Student Learning Objectives Implementation Guide for Teachers

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Student Learning Objectives

Implementation Guide for Teachers

SLO Teacher Guide

Table of Contents

Using This SLO Handbook ............................................................................................................................................... 2

The Texas Student Learning Objective Process............................................................................................................ 4

Question 1: What is the focus for my SLO? ................................................................................................................... 5

Question 2: Who are my students?............................................................................................................................... 10

Question 3: What are my expectations for these students? ...................................................................................... 15

Question 4: How will I guide these students toward growth? ................................................................................... 21

Phase 2: Monitor Progress to Drive Instruction .......................................................................................................... 24

Question 5: Are my students progressing toward targets? ...................................................................................... 24

Phase 3: Evaluate Success and Reflect ....................................................................................................................... 27

Question 6: Did students grow, and what did I learn from the process?................................................................. 27

Final Thoughts: Student Learning Objectives ............................................................................................................. 30

Appendix A: SLO Form .................................................................................................................................................. 31

Appendix B: Student Growth Tracker ........................................................................................................................... 35

Appendix C: Rating Rubric ........................................................................................................................................... 36

Appendix D: Success Criteria........................................................................................................................................ 38

Appendix E: Progress Discussion Notes (Optional) ................................................................................................... 39

Appendix F: End-of-Year Reflection ............................................................................................................................. 40

Appendix G: Definitions for the SLO Process............................................................................................................. 41

SLO Teacher Guide

Using This SLO Handbook

The purpose of this Implementation Guide is to provide step-by-step information about crafting,

implementing, and reflecting on SLOs. This guidance is not designed as a stand-alone resource for

SLO implementation but should accompany training on the SLO process and support throughout the

year. Teachers will be able to find support on a particular step by locating the general question in the

table of contents and jumping to that section of the guide.

Vision Statement

The Student Learning Objective (SLO) Model in Texas provides a framework for continual

dialogue among students, teachers, and principals to support student growth and teacher

development throughout the year.

Guiding Principles

● Support Local Autonomy: Provide flexibility for districts, campuses, and classrooms to

adapt

needed.

● S

upport and measure Student Gro

wth

● S

upport Teacher Dev

elopment:

● P

rovide a meaningful framework for measuring student growth and supporting teache

dev

elopm

ent

Design Attributes

● Instructionally Valuable: Support educators to make responsive instructional

dec

isions throughout the year

● S

tandards-Al

igned: Address academic standards that are critical to student learning.

● E

quitable: Meet the unique needs of all students and teachers

● T

ransparent: Be

clear, concise, and easily understood.

● M

anageable: Be

easily incorporated into and enhance existing methods for

easuring student learni

ng.

What Are Student Learning Objectives?

Excellent teachers regularly set learning goals for their students and use a variety of data sources to

monitor progress towards these goals throughout the year. The Student Learning Objectives process

aims to capture this best practice as a means to allowing teachers and teacher appraisers to determine

student growth and reflect on a teacher’s pedagogical strengths and areas for growth.

Student Learning Objectives are:

• Student growth goal

• Set by teachers

• Foc

used on a foundational student skill that is developed throughout the curriculu

• T

ailored to the context of individual st

udents

• D

esigned to help teachers better understand the impact of their pedagog

• For

the purposes of measuring student growth and refining a teacher’s instructi

Why Use Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) as a Measure of Student Growth?

SLOs drive both teacher practice and student learning by strengthening instruction. The use of SLOs

has been associated with improved student outcomes on standardized assessments. Teachers crafting

SLOs report improved understanding of how to use data to determine student needs and to measure

progress toward growth goals. SLOs encourage collaboration among teachers as well as between

teachers and their appraisers. SLOs encourage the adoption of a long-term vision for student learning

and contribute to more meaningful discussions about vertical planning. Finally, SLOs provide a

framework for measuring student growth grounded in student work as the source of evidence

SLO Teacher Guide

Using This SLO Handbook

The Texas Student Learning Objective Process

Process Overview and Planning Considerations

The Student Learning Objective process should be used throughout the school year to help teachers

plan backward from an end vision for student success. This process helps encourage regular

conversations and collaboration among teachers, students, and appraisers in order to ensure that

instruction facilitates students’ progress toward targeted growth goals.

The SLO process represents a continuous cycle of improvement

embodied in strong teaching practice. Teachers and their appraisers

will use SLOs to design strategies to meet their goals for student

success, beginning with planning and leading to thoughtful instructional

design and delivery. Throughout the year, teachers will collect a BOE

(body of evidence) of student learning and adjust instruction

accordingly. At the end of the cycle, teachers will reflect on outcomes

and plan to refine their practice for the following year.

For ease of understanding, the SLO process has been grouped into

three key phases to define the sequence of actions to be taken.

Phase 1: Creating a Student Learning Objective

The first phase focuses on purposeful planning of instruction and setting student growth goals.

At the

beginning of the course, teachers work with each other, their appraisers, and other

support staff to identify the foundational skill they’ll address in their SLO, identify student

starting points on the foundational skill, and develop clear targets for student growth.

Phase 2: Monitoring Progress to Drive Instruction

After the SLO Form is completed and approved by the appraiser, teachers will work with each

other and

their appraiser, engaging in ongoing dialogue about progress toward goals.

In this phase, teachers work with each other and their appraiser,

to dis

cuss students’ progress toward goals. These discussions

are opportunities for teachers to develop strategies to adjust

instruction based on analysis of student learning. Teachers design

assignments/projects/assessments that will constitute the body of

evidence of student work.

Phase 3: Evaluating Success and Reflection

This last phase occurs at the end of the course and involves using

the body

of evidence of student work to determine whether

students met their growth goals. It also includes a conversation

between the teacher and appraiser regarding the effectiveness of

the teacher’s engagement in the SLO process, and results in an

overall rating that is based on both teacher and student outcomes.

The final conversation helps teachers and appraisers plan for

instructional refinement.

SLO Teacher Guide

The Texas Student Learning Objective Process

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 1: What is the focus for my SLO?

Phase 1: Create a Student Learning Objective

Phase 1 will occur over the first 1-2 months of school for yearlong

courses, or in the first 3-4 weeks for semester courses. During

Phase 1, teachers will work with other teachers and with their

appraiser to develop Student Learning Objective(s) for a selected

course.

Although teachers will use the Student Learning Objective form

to craft the SLO, the form simply captures the thinking prompted by

the first four overarching questions found on the SLO Thinking Map

(see p. #). Following the guidance below, teachers will spend time

gathering resources and information to complete Steps 1 through 5.

To improve the quality of the SLO, teachers may wish to refer to

the SLO Success Criteria.

Step 1: What is the focus of my SLO and what is my SLO Skill

Statement?

The goal of this step is to identify a foundational skill for this course that would be an appropriate

focus for the SLO, and lead to an effective Skill Statement. Foundational skills:

● Are the most important skills students develop in the course

● C

an impact not just this course but other courses both in this current year and bey

ond.

● Persist throughout the course.

● W

ill be found in multiple T

EKS.

