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Added Value with PDAS Teacher Orientation
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The online version of PDAS teacher orientation addresses the ARRA and Texas Target
Investments that emphasize “…ensuring continuing improvement of teacher effectiveness
and support for the equitable distribution of qualified teachers across the state…”
At a recent ESC workshop, presenters talked a great deal about “retooling” our teachers
and emphasized that we must expand the capacity of our classroom teachers and principals,
and not in the “same old way”. The message was that training needs to be continuously
available, consistent, and replicable on a large scale. The stimulus guidelines
speak loudly to the need to do things differently. With the online version, teachers
will have the opportunity to review the material throughout the year, all year,
such as when they are working on their Teacher Self Reports (TSR) and prior to their
official appraisal, or as it might relate to a Teacher in Need of Assistance (TINA)
plan. It will be consistent, continuously available, and on a large scale.
When PDAS was created, the Commissioner’s Rules required that all teachers be provided
with an orientation to PDAS no later than the final day of the first three weeks
of school and at least three weeks before the first observation. The Rules for orientation
continue to apply to new teachers and teachers new to the district so that all teachers
will have been through the Orientation. Despite the requirements, however, practice
tells us that there is an overwhelming amount of information to digest during those
first few weeks of school, and especially for new teachers.
Year-long, continuous access to the PDAS orientation is an invaluable resource as
districts and campuses invest in providing the knowledge and skills needed for new
teachers to succeed. Because of its online nature, PDAS is no longer just training;
it’s a resource. It’s not a manual; PDAS is an interactive coach. It’s not a book
explaining to teachers how they will be evaluated; it’s an online mentor demonstrating
what it means to be an effective classroom teacher.
The goal of PDAS is to “improve student performance through the
professional development of teachers”.
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