To amend the requirements for district school administrator evaluation systems to align with Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., Florida Educational Leadership Standards (FELS).

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

State Board of Education

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

6A-5.030District Instructional Personnel and School Administrator Evaluation Systems

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: To amend the requirements for district school administrator evaluation systems to align with Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., Florida Educational Leadership Standards (FELS).

SUMMARY: The rule will be updated to align with Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., Florida Educational Leadership Standards (FELS), the standards for effective school administrators. The FELS were updated by the State Board of Education in October 2022. School district school administrator evaluation systems are required to be aligned with these standards per section 1012.34, F.S.

SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS AND LEGISLATIVE RATIFICATION:

The Agency has determined that this will not have an adverse impact on small business or likely increase directly or indirectly regulatory costs in excess of $200,000 in the aggregate within one year after the implementation of the rule. A SERC has not been prepared by the Agency.

The Agency has determined that the proposed rule is not expected to require legislative ratification based on the statement of estimated regulatory costs or if no SERC is required, the information expressly relied upon and described herein: The proposed rule is not expected to have any adverse impact on economic growth or business competitiveness, or increase regulatory costs or any other factor set forth in s. 120.541(2), F.S., and will not require legislative ratification. This is based upon the nature of the proposed rule, which updates language to reflect the new standards for effective school administrators.

Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1012.34(8), 1012.98(8), F.S.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1012.34, 1012.98, F.S.

A HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:

DATE AND TIME: April 19, 2023, 9:00 a.m. EST.

PLACE: Florida State Capitol Complex, 400 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32399, Cabinet Meeting Room - LL03.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Abbey Stewart, Chief, Bureau of Educator Recruitment, Development and Retention, [phone] or [e-mail].

 

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

 

6A-5.030 District Instructional Personnel and School Administrator Evaluation Systems.

(1) No change.

(2) Definitions. The following definitions, listed alphabetically, shall be used in this rule and incorporated documents:

(a) through (b) No change.

(c) “Descriptors” means the role-based requirements of school administrators to demonstrate mastery of each of the Florida Educational Leadership Standards.

(d)(c) “Florida Educator Accomplished Practices” or “FEAPs” means the six (6) practices, including the descriptors within, described in subsection 6A-5.065(2), F.A.C., which is hereby incorporated by reference (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05726). A copy of Rule 6A-5.065, F.A.C., may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(e)(d) “Florida Educational Principal Leadership Standards” or “FELS FPELSs” means the eight (8) practices, including all domains and descriptors, described in Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., which is hereby incorporated by reference (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05727). A copy of Rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(f)(e) An “indicator” is a description of a specific behavior or strategy.

(g)(f) “Instructional personnel” means instructional personnel as defined in Section 1012.01(2)(a)-(d), F.S., excluding substitute teachers.

(h)(g) “Newly hired by the district” means the first calendar year in which classroom teachers are employed by the school district in a full-time instructional position. Such personnel are “newly hired” for their first year of employment in a district regardless of their prior work experience elsewhere or in the employing school district.

(i)(h) “Observation” means the monitoring actions in evaluation systems that contribute evidence of performance or the impact of performance on others. Evidence collected through observation contributes to the summative evaluation rating and may be used for formative feedback. District evaluation systems may provide that observations are formal or informal; announced or unannounced; and whether they are conducted by supervisors, mentors, or peers who are trained in the evaluation system. The length of time of an observation event and the type of school activity observed may vary and is determined by the evidence of practice that is sought.

(j)(i) “Performance standards” are the statements or cut points establishing how well individuals must perform within each criterion of the evaluation – performance of students, instructional practice or instructional leadership, and other indicators of performance – to achieve the four designated performance levels.

(k)(j) “Research-based framework” means an approach used in an evaluation system to assess and provide feedback on either instructional practice or instructional leadership. A research-based framework is based on contemporary research and includes implementation procedures designed to support the successful use of the framework for evaluation and continuous improvement.

(l)(k) “Rubric” means a tool or set of indicators of practice used to distinguish among proficiency levels or classify performance.