The

Skill Statement represents a balance between being valuable for teacher growth, student growth, and

being

important for students both in the current course and in other courses beyond this year. If there are

multiple, competing skills that appear to be equally important, teachers should consider which of those

foundational skills they feel will lead to improving their instruction the most.

Decide on a general content area for focus

The process for selecting an area of focus is different for the first year of SLO implementation than for

the f

ollowing years.

For the first year of implementation, teachers should focus on learning the SLO process. If teachers

can w

ork in teams in a common content area or with content with which they’ve had success in the

past, they should consider taking that opportunity.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 1: What is the focus for my SLO?

For each year after the first year of implementation, teachers should focus on

a content area that provides the greatest opportunity to improve student

growth and the teacher’s instructional practices. The primary goal of

appraisal and SLOs within an appraisal system is to help identify a teacher’s

areas of strength and areas for refinement. SLOs function best when used to

facilitate student and teacher growth and development.

Begin the process by reviewing the courses or content areas that you teach.

What you are looking for is a general content area to review further.

• If you are an elementary generalist, determine what content area you

ight choose. Should it be ELAR, math, science, or social studies

• I

f you are a secondary teacher with multiple course preparations

onsider a particular course for your focu

• I

f you are a teacher of special education or of English languag

learners, could you collaborate with classroom teachers on a similar

focus area? Open a dialogue with colleagues to determine if you can

oin the team to develop an appropriate SLO Skill Statement

hat should you consider in this deliberation? Is one content area more

worthy of focus due in order to meet students' needs?

What is the most important content of my course?

The next step is to identify foundational skills associated with the selected

content area. Teachers may be able to make these selections based on their

knowledge of what components of the class were key elements in the

success of previous classes. Educators should collaborate with their peers in

this selection process. This will be especially important for new teachers who

do not have the historical basis for this selection. Keep in mind:

• The focus area should be designed to address foundational skills t

hat

are pivotal to the current course as well as students’ subsequent

education.

int: Consider the question: When students leave my course,

what is the one thing they must be able to do as they move

forward in their education?

• Foundational skills should be threaded throughout the term of the

ourse. These should not be unit-based selections; rather, they ar

oad skills that are addressed multiple times in lessons and, mor

importantly, are applied by students throughout the course.

est Practices

• Develop your

LO Sk

ill

tatement wit

olleagues

• S

hare commo

elements of the SLO

kill Statement wit

our colleagues, bu

each teacher will

craft and submit his

her own S

bas

ed on curren

students.

• Use data to

narrow the focus

of your SLO Skill

Statement.

• W

here appropriat

itiate vertica

anni

onversations wit

the teachers of the

rades and cours

bey

ond yours t

efine y

our

selection of “must

hav

es” for t

ours

Teachers’ Thinking Revealed

“This is my 10th year of teaching art in high school. And although we have four key areas we

address in the introductory class, the principles and elements of art are the foundation. Once

students understand that content, they can begin to express it in their creative work and use it in

critiques of others’ works. So that is going to be the focus for my SLO.”

“Our fifth grade team met and basically decided right away to do an ELAR SLO. Our students

have done well in math for several years, so we feel confident that our planning for math works.

But, once we got to thinking about foundational skills in ELAR, we could not agree where to focus.

Two team members thought we should work on reading and two thought writing was more

important. So, we looked at the 4th grade STAAR results for ELAR and writing. Clearly, writing

outcomes were lower and particularly low in the composition reporting category. And the sixth

grade team also reported that writing to a prompt was a weakness in many of our students for

students who were coming into our fifth grade class this year. We also noticed that early student

work from these students supported this as a weakness as well. So, we decided to focus there

and found that the 5.15 and 5.18, which address writing process and expository writing work.”

In middle school social studies, we are just beginning to have students work on in depth research

projects. This has always been a challenge for my students not because they can’t write, but

because they have difficulties understanding what they read, especially when it comes from

primary sources and context plays a role in understanding. We have seen that reading of

informational texts is an ongoing weakness for students in our school, based on STAAR results. I

feel comfortable that this the right choice for a focus in our SLO.”

Find TEKS that align with the selected content

Now that you have specified a particular focus, and written a Skill Statement, the next task will be

to review the TEKS to determine which key standards are aligned to the focus.

To find your TEKS, visit this website :http://tea.texas.gov/curriculum/teks/

Remember that the introductory paragraphs often identify key skills and content areas for the

course.

As you review, consider the following:

• In some disciplines, process standards may be more applicable than content standards

For

example, a high school social studies class will address a significant number o

tandards addressing major events in history. Standards attached to each of those event

ill vary in content, depth, and emphasis. Social studies skills, such as using primary

and

econdary sources to develop an argument supported with evidence from the literatur

how

ever, can be applied across eras and across content areas

• I

n mathematics, consider using the word “concept” as a strategy for identifying appropriat

EKS. For example, number sense is a concept that moves through multiple strands of st

udent

earning. It is possible that an SLO could result in asking students to display their grasp of t

oncept through different kinds of problems over the term of the SLO. Measurement of t

andards will be required. Consider whether you will be able to assess students’ skill level

n this content at each stage of SLO process. Measures used as a part of the body of evidenc

(

BOE) must be aligned with the Skill Statement

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 1: What is the focus for my SLO?

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 1: What is the focus for my SLO?

Write an SLO Skill Statement

Skill Statements represent a valid focus area of the course and are designed to measure foundational skills. A

Skill Statement describes specific measurable skills within the selected focus area that persists throughout the

course and that will lead to student growth within the focus area as well as teacher growth in teaching this skill.

For example, suppose a high school US history teacher is considering

appropriate content for an SLO Skill Statement. A variety of topics

examined throughout the year, such as the American Revolution, the

Civil War, the Great Depression, and so on. If the teacher decided to

focus on one event in US history, that topic might be covered for only a

few weeks within the school year. In contrast, focusing on interpreting

information from multiple sources to draw valid conclusions is a skill that

is addressed throughout the course regardless of the historical event

currently being studied. Students’ ability to analyze multiple pieces of

evidence to justify their conclusions is critical skill for student success in

US history and other several courses.

Using the focus area as a guide, consider a specific, measurable skill

that will result in student growth within the focus area.

Focus Area Skill Statement

Principles and Elements of Art

Students will use the elements and principals of design to

create individual drawings that apply the five key principals

of observational drawing: a) lines, b) spaces and shapes,

)

relationships, d) lighting and shading, and

ompositi

on.

xpository Writing

Students will apply the steps of the writing process (plan,

draft, edit, publish) to craft well organized essays on

informational texts.

Using primary and secondary

sources from informational texts

Students will be able to use at least two primary or

secondary sources to write an informative essay that

conveys information clearly and accurately through

effective selection of information, organization and

analysis of content.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 1: What is the focus for my SLO?

Complete the SLO Form

The SLO Form, Step 1provides a space for teachers to describe their chosen focus area, share their

Skill Statement, share the rationale for why they selected this particular area and the associated

foundational skills, and list to the applicable TEKS.

Sample SLO Form for Step 1 (based on the 5

grade teacher’s response above)

Step 2: Who are my students?

