Membership Services

Membership Services Representatives Help You Tap the Vast Resources of PAGE

By Nancy Ratcliffe, PAGE Membership Services Representative, District 7

When I’m asked about my highlighter pens and lanyards. job with PAGE, and I reply School visits are an especially fun part of that “I’m a member services the MSR role. I enjoy providing treats, and representative (MSR),” the usual reaction I always travel with my chocolate “first-aid” is, “What do you do exactly?” In short, kit. However, preparing for a visit is quite MSRs are the “face” of PAGE, and most involved. We coordinate months in advance of us are former educators. PAGE has 14 with building contacts, school secretaries or membership services representatives, each administrators to plan a time that is conveof whom covers a region of Georgia. Each nient for the entire school. But just as school MSR district has about 175 schools. In schedules are interrupted by fire drills and metro Atlanta, the service areas are smaller unplanned pep rallies, our calendars are because of the concentration of schools. often juggled at the last minute due to testThe opposite is true in south Georgia. ing, weather or an unexpected meeting at

In our frequent travels throughout the the district office. We’re also careful to ministate, we often arrive at schools before mize mileage and maximize scheduling to most of the staff to set up breakfast make the most of our PAGE resources. snacks and prepare to meet current and prospective PAGE members. Later in the day, in another system, we may be the last to drive away following a late faculty meeting. We are well acquainted with the food providers in our areas, and we shop at Sam’s Club and Dollar Tree as regularly as

most people shop at their local supermarket. However, in service to our 85,000 members, we are much more than hosts.

We ensure that each school has a PAGE contact to provide colleagues with membership information, as well as timely news regarding education legislation, evaluation requirements, health benefits

PAGE MSR Melanie Evans welcomes Paulding County’s newest teachers.

and more. Beyond building and system contacts, an MSR’s contact list includes principals, human resources directors and superintendents.

THE AMBASSADORS OF PAGE

PAGE is known for warmly welcoming every new teacher in Georgia, and as such, the MSRs serve as PAGE ambassadors. In fact, often the first gift teachers receive is one from the PAGE district MSR welcoming them to the profession during orientation. Teachers throughout the state proudly display their PAGE “easy quiz graders,”

WANT TO KNOW? JUST ASK YOUR MSR!

When we arrive at a school, we unload carts of materials, and in short order, transform a table in the cafeteria or teacher workroom into a tempting spread of food, goodies and information.

During our visit, we help members sign up for informative PAGE emails, provide contact information for our legal department and field questions on everything from pending legislation to changes in certification and teacher evaluations.

MSRs understand how frustrating it is for educators to not have the information they need to do their best. Thus, we often refer them to people within PAGE or others who can answer questions. When we can’t help you directly, you’ll hear us say, “I don’t have the answer to that, but I will certainly try to find one.”

MSRs stay in close contact with the PAGE office in Atlanta, and we travel there frequently to be schooled in such matters as TKES/LKES, TRS and SHBP— the “alphabet soup” that is your profession. Through PAGE, the MSR team has been schooled in “Working on the Work” and the value of student engagement. We also stay current on issues such as the effects of poverty and funding cuts on Georgia’s public schools. In fact, many of us have helped launch what we are calling “Community Conversations” in our schools and communities to help citizens become more aware of the successes and challenges schools face. Finally, MSRs are always available to assist those who wish to join PAGE. Applicants may sign Photo by John Varner up electronically, but many people still prefer pen and paper, and we happily forward applications to the membership office for processing. Once a building contact or MSR signs a paper application form, or once someone signs up online, coverage begins that day.

Remember, your PAGE membership services representative is here to support you in your vital role as a Georgia public school educator. Be sure to take advantage of the vast resources availed by PAGE, and if you need anything, just ask your MSR!

Nancy Ratcliffe taught English/language arts and was a graduation coach in Northwest Georgia for 35 years. She also helped develop Georgia’s graduation and EOC tests. She is now mentoring her second generation of students who have become educators.

Legal

TKES: Teachers Must Strive for ‘Exemplary’ or ‘Proficient’

By Matthew M. Pence, PAGE Staff Attorney

House Bill 244, which took effect on July 1, requires all Georgia teachers to be evaluated on the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES). TKES began as part of Georgia’s Race to the Top initiative. Many districts have utilized TKES over the past three years, but starting this year, all districts must use it to evaluate teachers.

TKES evaluates only those educators who provide direct instruction to students. Other personnel, such as graduation coaches, psychologists and guidance counselors, remain on a different evaluation system. Administrators and other leaders will be evaluated under the Leader Keys Effectiveness System (LKES).

GETTING TO A SUMMATIVE

Classroom teachers will receive an overall end-of-the-year rating of “exemplary,” “proficient,” “needs development” or “ineffective.” The overall score will be a combination of the following two components of TKES:

The first component is the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS). These are the 10 standards that evaluators look for during the six observations of the academic year. It is also important to note that, for certain educators, student surveys will be administered at least once during an academic year. Each student survey will be anonymous. The surveys, which were developed by an external vendor, will only be administered to students in grades 3-12. The purpose of the surveys, according to the DOE, is to inform ratings regarding the following Performance Standards: 3 (Instructional Strategies), 4 (Differentiated Instruction), 7 (Positive Learning Environment), and 8 (Academically Challenging Environment).

The second component of TKES is student growth. Student growth is based on state assessment data (Student Growth Percentiles based on student performance on the CRCT and EOCT) or, where there is no state-mandated assessment, a Student Learning Objective (SLO), or in the event a teacher teaches both tested and non-tested courses, a combination of the SGP and SLO growth. SLOs include pre and post assessments. SLOs are locally written and must be approved by the DOE prior to testing.

When the final evaluation is conducted in the spring, the TAPS component and the student growth component will comprise the Teacher Effectiveness Measure (TEM). Per HB 244, at least 50 percent of the evaluation of a teacher or leader must be based on student growth. Student growth in tested courses will be measured by comparing a student to other students with a similar history of scores. Two years of data are required to model growth.

LOWER SCORES REPORTED TO THE PSC

It is imperative that all educators strive for an overall score of “exemplary” or proficient.” Overall rankings of “needs development” or “ineffective” will be reported to the Professional Standards Commission. HB 244 specifically allows the PSC to refuse license renewal of any educator who receives and does not successfully remediate a combination of two “needs development” or one “ineffective” rating during a five-year period. Moreover, the bill also mandates that an overall rating of “ineffective” will constitute evidence of incompetency under the Fair Dismissal Act. Finally, any educator who receives an overall “ineffective” or two consecutive overall rankings of “needs development” will not receive credit on the pay scale for the “ineffective” year or for the second consecutive “needs development” year.

Educators also need not worry about information pertaining to their evaluations being subject to review by the public under the Open Records Act. HB 244 mandates that all records associated with individual performance evaluations be confidential and not subject to public disclosure.

For more information about TKES, LKES or any other evaluation system, please contact the PAGE Legal Department at 770-216-8555 or 800-334-6861.

Update on TAPS

An article in the August 2013 issue of PAGE One magazine covered the teacher assessment standards in depth. (The article can be found in the legal section of the PAGE website.) However, TAPS has undergone the following important change since we published the article: “During observations, evaluators will now rank performance on the 10 standards as Level I (lowest rating), Level II, Level III or Level IV (highest rating).”