(m)(l) “School administrator” means school administrator as defined in Section 1012.01(3)(c), F.S.

(n)(m) “Substantial revisions” means revisions other than editing for grammar, name changes, or year updates.

(o)(n) “Summative evaluation rating” means the final, combined rating of performance for an annual evaluation that includes student performance, instructional practice or instructional leadership, and, if applicable, other indicators of performance. There are four (4) performance levels: highly effective; effective; needs improvement, or, for teachers in the first three (3) years of employment, developing; and unsatisfactory.

(p)(o) “Value-added model” or “VAM” means a statistical model used for the purpose of determining an individual teacher’s or school administrator’s contribution to student learning, as established in Rule 6A-5.0411, F.A.C., which is hereby incorporated by reference (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05728). A copy of Rule 6A-5.0411, F.A.C., may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(3) Evaluation Systems Requirements. To receive approval of its evaluation systems, the school district must provide the following:

(a) through (c) No change.

(d) Additional requirements.

1. No change.

2. For instructional personnel:

a. Confirmation that the observation instrument(s) to be used for classroom teachers include indicators based on each of the FEAPs.

b. Confirmation that the observation instrument(s) to be used for non-classroom instructional personnel include indicators based on each of the FEAPs, and may include specific job expectations related to student support.

c. through g. No change.

3. For school administrators:

a. Confirmation that the observation instrument(s) to be used for school administrators include indicators based on each set of descriptors of the FELS FPELSs.

b. through c. No change.

(e) Additional Documentation.

1. For instructional personnel:

a. Crosswalk from the school district’s evaluation framework to each of the FEAPs; and,

b. Observation rubric(s) to be used for classroom and non-classroom teachers that include indicators based on each of the FEAPs.

2. For school administrators:

a. Crosswalk from the school district’s evaluation framework to each of the FELS FPELSs; and,

b. Observation rubric(s) to be used for school principals and assistant principals administrators that include indicators based on each of the role-specific descriptors of the FELS FPELSs and other leadership practices that result in student learning growth, as identified by the school district.;

3. For instructional personnel and school administrators:

a. through b. No change.

(4) Submission Process.

(a) School districts shall submit an evaluation system to the Department for review and approval within fifteen (15) days of the system being revised and prior to school board approval. Beginning in the 2023-24 2018-19 school year, school districts shall submit a revised system on the forms outlined in paragraph (4)(b) of this rule.

(b) Instructional personnel evaluation systems shall be submitted using the Instructional Evaluation System Template, Form IEST-2018, and school administrator evaluation systems shall be submitted using the Administrative Evaluation System Template, Form AEST-20232018.

(c) No change.

(5) through (6) No change.

(7) Implementation Monitoring.

In addition to the procedures described in subsection (5) of this rule, the Department shall monitor the school district’s implementation of its approved evaluation systems pursuant to Section 1012.34(1)(b), F.S.

(a) through (b) No change.

(c) The school district shall, within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the notification of monitoring, submit a report to the Department of the results of its annual self-monitoring pursuant to sub-subparagraph (3)(d)1.h.paragraph (2)(j), during the preceding five (5) years. The report shall include any improvements the school district has made to its evaluation processes as a result of its own monitoring.

(d) through (f) No change.

(8) Forms. The following forms are hereby incorporated by reference:

Instructional Evaluation System Template, Form IEST-2018 (April 2018) and (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-09264) and Administrative Evaluation System Template, Form AEST-20232018 (May 2023 April 2018) (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-09265). Copies may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

Rulemaking Authority 1012.34(8) 1012.98(8) FS. Law Implemented 1012.34, 1012.98 FS. History–New 6-19-01, Formerly 6B-4.010, Amended 9-9-15, 4-30-18.

 

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Abbey Stewart, Chief, Bureau of Educator Recruitment, Development and Retention.

NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Manny Diaz Jr., Commissioner, Department of Education.

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: March 09, 2023

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAR: February 14, 2023