STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (SLOS)

Hazleton Area High School 2014-2015

ALL districts are required to have SLOs in place for

the 2014-2015 school year.

(Act 82) K-12 Teacher Evaluation Requirements

Gov. Corbett signed House Bill 1901 (Act 82 of 2012), requiring the Secretary of Education to establish a new statewide rating system for evaluating teachers and principals.

(Act 82) K-12 Teacher Evaluation Requirements

Act 82 requires this rating system to base 50 percent of evaluations on multiple measures of student performance including, but not solely, student test scores.

Classroom observation and practice will comprise the remaining 50 percent of evaluations (Danielson Rubric).

PA Educator Challenge

To develop and implement an appropriately rigorous

measure of teacher effectiveness based on student achievement in your content

area through the use of the PA SLO Template.

Building Level Data, 15%

Observation/ Evidence,

50%

Observation/EvidenceEffective 2013-2014Danielson Framework Do-mainsPlanning and PreparationClassroom EnvironmentInstructionProfessional Responsibilities

Building Level DataEffective 2013-2014 SYIndicators of Academic AchievementIndicators of Closing the Achievement Gap, All StudentsIndicators of Closing the Achievement Gap, Sub-groupsAcademic Growth PVAASOther Academic IndicatorsCredit for Advanced Achievement

Elective Data/ Piloting 2013-2014 SYEffective 2014-2015 SYDistrict Designed Measures and Examina-tionsNationally Recognized Standardized TestsIndustry Certification ExaminationsStudent Projects Pursuant to Local Re-quirementsStudent Portfolios Pursuant to Local Re-quirements

Elective Data, 35%

Teacher Observa-tion

Student Achieve-ment

SLO

Teachers without Eligible PVAAS Data

Teacher Effectiveness System in Act 82 of 2012

A process to document a measure of educator effectiveness based

on student achievement of content standards

What is a Student Learning Objective (SLO)?

SLO Concepts

Student achievement can be measured in ways that reflect authentic learning of content standards.

Educator effectiveness can be measured through use of student achievement measures.

The four themes supporting Authentic Learning are:

1. An activity that involves real-world problems and that mimics the work of professionals; the activity involves

presentation of findings to audiences beyond the classroom.

2. Use of open-ended inquiry, thinking skills and cognitive-styled thinking.

3. Students engage in discourse and social learning in a community of learners.

4. Students direct their own learning in project work.

SLO Concepts

Measurement of

Educator

Effectivenes

s

Measurement of Stude

nt Achieveme

nt

THE PA SLO TEMPLATE & PROCESS

What an SLO is supposed to be.

• More paperwork for teachers that has neither meaning nor purpose

• More testing for students

• A weak substitute for PVAAS or other standardized testing data

What an SLO isNOTsupposedto be.

• A format to promote strong instructional practice and strong student achievement.

• A way to measure teacher effectiveness based on student achievement.

• A way to measure teacher effectiveness based on student achievement

Every teacher designs an SLO.Math Physics

Physical Education

HistoryChemistry

KindergartenSpecial Ed Journalism

SLOs and the Teacher Effectiveness Instrument (T.E.I.)

Student learning objectives (SLOs) complement multiple components of the TEI framework.

The SLO process provides teachers with an opportunity to develop, as well as refine, their practice and work toward becoming an accomplished practitioner and improving classroom instruction.

As you begin to develop your SLO, think about the following:

What must students know and be able to do?What am I, as the classroom teacher,

measuring?What is the purpose of this SLO (what is the

essential goal)?How will my instruction impact students in

terms of this SLO?What is the connection of big ideas and

enduring understandings in relation to this SLO?

The SLO Cycle for Teachers

Step 1: Gather

and review

available data.

Step 2: Write the

SLO.

Step 3: Submit the SLO

for approval.

Step 4: Meet to discuss

progress.

Step 5: Rate and discuss

the SLO.

SLOs and T.E.I.

Domain 11b. Demonstrating knowledge of studentsTeachers use a variety of information-styled sources to gain knowledge of students’ strengths, weaknesses, and overall learning needs when writing the SLO.

1f. Designing student assessmentTeachers create an assessment plan in the SLO that identifies how student learning will be assessed in alignment with applicable standards. This assessment must meet specific quality criteria and be appropriate for students.