The goal of this step is to describe students’ typical skill level when they arrive in your course. You will

describe the full range of students who come into your course from the highest- to the lowest-

performing skill levels, with respect to the SLO Skill Statement. Next, if you teach multiple classes, you

will select a class for the focus of your SLO. Then, you will collect multiple sources of data about your

current students to decide which description best describes the skill level of each student covered in

the SLO. Finally, you will record the initial skill level for each student. Think of this as an answer to the

question that you are often asked, “What kind of students do you have this year?” For the foundational

skill selected for the SLO Skill Statement, you are establishing whether this year’s class is a typical

group in terms of entering skill levels, a higher performing group, or a lower performing group.

Describe the typical entering skill levels of students in your class

Picture the typical skill level of your students. How would you describe their entering skill level

assoc

iated with your SLO Skill Statement? Write that description in the middle block of the chart

called the Initial Skill Profile. Next, think about the highest-performing students and describe their

entering skills in the top box. Next, think about the lowest-performing students and describe their

entering skill level in the bottom box. Then, fill in the gaps just above and just below typical skill levels.

What you will see is something that looks like a rubric to assess students’ entry level skills. The goal

is to make these descriptions crisp and distinct. Later, you will need to be able to pick a description

that best fits each student in your class.

Hint: What was just described is one strategy to complete the profile. Some teachers will state

that

it was easier for them to start with the highest-performing skill level and work their way down

through the other levels. Find a strategy that works for you.

There are a couple of key elements to remember. First, this is not based on your current students. That

may seem odd, but the goal here is to try to understand if this class is similar to your previous classes,

or if it’s higher or lower performing. This will impact instruction and how you complete your SLO.

Second, make sure there is no overlap between the levels. For example, here are a couple of ISP

leve

ls from a high school automotive mechanics instructor:

Well Above Typical Skill states: Students understand the basic principles behind how engines

work

and have some experience rebuilding engines.

Above Typical Skill states: Students understand the basic principles behind how engines work

and have s

ome experience rebuilding engines with guidance.

At first glance, they are different, but in practice, would you be able to distinguish one level from the

other?

Chances are a high school student would not have occasion to work on an engine without some

form of supervision. In practical terms, it would be hard to differentiate between the two.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 2: Who are my students?

Another potential issue in Initial Skill Profiles is using words such as “most,” “many,” and “some” in the

descriptions. Ask friends to describe the difference in meaning between “most,” and “many.” Some will

tell you percentages, and if they do, the percentages may not match. Others will have a specific

definition in mind. The point is that there is ambiguity in these words. This does not mean that they

cannot be used; rather, it means that they need to be defined. For example, you could include a legend

at the bottom of the profile explaining the meaning of these ambiguous words as you will use them.

One last thing to remember is that you want to be able to describe the full range of student performance

that you are likely to see. Try to make sure that every student can be mapped to a description. For

example, as you create the description for “Well Above Typical Skill”, consider some of the most

advanced students you have ever taught. We will discuss later what happens if you discover that you

have a student(s) who doesn’t fit into the levels you created for your Initial Skill Profile.

What if you have never taught this course or you are new to teaching? Consult your colleagues who

may have taught the course before to determine what they have noticed with students in the past. In

addition, you may need to review data on earlier student performance to determine appropriate

descriptions. One other strategy could be used in cases where you have vertically aligned courses. In

those cases, the end-of-year expectations as indicated in the TEKS might be helpful to describe what

students should be able to do upon arrival in your course.

Finally, check with your colleagues. Review each other’s’ Initial Skill Profiles to check for clarity.

Sometimes a fresh set of eyes will notice wording difficulties that you may not have noticed. A sample

Initial Skill Profile is below for a fourth-grade teacher focusing on critical thinking and problem solving in

science:

Initial Student Skill Profile

Skill Level

Descriptors

Well

above

typical skill

Student selects and uses tools, materials, and questions to investigate the natural

world, following methods prescribed by the teachers, and using critical thinking skills

to analyze, evaluate, and report findings.

Above

typical skill

Student selects and uses tools, materials, and questions to investigate the natural

world, following methods prescribed by the teacher, and uses basic logic to analyze

findings.

Typical skill

Student selects and uses tools, materials, and questions to investigate the natural

world, following methods prescribed by the teacher and uses basic logic to provide

explanations for some observations.

Below

typical skill

Student selects and uses tools, materials, and questions to investigate the natural

world, following methods prescribed by the teacher, but does not attempt to explain

findings.

Well below

typical skill

Student is unable to select and use tools, materials, and questions to appropriately

investigate the natural world.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 2: Who are my students?

Select the class.

When teachers select the class they’ll use for their SLO, the entire class should be included – targeting

particular students or a portion of the class is not permitted. SLOs are designed to help reveal the

effectiveness of teaching practices and to truly inform teacher development. To do this, the process

must focus on the growth of all students in the selected class, not just the growth of a portion of the

class.

• For elementary generalists, this will be the whole cla

ss.

• For

elementary departmentalized teachers or secondary teachers, this will be the mos

epresentative class. Teachers should ask themselves, “Which class best represents t

versity in skill levels and challenges from among other classes I could have selected?” I

would be best to avoid selecting classes that are unique for a particular reason (i.e., particularly

igh- or low-performing students)

Note: In subsequent years of implementation, this will be modified as follows:

Teachers and appraisers will collaborate to determine an area of challenge for the teacher.

This might be a content area that is new to the teacher or in which the teacher wants to

expand his or her mastery of the material. It might be a course where guiding students to

mastery has proven to be difficult. The decision on where to focus will be part of the

conference in which the goal-setting and professional development plan conversations

occur (generally in conjunction with the end-of-year conference). It is important to think of

SLOs as part of the appraisal system. Aligning goal-setting, professional development plans,

and SLOs will lead to more successful strategies for gaining the support and feedback

needed to meet the targets established in the SLO.

Collect multiple sources of data about students to identify initial skill level.

The next task will be to collect multiple sources of data about your current students. It is important to

remember that this should be current data, not data from previous years. The goal is to describe

students’ current skill level at the beginning of the course for the skill in question in the SLO. These

data can come from both formal and informal sources.

For example, formal measures could include:

• Quizzes

• Un

it assessments

• District formative assessments

• T

eacher-created assessments/pre-tes

• S

tudent work products including writing samples, lab reports

Less formal measures include exit tickets that ask students to summarize their understanding or ask

questions about the content, class work, class participation, etc. Considerable data can be drawn from

your observations and interactions with students in class. What questions do they ask? Are they basic

or more advanced questions? What kinds of errors or misconceptions do you see in homework

responses?

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 2: Who are my students?

A single source of data is not likely to be conclusive. Students do have “bad” days when they do not

exhibit their potential. They may respond better to certain kinds of questions than they do to others.

Collecting multiple measures will provide a more complete and accurate understanding of each

student’s initial level of understanding and reduce the chance that what you are measuring are just

random effects.

It is also important to remember that this does not need to be a new measure that you create. New

measures can be created, especially if current measures do not appropriately assess the skill in

question, but it is not essential. Effective instruction is in and of itself a data-gathering process.

