THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

Ken Slentz, Deputy Commissioner Office of P-12 Education Room 2M EB (518) 474-3862

Colleagues,

On November 16th The New York State Education Department released two important resources for District leaders as they implement a critical component of the new teacher evaluation system: the Student Learning Objective (SLO) Road Map and the Student Learning Objective Guidance Document (http://engageny.org/resource/student‐learning‐ objectives/). These documents explain how New York State will assess the student learning growth of students in classrooms where there is no State assessment that can be used for a State‐provided growth or value‐added measure (sometimes called “non‐tested subjects”).

For the school‐year 2012‐13, the first year where Student Learning Objectives (SLO) will be implemented in most schools, SLOs will apply to a large majority of teachers in every school. Generally, teachers who do not teach in grades 4‐8 ELA and Math will have SLOs, and all principals will participate in the implementation of this new process. While the State’s new documents apply only to using SLOs as “comparable growth measures” for the State 20% of a teacher’s APPR rating in the teacher evaluation system, Districts also have the option of choosing SLOs as a locally‐selected measure of student achievement.

The development of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) is an evolutionary process, and the Department recognizes that we are only at the beginning stages of this work. Over the coming months, NYSED will work closely with District leaders to ensure they understand the State‐determined SLO process. The Department will also provide a series of webinars, training and materials, including model SLOs, to ensure that the field is able to utilize the materials and to help facilitate the necessary District level decisions that will allow for implementation by principals and teachers.

NYSED is committed to providing District leaders support as they embark on this critical work. The Department will continue to update and revise the guidance documents based on questions and feedback from the field and will continue to develop tools, resources, and exemplars. Beginning in mid‐December and running through the end of February, NYSED will host a series of introductory webinars that will be posted on EngageNY.org. Each webinar will introduce components of the SLO process that will help District leaders to communicate and begin the implementation process with stakeholders. Beginning this January, and carrying through to this summer, the Network Team Institute training will include specific turnkey training for Network Teams to use with principals and teachers regarding the SLO process. All Districts should be trained on SLOs prior to the 2012‐13 school year.

Our first webinar will be available Tuesday, December 20 at http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers‐leaders/slo/ and will provide viewers with the following information: the background and basics of SLOs; the relationship between SLOs, Common Core State Standards, Data Driven Instruction, evidence‐based observations, and local measures of student achievement; and the difference between the State/District/School/Teacher’s role within the SLO process.

Subsequent webinars in January and the January Network Team Institute (January 17, 18, and 19, 2012) will focus on how to set SLOs, how to evaluate content, evidence, and rigor within SLOs, process decisions, and how to set targets and HEDI scoring. NYSED will also host a final webinar at the end of February that will respond to questions and answers from the field.

The State Education Department encourages your feedback and participation on this very important process and looks forward to working together to ensure that all students achieve college and career readiness.

Ken Slentz