Invitation to Comment on the Preliminary Draft of NYS Teaching Standards
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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE NEW YORK | |
| Deputy Commissioner Office of Higher Education Rm 977, Education Building Annex Albany, New York 12234 |
Tel: (518) 486‐3633 Fax: (518) 486‐2254 E‐mail: jfrey@mail.nysed.gov |
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| Date: | July 16, 2010 | |
| To: | Colleagues |
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| From: | Joseph Frey | |
| Subject: | Invitation to Comment on the New York State Preliminary Draft of Teaching Standards | |
At its November 2009 and December 2009 meetings the Board of Regents endorsed several new initiatives for improving teaching and learning in New York State, including the following elements:
- the implementation of a performance based assessment for initial certification as a teacher;
- revision of the annual professional performance review (APPR) for teachers based on newly developed teaching standards; and
- creation of a teacher career ladder structure that districts could use to compensate teachers based on state-developed standards of teacher effectiveness.
All are dependent on the development of a common set of teaching standards. Such standards will form the foundation of a cohesive system to prepare, select, develop, and retain teachers who are effective in improving learning for all students. These standards will be the basis for teacher preparation programs, assessments for certification, annual professional performance reviews, and professional/career development plans for New York teachers.
In May 2010, at the direction of the Board of Regents, the State Education Department formed a Teaching Standards Workgroup whose charge was to develop a preliminary draft of Teaching Standards for New York State. The Teaching Standards Workgroup is composed of stakeholder representatives from over 22 interested parties with a common commitment of improving student learning through the development and support of all NYS teachers. We have posted the Preliminary Draft of New York State Teaching Standards and a Web Response Form with which you may submit your suggestions on the Office of Teaching Initiatives Web site. If you are unable to access the draft online, please contact Jenese Gaston at jgaston@mail.nysed.gov.
This document should be considered a preliminary draft. Only after sharing the draft widely and receiving comments from all interested parties will the final draft of standards be prepared and forwarded to the Board of Regents for its review and consideration.
I invite you to review and discuss with your colleagues the contents of this draft.
We urge you to submit your comments using the Web Response Form. The deadline to summit comments will be August 16, 2010. Written comments may be E-mailed to Patricia Oleaga at poleaga@mail.nysed.gov, or via regular mail to:
Patricia Oleaga
NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives
Room 5N, Education Building
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234
IMPORTANT: It is important to know that this is the initial release of the preliminary draft of NYS Teaching Standards. We recognize that during July and August some members of higher education faculty and the P-12 community may not be readily available. However, it is important to the Regents teaching reforms to have teaching standards in place to serve as the foundation for the initiatives listed above. In addition, all interested parties, including the public will have a second opportunity to review and comment on the draft of teaching standards when the Board of Regents discusses the draft in the fall.
Thank you for your assistance in this most important matter.
Sincerely,
Joseph P. Frey
cc: John King
Ken Slentz
Jean Stevens
Robert Bentley
Rich Gervais