Teachers ask themselves, “Are they getting it? Do I need to adjust what I am doing?” That is data, and

it can be an invaluable resource for estimating students’ preexisting level of skills and learning. If you

can use these formal and informal data sources and feel confident about your evaluations of students’

skill level, do so, but if questions remain, you may need to consider some additional sources of data.

Map current students to the Initial Skill Profile.

In the previous section, you determined what data sources you would collect about students’

current level of learning. In this section, you will focus on mapping students to the Initial Skill Profile

to answer the question, which description is the best fit for each student included in the SLO? Your

task will be to review the current data you have on each student and find which level descriptor is

the most appropriate.

There are a couple of things to note here. First, as you work through this process, it may become

apparent that the descriptors in the profile are not clear or sufficiently distinct. If so, make revisions but

also reflect on what they reveal. For example, the need for revisions may indicate that your current

class is significantly higher or lower than your typical class. Second, you are estimating student

performance. Use your best judgment. Your assessments of students’ skill levels at the beginning of

the year are not likely to be based on measures that have been refined to be psychometrically perfect,

so multiple measures are encouraged to help develop an accurate portrait of each student’s level of

understanding. It is important to remember that the SLO process emphasizes accuracy but not

quantitative precision.

Below is an example of how a teacher might make decisions about assigning students to levels. This is

from a high school teacher of an introductory information technology course. The highest two levels of

the Initial Skill Profile he created are listed below:

Well above typical: Students are able to use all of the following software programs with a

moderate level of sophistication: word processing, database, spreadsheet, and presentation.

Above typical: Students are able to use two of the following software programs with a moderate

level of sophistication: word processing, database, spreadsheet, and presentation

Suppose the teacher has two students, Frankie and Johnny. Frankie can create a presentation using

graphics developed from the spreadsheet technology and provide a well-designed word-processed

report. Johnny, on the other hand, can use the presentation software as well as word processing, but he

does not use graphics at all because he does not know how to use the software. It should be clear that

Johnny would fit the Above Typical description. But Frankie does not fit neatly in either level.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 2: Who are my students?

Here is where we remind ourselves that this is estimation. Frankie has demonstrated most but not all

of the skills indicated in the Well Above Typical level; however, he has also demonstrated more skills

than is expected in the Above Typical level. The teacher, therefore, decides the Well Above Typical

level description is the best fit for Frankie and maps him to that level.

The example is a reminder that you are estimating skill level. The teacher should use sound judgment,

backed by multiple sources of data, to make decisions about where to map students. There should be

consistency in how decisions were made about mapping students. If two students have similar

performance, they should be mapped to the same level. Teachers should be prepared to provide

evidence supporting the assignments that were made and to walk the appraiser through their process

for determining students’ ISP levels.

An important part of this step is to record students’ initial skill level on the Student Growth Tracker.

This is an Excel spreadsheet that will be used to track growth (see below). Each student is listed

separately and his or her level on the Initial Skill Profile is recorded. Note that the electronic version of

the form has drop-down menus to simplify the selection of level. Click on the down arrow to find the

appropriate level for each student, then just click to select the appropriate descriptor.

Remember: You will need to save the growth tracker following a naming convention

recommended by your school.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 2: Who are my students?

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

The goal of this step is to describe your expectations for students. These are the goals you have for

each individual student based on the information you have about their starting point and other data that

may impact their growth.

Develop the Targeted Skill Profile to describe expectations

This profile describes your expectations for students’ growth in the foundational skill identified in the

SLO.

By definition, the descriptors will not match those in the Initial Skill Profile – because students will

have grown and developed over the course of the school year. Those Initial Profile phrases that would

have described their performance at the beginning of the SLO process should no longer fit. There will

be a different set of skills expected at the end of the interval, compared with the list of skills the

students had at the beginning of the year, prior to any instruction. The descriptors for each skill level

should be more challenging, and reflective of what students should be able to know and do at the end

of the year.

You must consider two factors when you develop the Targeted Skill Profile. First, students’ level on the

Initial Skill Profile will clearly determine expectations for growth. You must know the student’s starting

point to predict the ending point. How students were distributed as a whole will also affect how you

design the whole profile (more on that below).

Secondly, the SLO Skill Statement and TEKS or local curriculum identified will affect the profile. The

TEK

S expectations, for example, fundamentally define what we want students to achieve by the end

of the course. But remember, neither of these factors can be considered in isolation. They are

influenced by and influence each other.

Many of the questions that teachers have about the Targeted Profile focus on where to anchor the

descriptors, or put another way, how to decide which descriptions should fit into which box. If students

were distributed evenly or on a bell-shaped curve on the Initial, think of the typical level on the Targeted

Profile as your expectations for that middle group. Let’s look at an example:

Sally, a physical education teacher, developed her Initial Skill Profile and mapped her students to the five

diff

erent skill levels. As a result, she found that she had 2 students with well above typical skill, 3 with above

typical skill, 10 with typical skill, 4 with below typical skill, and 3 with well below typical skill. That is fairly close to

a bell-shaped curve.

Her SLO Skill Statement is: Students will implement their self-designed personal physical fitness plan based on

the 4

main training principles (frequency, intensity, type and time) and incorporating the 4 main components of

fitness (muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance) in order to meet their

personal fitness goals.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

The Typical (middle) skill level of the Initial Skill Profile is: Students understand the difference

between strength and endurance, but have difficulty understanding the difference between muscular

endurance and cardiovascular endurance. Student can demonstrate/model the difference between

frequency and intensity of a given physical task.

So based on the ISP, the typical skill level of the Targeted Skill Profile is: Students understand and

can implement all 4 components of fitness and at least 2 of the 4 main training principles in the design

of their personal fitness plan and can use their plan to increase their overall fitness as measured by

progress towards their fitness goals.

The teacher would have used personal experience and expectations based on the TEKS to determine

that this was what the typical student should be able to do by the end of the year, with ongoing practice

and skill-building.

However, if a teacher had a group at the beginning of the year whose skill level was clustered

around above typical and well above typical, instead of clustered around typical skill level, then

expectations for what should be a typical skill set for this group of students at the end of the year

would have to be higher. One way to think of it is to consider the bulk of your students. If the bulk of

your students exhibit cluster around one particular skill level at the beginning of the year, then you

would base the descriptors for your Typical Skill Levels at the end of year around the skills you

would expect that particular group of students to be able to exhibit at the end of the year. In other

words, you use the skill descriptors from where the bulk of your students were on the Initial

Skill Profile in order to build the Typical Skill Level on the Targeted Skill Profile.

For example, imagine Sally, our physical education teacher had a different distribution: Ten

students were well above typical, 8 were above typical, and 4 were typical on the Initial Skill

Profile. If the teacher kept the description above for the typical group on the Targeted Skill

Profile, that would not be expecting enough growth.

The end of year Typical Skill level for this high-performing group might possibly look

something like this:

Students include all 4 components of fitness as well as the 4 main training principles into the

design of their personal fitness plan, and successfully implement their personal fitness plan by

reaching specific, individualized, measurable goals related to each of the 4 components of fitness.

