provide
students with specialized support. The teacher body is composed of Western educated teachers and also teachers educated in the
Middle East. Through surveys is was determined that the majority of the Arabic teachers stick to a rigid curriculum, and make little
to no adjustment to instruction to address the needs of all students. One example would be the fact that students who finished Year
4 using a British curriculum at a different school and came to our school in Grade 4, are using the same textbooks in Arabic and
Islamic Studies all over again with no curriculum or instructional adjustments. The involvement of the majority of the families and
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015
 Georgia School Performance Standards
other stakeholders in promoting student learning is rather limited.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
The school leaders should expand professional learning opportunities to address not only the needs of the second language
learners, but also of the students with disabilities. Professional development should also target the Arabic teachers who need
differentiated learning opportunities that would equip them with knowledge and skills to differentiate their instruction and design
dynamic and personalized learning experiences.

Georgia Department of Education

April 2015