LouisianaTeacherAssistanceandAssessmentProgram.doc

STATE OF LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION POST OFFICE BOX 94064, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA 70804-9064 Toll Free #: 1-877-453-2721 Fall 2007 Dear Educator: Thank you for your participation in the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program. Through the involvement of Louisiana educators such as you, the program has been developed, tested, and modified to provide an assessment program that is fair to new teachers and provides direction for continual professional development. Your role in the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program is a very important one. Over the years, advisory panels of educators, Field and Pilot Test participants, and consultants specializing in assessment and mentoring processes have all contributed recommendations to improve the materials and the procedures of the program. Now you are going to put into practice the refined procedures, use the revised materials and instruments, and share your knowledge, training, and skill to supply leadership and support to teachers during their formative first years in Louisiana’s public schools. Furthermore, your experience, knowledge, and training will provide assurance to the state that the teachers you assess have met the assessment standards for certification. Moreover, these new teachers will truly have demonstrated competence in their understanding and use of the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching, the criteria by which they are assessed. I wish to express my personal gratitude to each of you. Your dedicated participation in the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program will contribute to the enhancement of the teaching and learning process in the public school classrooms of Louisiana. Sincerely, Paul G. Pastorek State Superintendent of Education  Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program Assessor Training Manual Superintendent’s Letter Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction 4 2. Overview 26 3. Data Sources 33 4. Assessment Team Members a