If most students fall below typical, you will use the same strategy to anchor the Targeted Skill Profile.

Again, use the largest group to anchor the profile and ask yourself, “How much do I want this group to

grow?” Maybe these students will not reach the same high level you had for your high-performing

group, but all students are expected to grow. Perhaps there is a level that is challenging and close to

grade level, but perhaps not as high as it would be for the average group.

For example, The end of year Typical Skill level for an overall lower-performing group this might

look like this:

Students include at least 3 of the 4 components of fitness in the design of their personal fitness plan

and with guidance can use their plan to increase their overall fitness by making progress towards

meeting most of their fitness goals.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

Notice that this level is actually higher than the Typical Skill Level on the beginning of year Initial Skill

Profile because students have to create a personalized fitness plan aligned to the 4 components of

fitness, and also have to make progress towards their personal fitness goals.

Below is a sample Targeted Skill Profile for the Grade 5 science teacher.

Targeted Student Skill Profile

SLO Skill

Statement

SLO Skill Statement- Students will be able to analyze information from multiple

pieces of evidence, draw accurate conclusions about their findings and justify

their conclusions both verbally and in writing.

Skill Level

Expectations

Well above

typical skill

Student is able to justify verbally and in writing an accurate conclusion of the

findings using inferred evidence from multiple sources of evidence. Student is

able to make a connection using a real world example and the conclusion from

their evidence and includes the scientific principle.

Above typical

skill

Using multiple sources of evidence, the student is able to make inferences,

draw accurate an accurate conclusion and justify their conclusion verbally

and/or in writing. Student is able to use the evidence to make a connection

between their conclusion and a real-world example.

Typical skill

Using multiple sources of evidence, the student is able to make inferences,

draw accurate an accurate conclusion and justify their conclusion verbally

and/or in writing.

Below typical

skill

Student is able to justify verbally and/or in writing an accurate conclusion of

their findings using isolated facts from one piece of evidence.

Well below

typical skill

Student is able to justify verbally and/or in writing the conclusion of their

findings using isolated facts from one piece of evidence. Conclusion may be

inaccurate and supported with irrelevant evidence.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

Review supplemental data for each student covered in the SLO

To craft a solid Targeted Skill Profile, you will need to review supplemental data. For example, you will

want to consider how much students have grown in the past. Is there trend data that could be reviewed

to determine the amount of growth students have made in the past? This might be as simple as looking

at the first and last assessments from the previous year to determine the amount of growth students

achieved. It is a best practice to look at more than one year’s worth of student growth to determine a

pattern. In addition, a student’s work performance during the first few weeks of school can serve as a

data source. What is the quality of the students’ classwork/homework/in-class assignments? What are

you seeing in terms of class participation? How have students performed on any beginning of year

assessments you may give during the first four-six weeks of school? More data points may help you

eliminate the possibility that you are seeing chance fluctuations that may not be seen again.

Another source of data to consider is background information about the specific students in your

class. This comes in several forms. First, what amount of growth have these students exhibited in the

past in similar or even dissimilar courses? Are these students, in general terms, quick learners and

high performers?

That should affect the targets that you set. Similarly, if your current students have a history of difficulty

in learning, that should factor into your decisions about targets for them.

Consider the example below:

José has two students, Thelma and Louise, who have similar records of achievement on an

earlier pre-assessment. Both were mapped to the typical level on the Initial Skill Profile. But

José noted that Louise had 40 days of unexcused absences last year while Thelma only missed

two days. And, upon further examination of the record, José found that Louise has failed several

courses and was retained two years ago due to failures. The goal for Thelma is to reach the

above typical level on the Targeted Skill Profile, but he decided that a challenging goal for

Louise would be to reach the typical level on the Targeted Skill Profile, considering the context

of her past performance.

Note that this teacher had two students with similar records on pre-assessment results but marked

differences in other measures of achievement (passing grades) and attendance. The teacher was able

to justify differentiating targets based on knowledge of factors related to the students’ histories and the

impacts on their education. Teachers should consider these factors but be prepared to explain choices

made when reviewing the SLO with the appraiser.

Hint: It is important to note that these three sections of Phase One work hand-in-hand. If the

supplemental data indicates that students are likely to be higher performers than might have

been indicated on the Initial Skill Profile, the Targeted Skill Profile might need to be adjusted to

reflect higher expectations. It may be best to think of these tasks as being completed

simultaneously rather than sequentially – with reflection and adjustment as each task is

addressed.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

Establish a target for each student covered in the SLO

Now you will combine the supplemental data gathered above and determine a target for each student.

It is important to remember that this is not a subtraction problem between the Initial and

Targeted Skill Profiles. It is perfectly acceptable for a student’s entering skill level to be described best

by the Typical level on the Initial Skill Profile at the beginning of the year and to have a goal of

achieving the Typical level on the Targeted Skill Profile at the end of the year because the descriptors

are different. Descriptors on the Targeted Skill Profile represent the skills your students will be able to

demonstrate at the end of the year, after a full year of instruction and therefore represent significantly

higher skill levels across the board compared to the Initial Skill Profile.

Fundamentally, you are focusing on the skill level descriptions and not the labels. If you think of

it that way, always ask yourself, “Does the targeted skill level I have identified for this student

describe significant growth for him or her compared to their beginning of the year skill level?” If

that answer is yes, then the target is reasonable. Focusing on the descriptors you created will

help with that determination.

The goal here is to identify targets for each student that are rigorous but attainable. Targets should

require reach and growth for every student. Targets do not have to be set the same for every student. If

a student is having a period of significant growth, he or she may have a higher growth expectations

than other students who were at the same level on the Initial Skill Profile. Consider that supplemental

data you gathered when making these decisions.

Once the targets are set, they need to be recorded on the column indicated in the Student Growth

Tracker, shown below.

Identify sources of data to be included in the body of evidence

Throughout the SLO interval, you will collect data to determine how students are progressing toward

their

targeted growth goals. You will need to identify what sources of evidence you will use. The

measures you identify should be aligned with the SLO Skill Statement.

Begin by asking yourself if there are any existing measures that could be used for this purpose? Are

there

tasks, projects or assessments that you typically give throughout the year that could work for

this purpose? Again, the key will be if these sources of evidence are aligned with SLO Skill

Statement. It could be that a particular assessment/assignment covers more content than is

included in your Skill Statement, but it should be possible to evaluate students’ performance on the

subset of skills or tasks identified in your skill profiles. (Please note that if the specific skill sets

related to the SLO cannot be scored separately from the overall assessment score, they will not

work as evidence for the SLO.)

There also need to be enough sources of evidence to be confident that you are truly measuring

stu

dent’s skill levels as they relate to the SLO Skill Statement. Best practice is to include at least five

samples of student work in the body of evidence.

In some cases, teachers may need to develop a specific assessments/task/projects/presentations,

etc

. in order to accurately measure students’ skill with respect to the SLO Skill Statement. If possible,

a best practice is to design these assessments collaboratively with other teachers.