SLOs and T.E.I.

Domain 3 3c. Engaging students in learningThrough the SLO process, teachers set goals for students and work toward ensuring that all students demonstrate growth. The SLO process reinforces the need for best teaching practices. In order to ensure that students meet their growth targets, teachers will need to provide engaging lessons and differentiate instruction as needed.

3d. Using assessment in instructionTeachers use assessment data throughout the SLO process to improve, differentiate, and target instruction to the needs of their students. Teachers’ analysis of data and information sources, as well as documentation from a midyear check-in, can serve as an artifact of student assessment to plan for future instruction. Teachers use assessment data to determine their students’ strengths and needs, monitor student progress, and determine student growth at the end of the course. (W.R.I.T.E.)

When Responding Independently Triggers Engagement

When Responding Independently Triggers Engagement(W.R.I.T.E.)

Begin to incorporate the third and fourth level of the DOK (Depth of Knowledge) skill set as you plan your

lessons (Strategic Thinking and

Extended Thinking). Question and Answer Predict/Hypothesize Connect Analyze Explain, Exemplify or Expound Critique/Evaluate Defend/Object Create

SLOs and T.E.I.

Domain 4 4a. Reflection on teachingTeachers naturally reflect on their teaching as part of the SLO process. At the beginning of the year, teachers will analyze historical data to identify how students have done in their classes in the past and identify areas where they may need to adjust their instructional approach. Midcourse, teachers have the opportunity to meet with their evaluator to reflect upon instruction to date and develop an action plan to modify instruction so that all students meet their goals at the end of the course. At the end of the year, teachers reflect on the degree to which student outcomes were achieved.

4b. Maintaining accurate recordsTeachers actively engaged in the SLO process demonstrate effective management of data and engage students in the maintenance and interpretation of outcomes throughout the year as they work toward their student growth targets.

4e. Growing and developing professionallyTeachers completing SLOs regularly analyze student learning evidence and often seek out additional professional learning to improve their practice.

Collaborative development of an SLO is encouraged (e.g., similar content area or

grade level teachers, interdisciplinary groups of educators).

Working Together to Create an SLO

SLO Design Coherency

GOAL STATEMENT

RATING

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

ALL STUDENTS TARGETED STUDENTS

What is a Goal Statement?

Definition:• Narrative articulating the “big idea”

upon which the SLO is based

Characteristics:• Central to the content area• Foundational concept for later

subjects/courses

Goal Statements

Typically addresses:• WHAT the “big idea” is in the

standards• HOW the skills and knowledge

support future learning• WHY the “big idea” is a central,

enduring concept (rationale statement)

PDE’s SAS portal has identified “big ideas” for most content areas.

A well-crafted SLO will meet the following criteria:

What is the expectation for student improvement related to school improvement goals?

Focus statement describes a broad goal for student learning and expected student improvement

Reflects high expectations for student improvement and aims for mastery of content or skill development

Is tied to the school improvement plan

Examples of Data

A teacher may use but is not limited to the following data in developing an SLO:

Initial performance for current interval of instruction (writing samples, student interest surveys, pre-assessments etc.)

Student scores on previous state standardized assessments

Results from other standardized and non-standardized assessments

Report cards from previous years Results from diagnostic assessments Artifacts from previous learning

More Examples of Data

Discussions with other teachers (across grade levels and content areas) who have previously taught the same students

Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and 504 plans for students with identified special education needs

Data related to ELL students and gifted students Attendance records Information about families, community and other local

contexts

Joining the SLO Professional Learning Community on SAS

Go to the SAS home page(www.pdesas.org)Log in with your user name and password.

If you do not have an account with SAS you will have to create one.

Enter your information on the log in page and submit.

Once you have successfully logged in and are at the SAS home page, go to Teacher Tools in the upper right corner.

Click on Teacher Tools, this will provide you with various tools. Locate the button labeled “My Communities.”

This will open your membership to various Professional Learning Communities. If you are not a member of the Student Learning Objectives PLC, type SLO in the search bar.

Once a member of the SLO community you will have access to communication with all other members and a calendar of upcoming events.

Along with posting questions to the entire community you have access to the Digital Repository, in which SLO training materials and

supporting documents are located. (This is located at the bottom of the SLO community page.)