RFA for Third Party Entity Evaluation Application Guidance

1 Third Party Entity Evaluation Application Guidance Overview Bulletin 746 - Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel allows for Third Party Entity (TPE) evaluations to be accepted for purposes of maintaining or advancing an educator's certification. These TPEs must be approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) in order to conduct evaluations used for certification purposes. This guide is specifically for TPEs contracting with public school systems for the purpose of teachers providing instruction and describes the process of obtaining approval to evaluate teachers for maintaining certification. Application TPEs will submit their application through the Request for Application (RFA) process outlined below. The cycle will be available each calendar year. Applicants must show evidence of an evaluation process in alignment to Bulletin 130- Regulations for the Evaluation and Assessment of School Personnel, which includes the following: ●

Observation instrument ● Use of an observation in the evaluation ● Use of student achievement data in the evaluation ● An evaluation rubric ● An evaluation scale ● The assignment of a final evaluation score/rating TPEs will also be required to submit the following: ● Basic Entity information (organization name, location, organizational structure, contact information, etc) ● Letter of support or contract from a Louisiana public school system indicating an existing partnership or the intent to partner ● Signed Assurances After review, pending decisions are presented at a BESE meeting for consideration of approval, and applicants will be notified of their approval or denial. Process Below is a summary of the TPE approval process. Additional resources for the approval process may be found in the resource section of this guide. Applications are submitted through an online application portal. There is no fee associated with the application process. 1. Full Application: This stage requires applicants to submit the tool they will use to evaluate educators and indicate the evaluation process will meet policy requirements in Bulletin 130 - Regulations for the Evaluation and Assessment of School Personnel and Bulletin 746 - Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel. As a part of the application process, entities must show evidence that for every teacher hired whose certification is desired to be obtained and/or maintained, the TPE will complete a background check on educators hired, evaluate these educators,. 2. Evaluation: Upon submitting applications, LDOE evaluation teams review each application to ensure that there is a process for educators to be observed and evaluated by an evaluator with knowledge of the evaluation system of the TPE. https://www.doa.la.gov/media/ebbnvnr2/28v131.doc https://www.doa.la.gov/media/arnl1o0r/28v147.doc https://www.doa.la.gov/media/arnl1o0r/28v147.doc https://www.doa.la.gov/media/arnl1o0r/28v147.doc https://www.teachlouisiana.net/?PDF=pdf/Third_Party_Entity_Assurances.pdf https://www.doa.la.gov/media/arnl1o0r/28v147.doc https://www.doa.la.gov/media/arnl1o0r/28v147.doc https://www.doa.la.gov/media/ebbnvnr2/28v131.doc 2 Third Party Entity Evaluation Application Guidance 3. BESE Consideration: LDOE pending approvals are submitted to BESE for consideration. Once approved by BESE, TPEs will be notified via the primary contact information on the application. 4. Evaluation Authorization: TPEs approved at the BESE meetings may begin evaluating teachers immediately. Annual Application Cycle Cycle Application Window Opens Full Application Due Notification of Decisions BESE Consideration Spring September 1 December 10 February 15 April TBD Fall May 1 July 10 August 26 October TBD Terms The terms below are used by LDOE in and for the application process. ● Third-Party Entity (TPE) - an entity contracting with a public school system to supply teachers who provide instruction to students. ● Evaluator - one who evaluates; the supervisory-level designee charged with evaluating teachers. ● Evaluatee - a teacher undergoing evaluation. ● Evaluation - process by which a third party entity monitors the continuing performance of its teachers annually by considering judgments concerning the professional accomplishments and competencies of a certified teacher, based on a broad knowledge of the area of performance involved, the characteristics of the situation of the individual being evaluated, and the specific standards of performance pre-established for the position. The evaluation process must include observations and a measure of student growth. ● Certified Teacher - any person who provides direct instruction or direct instructional support to students to whom he/she has been formally assigned. Classroom teachers, special education teachers, librarians, and school counselors are considered teachers according to this definition. These persons are required to hold a certificate issued by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. ● Teacher of Record - educators who are responsible for a portion of a student’s learning outcomes within a subject/course. They are assigned as the primary teacher for a subject/content. ● Observer - one who gathers evidence to be used in the evaluation process through the observation of educator performance. ● Observation - the process of gathering facts, noting occurrences, documenting evidence of performance, and delivering aligned, individualized feedback to the evaluatee. ● Observation Instrument - a valid tool used to evaluate a teacher's classroom behaviors and actions. (e.g. Compass, NIET, CLASS, Danielson, Marzano Focus, McRel, etc.) ● Student Achievement Data - a measure of student performance over a period of time to determine progress. ● Evaluation Rubric - a type of scoring guide that assesses and articulates specific components and expectations. https://bese.louisiana.gov/meetings/meeting-calendars 3 Third Party Entity Evaluation Application Guidance ● Evaluation Scale - a measure of performance or achievement that includes the highest and lowest possible ratings. (e.g., numerical (1-4) or descriptors (excellent to needs improvement)) ● Final Evaluation Score/Rating - the outcome of the total evaluation process, either numerical or in a description, or both. (e.g., 1 (poor) - 4 (excellent) or successful - unsuccessful, etc.) FAQs Are any fees required to submit a Third Party Entity Evaluation application? There are no fees required to submit a Third Party Entity Evaluation application. What if an annual application deadline falls on a weekend? When is it due? The deadlines are firm regardless of the day of the week on which they may fall. Please plan accordingly, so that questions can be answered from the LDOE during regular business hours prior to the submission date. If not approved, what are the next steps? Applicants who are denied at the BESE consideration meeting must wait until the next cycle before resubmitting the same application to BESE. During that time, applicants are encouraged to reach out to the email listed below to receive support. If approved, what are the next steps? Approved applicants will receive a letter of approval from BESE and may begin implementing the approved evaluation system. LDOE will reach out to the application’s primary contact to begin an onboarding process for newly approved entities. If I own the TPE and I am also an educator providing services through my TPE, who would evaluate me? To maintain your certification, you must obtain an evaluation from one of your contracted school systems. That school system must also agree to submit certification renewal/advancement applications on your behalf. Is there guidance for using student achievement data in the evaluation? The LDOE Student Learning Target (SLT) guidance provides sample templates and guidance to assess student growth and achievement. Resources Third Party Entity Approval Rubric LDOE Third Party Entity Application Portal Further questions can be directed to compass@la.gov. https://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/teaching/slt-guidance-and-templates.pdf?sfvrsn=fa7b8f1f_14 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIk3sSAhVSwdgSmcD3SSUYE1UdvSJR09p4f2H-Uetl0/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIk3sSAhVSwdgSmcD3SSUYE1UdvSJR09p4f2H-Uetl0/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIk3sSAhVSwdgSmcD3SSUYE1UdvSJR09p4f2H-Uetl0/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIk3sSAhVSwdgSmcD3SSUYE1UdvSJR09p4f2H-Uetl0/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIk3sSAhVSwdgSmcD3SSUYE1UdvSJR09p4f2H-Uetl0/edit?usp=sharing https://form.jotform.com/232753835249060 https://form.jotform.com/232753835249060 https://form.jotform.com/232753835249060 mailto:compass@la.gov