To ensure that any assessment measures you create are aligned with the SLO Skill Statement,

consi

der using an assessment blueprint. A simple blueprint would list each aspect of the

task/assignment/test and the TEKS or focus area with which it is aligned. The level of cognitive

demand for an item could also be added. This would help you double- check that the assessment

measure you are using represents an appropriate level of challenge for this class or grade. Are all

items simply requiring recall, or do they ask students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize too?

Check with your appraiser to determine how any assessments created by teachers will be reviewed.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

Step 4: How will I guide these students toward growth?

The overall goal for this step is to describe how you will develop an instructional plan to address the

needs of your students and guide them towards growth. The focus will be on differentiation and plans

to monitor and adjust instruction.

Describe the plan for differentiation.

Effective teachers use many strategies to differentiate instruction. For the SLO, teachers are expected

to be

able to describe how they initially plan to differentiate for the highest- and lowest-performing

students in the class. For the higher-performing students, teachers might want to address more

challenging content. Are there enrichment opportunities you could incorporate into classwork? Are

there applications of the learning that might be more challenging for students?

Similarly, you want to address the lowest-performing students. How will you scaffold their learning? Do

you hav

e built-in one-on-one time or extra practice to assist these students? Do you devote additional

resources to helping the student who is more challenged with the content?

Finally, be prepared to describe how these two differentiated approaches will coalesce in the

classroom. How will you encourage both groups, as well as those in the middle, to continue to grow and

learn even though their starting points and the pace of learning may not be the same? For example, an

elementary school generalist may use a balanced literacy approach to teaching English Language Arts:

Every morning, we have read aloud, shared, and discussed readings, asking questions for

comprehension. But during guided reading time, students are supported at an appropriate level for their

reading through text selection and individual support.

Identify strategies to monitor progress towards targets.

Next you will discuss your plans to monitor progress. It is important to remember that SLO Skill

Stat

ements, ISPs, TSPs, and supporting documents are not created and then addressed only at the

end of the interval. The SLO process is a living plan, and should be monitored along the way using a

body of evidence of student work. Frequent assessment of progress and tracking of trajectory

toward the goal using a body of evidence is required. Less formal measures of assessment, such

as questioning in class, homework assignments, and observations of students’ work made over the

shoulder during regular class time should regularly be included in monitoring students’ progress toward

goals.

Consider how often you will collect this formative data. Depending on the grade level and subject areas,

monthly or bi-monthly progress check-ins may be a reasonable expectation. Consider what form those

formatives assessments will take in advance. For example, will there be specific tasks or assignments

that will help monitor progress, or will there be interim assessments that could be used for this

purpose? What assessment measures will you document in the body of evidence for each

student?

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 4: How will I guide these students toward growth?

Track the results of these assessments on the Student Growth Tracker. This will help with visualizing

progress and determining if there are any students or student groups that are falling behind, or if

there are some students who may need more rigorous work to remain engaged in the learning. This

will also help anchor conversations with your appraiser about how, when, and in response to what

practices students grew.

Just as important as collecting measures of student progress is the plan for reviewing that data and

deciding how to adjust instruction. It is a best practice that the data review process is conducted in

teacher teams so that colleagues can help think through potential issues. Someone else on your team

may have been implementing key instructional strategies that are new to you, and vice-versa. They

may be able to recommend modifications and refinements to your practice. The review process will be

effective only if it is scheduled regularly and the data are reviewed and discussed.

Plan for conferences with colleagues.

Teachers should meet at least monthly to talk about progress. Include these discussions in regularly

scheduled Professional Learning Community meetings or other standing meetings as much as

possible. For those who do not have existing structures or an obvious team, consider alternatives such

as meeting with teachers of other grades and subjects or with teachers on other campuses (whether

virtual or face-to-face). Those who are in unique teaching positions in a school may need to reach to

the district level for colleagues in similar roles. In very small school schools, the team may be the entire

teaching staff. The point is, discussions with colleagues can elicit clarity and new ideas.

Part of preparing for this portion of the SLO process will be identifying who can participate in these

collegial meetings and exactly when you will meet. Committing to these meetings on the SLO form

itself will serve as a reminder that this is a key portion of SLO development that needs to stay on

everyone’s schedule.

Review SLO plan with appraiser for approval.

SLO Skill Statements are teacher-written and administrator-approved. Since the SLO process is

conceptualized as being part of the overall appraisal system, the administrator who approves the SLO

Skill Statement should be the same person who completes the appraisal. Getting feedback on your

SLO Skill Statement from other teachers, team leaders, department chairs, content specialists, or

instructional coaches, however, will help to refine the SLO Skill Statement prior to submission to your

appraiser.

Plan your SLO Skill Statement development around the timelines specified by your school and district,

with the understanding that SLO Skill Statements may require revision. Plan backwards, allowing for

the possibility that your appraiser may ask for revisions, and give yourself enough time to make those

adjustments. In addition, find out how to submit your SLO Skill Statement for review. This could vary

from district to district, and could involve paper or electronic submissions strategies. (Best practice:

Shared folder in a school drive that appraisers and other teachers can access.)

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 4: How will I guide these students toward growth?

As you complete the SLO form, please notice that there is

a spell-checker built into the form. Review the form for any

errors before you submit it. When you are satisfied that the

SLO Skill Statement is ready for review, send the SLO

form, the Student Growth Tracker, and any other

supporting materials that you feel might clarify the SLO

Skill Statement to your appraiser. Supporting materials

could include any assessments, rubrics, or performance

tasks that you might ask students to complete as evidence

of growth. Appraisers may also want to see how students

were assigned to the Initial Skill Profile and may request

any measures that were used as well as samples of

student work.

Teachers and their appraisers will meet to discuss the SLO.

Think of yourself as the guide for your appraiser. Your task

will be to explain your thinking and the decisions that you

made in crafting the SLO Skill Statement. You should use this

time to request support that might be needed to succeed with

this Skill Statement. Consider whether there are any

professional development opportunities that might be

beneficial or if there are resources that would enhance the

learning experience for students.

It is permissible for appraisers to meet with a group of

teachers who share a common SLO Skill Statement rather

than individually. This will broaden the conversation and

may assist in reflection on any changes that may be

appropriate. If technology is readily available, it may be

appropriate to use this meeting to make immediate

adjustments to the SLO that may be required. At the end of

the conference, appraisers will document their approval on

the SLO form itself.

Approvals: Things to

remember

Appraisers can ask for

revisions. Allot sufficient

time for revisions and

re-submissions as you

plan for SLO Skill

Statement

development.

Once approved, the

bulk of the SLO is not to

be changed. Teachers

may change, and

should change,

instructional strategies if

progress monitoring

indicates that students

are struggling. The

ability to monitor and

adjust is reflective of

effective teaching

practice.

However, expectations

for student growth are

not to be changed. In

fact, there is much to be

learned from instances

where students do not

grow as expected.

Teachers should reflect

on those cases and

consider where

instructional practices

could be improved,

leading to better

outcomes for the next

SLO cycle. Using

outcomes as learning

experiences will help

improve both teaching

pedagogy and student

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 4: How will I guide these students toward growth?

LO Teacher Guide

Step 5: Are my students progressing toward targets?

