Teacher Quality Committee Minutes March 12, 2008

LEWIS CENTRAL
Teacher Quality Committee

Education Resource Center
Official Meeting Minutes
March 12, 2008

The meeting was called to order at 4:30 by Barb Motes.

Present: Barb Motes, Mark Schweer, Chuck Story, Kim Jones, Barb Grell, Laurie Thies, Kim Muta, Marilyn Wandersee, Pat Thomas, Jeanne Bartholow, Linda Hahn

Absent: Dave Black, Sean Dunphy, Kent Stopak, Tom McLaughlin, Al Lorenz

Chuck Story moved that the minutes from the March 4, 2008, meeting be approved. It was seconded by Barb Grell. A voice vote was taken and the minutes were approved.

It was suggested by Barb Motes to amend the agenda to move item #4 Future Meeting Dates ahead of item #3 Sub-Committee Report – Evaluation Procedures.

Since the ad hoc committees are at various stages in their work, and the time it is taking to complete this work is difficult for some members, it was suggested that we limit our meetings to one hour instead of two hours each. This recommendation was favored by the committee.

Barb Grell continued her Process Committee report with a review of some changes made per the last TQC meeting:

Page 7 – Language was added to indicate that coach could be a teacher/peer or an administrator. The reflective conference in May was clarified to mean that it could be a conversation with an administrator or a conversation with a group of peers.

Pages 13 and 25 – These changes deal with the Pre-Observation Form. Numbers 1 and 2 were switched around. The language in number 5 was changed. It now reads “What difficulties/misconceptions do students typically experience with this concept? How will you address this?”

Also, number 8 now reads “Is there anything you want the administrator to look for? How can the administrator be of help to you?”

Page 35 – The first sentence was changed and now reads “Intensive assistance means the provision of organizational support and technical assistance to career teachers who have successfully completed on year in the Lewis Central district, . . .” Some concern was expressed that the entire sentence may be too wordy, but it was decided to leave it as it is.

Additional discussion centered on the bulleted points on page 35. A question was raised as to whether or not a teacher’s performance must cause concern in all three of the bulleted criteria because of the word and which follows the second bulleted area. Since no one on the committee had a clear understanding of this issue, Dr. Schweer will look up Chapter 284 to see if this language appears there.

Page 37 – Dr. Schweer indicated that “awareness phase” is not a requisite part of Intensive Assistance. It was agreed to change “awareness phase” to “the evidence.”

Page 38 – It was agreed to add “Plan of Assistance and final summary forms should be sent to the district office.”

Page 41 – It was agreed to include a section entitled “Beginning Teachers Completing the First Two Years of Teaching” to this page. Also, portfolio has been defined as “. . . an adequate collection of evidence for each teaching standard that reflects a teacher’s practice over time.” This definition will be added to Page 41.

It was discussed at the previous TQC meeting that there needed to be a stated purpose for the Pre-Observation Form. However, committee members agreed that no such explanation is necessary now due to the revisions in the form.

Barb Motes thanked the Process Committee for their work.

Dr. Schweer passed out material from the Model Evidence committee to be reviewed before our next meeting.

The next meeting of the Teacher Quality Committee will be on March 20, 2008, at 4:30 with a target length of one hour.

Kim Muta made a motion to adjourn, and it was seconded by Laurie Thies. The meeting was adjourned at 5:12.