Phase 2: Monitor Progress to Drive Instruction

During Phase 2 of the SLO process, teachers will be answering this

question: Are my students progressing toward their targets? This

phase is designed to last throughout the majority of a course and

aligns with best practices in teaching as captured throughout the

T- TESS observation rubric, principally within the three dimensions

of “

Standards and Alignment (1.1),” “Data and Assessment (1.2),

”

and

“Monitor and Adjust (2.5).” Teachers engage in a conti

nuous

ycle that includes planning, instruction, evidence collecti

on,

analysis, reflection, and then back to planning in order to further

tudent learning and promote student growth

Step 5: Are my students progressing toward targets?

Monitor Progress.

As the SLO Form was written, teachers identified a plan for monitoring instruction with progress

check

s and formative assessments. To ensure follow-through with those plans, teachers should note

proposed dates of formative assessments on their planning calendar.

Progress monitoring will be advantageous to both teachers and their students. Recall that body of

evidenc

e (BOE) collected does not have to take the form of formal assessments. Collect data

regularly, informally as well as formally. Record your estimation of student progress on the Student

Growth Tracker. Currently, the form has columns for five sources of data. You are not restricted to just

the five, however, and in some cases, five may be insufficient. To add more columns, right-click at the

top of the fifth check-in column to insert additional columns. You can add any number of columns that

you need to record your findings. If you add more columns, you may wish to click on “Page Layout” at

the top of the page and change the orientation to Landscape.

Record whatever will help you understand students’ progress and whether they are on track to reach

targeted growth goals. To aid in this process, print the Targeted Skill Profile. Using the Growth Tracker

and Targeted Skill Profile hand in hand will help clarify current status.

Best practice: Include students in the process. They should know where they begin, how they need to

perform on each piece of the BOE, know their target goal, and how they are progressing. They can

keep track of their progress on an Individual Student Growth Tracker.

LO Teacher Guide

Step 5: Are my students progressing toward targets?

Meet with colleagues to plan instruction.

Teachers should plan regular reflection and discussions with their colleagues regarding student

progress toward their SLO, preferably at least once a month. Progress discussions provide teachers a

chance to review progress toward goals with their colleagues and plan for future instruction. Ideally,

discussions include teachers who teach the same grade and/or subject, although this may include

teachers across grades and subjects, instructional coaches, and/or district content specialists.

These check-ins should be planned around existing team meetings, one-on-ones, and other

prescheduled meetings whenever possible. Teachers should schedule discussions when they feel they

would be most beneficial. It is suggested that there be several progress discussions prior to the

appraiser midpoint discussion and, when possible, before the appraiser end-of-year discussion.

Prior to progress discussions, teachers will assess student progress on the Targeted Skill Profile.

Teachers will examine any evidence of student work that indicates growth on the particular skills

identified in the Skill Statement. Similar to the beginning of the year, multiple sources of evidence

should be included to triangulate student progress. Before the check-ins, teachers should assess

individual student progress and record findings on the Student Growth Tracker. These data will

allow for more meaningful discussion grounded in the data.

In addition, teachers should consider the following self-reflection questions prior to the check-ins:

• What instructional strategies have been particularly successful in helping students progress

his sk

ill?

• W

hich particular students (or groups of students) have made the most progress? Which hav

ade the least? Why might this be the cas

• W

here could I use additional support or ideas from my colleagues

During progress discussions, teachers will spend time discussing their progress toward SLOs, sharing

successful instructional strategies, and helping each other plan for the future. Teachers may use the

optional Progress Discussion Notes form to keep track of discussions and meeting notes.

Colleagues should be prepared to engage in the dialogue and provide insights and feedback. The

following guiding questions may provide a frame for those discussions:

• What progress has been m

ade?

• H

ow do you know? (What are your sources of evidenc

e?)

• W

hat strategies have you been implementing that are working

• W

hat strategies are not working

• W

hat are your biggest obstacles/challenges

• W

hat changes (if any) will you make moving forward? How will you know if they have

been

ccessful

djust instruction to meet the needs of students.

The goal for the conversations with colleagues is to determine if the instructional plan is meeting the

needs of students. If that is not the case, the teacher should consider alternative approaches and

strategies. The teacher should ask him or herself:

1. I

f some, but not all, students are progressing, are there more tailored strategies that might wor

with those who are behind?

o those who are not growing require additional one-on-one time? Are there other strategi

hat may be beneficial for them

as one teacher in the team more successful than others? Did that teacher use any uniq

trategies that the others did not? Would it be possible to observe the strategy in action in t

classroom? Could this approach be adopted by the remaining team members?

s this an opportunity to explore professional development offerings? Are there trainings

ebinars, or readings that the team can share to refine practic

eep in mind that when teachers meet with their appraisers at the mid-point (preferably during a post-

conference for the sake of efficiency), they will be asked to describe how instruction has been adjusted.

Teachers may want to keep a few notes to remind themselves of their progress in finding the right

strategies to meet the needs of students.

Conference with the appraiser at the mid-point.

The required midpoint discussion provides teachers with the opportunity to review with their appraiser

the progress students have made and receive feedback and support prior to the end-of-the-year

discussion. These meetings should be designed to coincide with other planned one-on-one

conversations, post-observation conferences, or other informal discussions. When teacher teams have

similar or the same SLOs, appraisers may consider joining existing team meetings to discuss progress

with the full group, rather than holding individual discussions.

LO Teacher Guide

Step 5: Are my students progressing toward targets?

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 6: Did students grow and what did I learn from the process?

Teachers should prepare for this discussion in the same way they prepare for discussions with their

colleagues – by gathering evidence of student progress, assessing progress on the Targeted Skill

Profile, and recording progress on the Student Growth Tracker. Similar self-reflection questions may

be helpful in preparing for the discussion. It is the teacher’s responsibility to have evidence of progress

of students available for these conferences, including samples of student work.

This conference will be an ideal time for appraisers to facilitate teacher reflection and self-assessment,

share insights, and provide support for improved effectiveness. Where teachers are struggling to see

student progress, the appraiser may provide any number of follow-up supports to help the teacher (e.g.,

brainstorming additional instructional strategies, creating time/opportunities for teachers to shadow or

mentor one another, providing targeted coaching, finding applicable professional development

opportunities, etc.). Teachers may use the optional Progress Discussion Notes, to keep track of the

discussion and meeting notes.

Phase 3: Evaluate Success and Reflect

In Phase 3 (near the end of the course), the appraiser and teacher will

meet to discuss progress throughout the year, the quality of the SLO

process, expectations for student growth, monitoring and adjustments,

and overall student growth, using the Targeted Skill Profile, Student

Growth Tracker, and SLO Rating Rubric. This discussion should be

integrated with the end-of-year appraisal conference.

Step 6: Did students grow and what did I learn from the

process?

Collect evidence of student growth.

Teachers will collect evidence of student growth using those measures include in the body of

evidence. Teachers should include at least five pieces of evidence in the body of evidence for

each student. This will allow the teacher to triangulate learning and offer students more

opportunities to demonstrate their skills.

It is also important to consider the timing of these measures. Your school or district may have provided

guidel

ines for appropriate timing to avoid state or district assessment and other events with the school.

Also, recall that SLOs are closed out, with body of evidence (BOE) collected and final data reported, in

time to hold an end-of-year conference that falls within the timeline for completion of teacher appraisal.

For many of the T-TESS districts, this will mean that the evidence for SLOs will need to be collected no

later than mid-April for most teachers.

Give consideration to strategies for scoring evidence. If you will use a shared a common assessment

wit

h your team as one source of data in your body of evidence, you should work together to ensure that

the entire team is scoring work similarly. In the case of rubrics, consider calibrating. Select a

representative piece of student work and have each team member assess it with the rubric. If

inconsistencies exist, talk through the student work and the rubric together to determine if there are

differences in opinion about the meaning of terms. Continue to work through samples until you find that

there is considerable agreement in ratings.

Sharing expectations of student work with your colleagues will help clarify whether what you see as

good is what others see as good. Think of the learning that would occur if it becomes clear that our

perceptions do not match. Are someone’s expectations too high or too low? Does that mean that there

are different expectations across the school? This is a perfect time to align these expectations.

Record student outcomes on the Growth Tracker.

Now that student work/evidence have been collected, the data gathered should be used to map

students to the appropriate level of the Targeted Skill Profile. Just as with the Initial Skill Profile, this is

not an exact science. You are looking at the preponderance of data from the body of evidence of work

for each student. Taken together, what can you conclude about student growth? Map each student to

the Targeted Skill Profile level that most accurately describes the skill level represented by his or her

body of evidence.

Next go to the Student Growth Tracker and column M, with the heading, “EOY Student Skill Level”.

Use the drop-down menu to select a level for each student. Compare the actual EOY level with the

target you specified for the student in Targeted Student Skill Profile Goal (column F). If the level at the

EOY is equal to their Targeted Skill Level, use the drop-down menu in column N to select “Met

expected growth”. If the skill level at EOY is higher than the goal specified, use the drop-down menu

in column N to select “Exceeded Expected Growth”. Finally, if the EOY skill level is lower than the

targeted growth goal in Column F, use the drop down menu in column N to select “Did not meet

expected growth.”

Best Practice: Have students record and reflect on their EOY skill level and how it compares to their

targeted growth goal on their Individual Student Growth Tracker.

Review student growth and consider areas to refine practice

Now that the data has been collected and students assigned to levels on the Targeted Skill Profile,

teachers will pause to reflect on the process, how much students grew, and what they learned about

their own practice. Teachers may elect to use the Teacher Reflection Guide to guide this process.

Teachers will reflect on student growth and progress, considering the following questions:

• Who grew the most? Why do you think they were so successful

• W

ho grew the least? Can you identify where their problems in learning occurr

ed?

• W

ere there any common characteristics among those who did not achieve the expect

rowt

LO Teacher Guide

Step 6: Did students grow and what did I learn from the process?

Similarly, teachers will reflect on their own pedagogy, considering questions

such as:

• How did you adjust instruction during the year? Did the changes you

ade help improve student learning

• W

hat did you learn about your own pedagogy (assumptions

equencing, grouping, etc.)

• Were students engaged in the learning?

• Were the assignments, class work, and evidence (BOE) appropriate

or this cours

• W

hat would you do differently next time? Would you change the focus

he instructional strategies or the goals set for students? Why or w

not?

onsidering these questions may highlight areas of professional growth for the

teacher in the coming year. Perhaps the strategies used are highly effective

with certain groups of students but do not help others. Teachers may discover

that students grew much more than anticipated and will want to challenge

students more in the future.

The lessons learned from this SLO should inform SLOs in subsequent years as

well as practice across all classes taught. When teachers pinpoint particular

areas for pedagogical development, those refinement goals can be considered

in mapping out the teacher’s goal-setting and professional development plan for

the upcoming year.

Meet with appraiser to discuss student growth and teacher insight.

Teachers and appraisers will meet to review the SLO outcome and

overall SLO process near the end of the year. The timing of this

conference will coincide with the completion of appraisal meetings and

should be held at the same time whenever possible.

Prior to the meeting, teachers should gather the following documentation

and submit it to the appraiser:

• The completed Student Growth Tracker.

• C

opies of the student work from the BOE (Body of Evidenc

ed to determine end of year student skill level

• E

vidence of progress meetings with colleagues and/

adj

ustments to instructio

he appraiser will review these materials and may ask the teacher to

submit additional samples of certain students’ work to review prior to the

conference.

A word about not

meeting targets…

In the case that there

are some students who

miss their target, take

this time to investigate

why it might have

occurred. You will ask

yourself, “Why didn’t

they meet the target?

Was there something

about my practice that

could be improved?

Was the target

appropriate? During

progress monitoring,

was there an

intervention that may

have helped these

students? Or, do the

exercises we do in class

simply not prepare them

for ultimate

expectations? Use this

time to explore possible

reasons and resolve to

adjust in the future.

The SLO rating rubric

also evaluates the

quality of your SLO,

how high your

expectations for student

growth were, and how

well you monitored and

adjusted instruction.

These are all things that

you can address directly

this year as well as in

preparation for the next.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 6: Did students grow and what did I learn from the process?

During the conference, the teacher will guide the appraiser through decisions made about students’

end of year skill levels and explain how the evidence gathered weighed into those decisions. During

the conference, the appraiser will ask teachers to share their reflections on what was revealed through

the SLO process (see reflection questions above).

After the conference concludes, the appraiser will use the SLO rating rubric along with the body of

evidenc

e of student growth, instructional adjustments made, conversations and discussions throughout

the year, and information the teacher shared during the end-of-year conference to determine final

rating. Ratings will be determined by the appraiser based on the quality of the SLO process, teachers’

expectations for student growth, progress monitoring and adjustment to instructional strategies, and

student growth. Appraisers will record their ratings on the SLO Rating Rubric.

It is important to note that this time of reflection will provide invaluable guidance for subsequent years.

• Teachers and their appraisers should consider what worked well and what did not work well i

thei

r SLO process. This information will provide suggestions for SLO improvement

• In addition, a careful reflection on student growth and performance may uncover instructional

trategies that were not effective for some subset of a class. This reflection could hav

implications for needed interventions for students as well as professional development for

eachers

•

As SLO results are reviewed, teachers and their appraisers can also reflect on how the SLO

ocess may have revealed teachers’ strengths and areas for refinement. Again, this m

uggest professional development opportunities that would be of particular benefit to a group o

eachers

Final Thoughts: Student Learning Objectives

The SLO model described above provides teachers with a framework to set a vision of student

success, plan for standards-aligned instruction, monitor progress using the BOE (student work)

as evidence, and adjust instruction accordingly to ensure that it facilitates student progress toward

growth goals.

The process is designed to mirror best practices that already exist across the state and to

form

alize this in a way they can be used to measure student learning and provide feedback on

teachers’ instructional choices as part of T-TESS or other evidence-based appraisal systems. It is

the hope of the Texas Education Agency that districts and schools choosing to use this model will

adapt it to fit within existing structures and best practices for measuring student learning within

individual districts.

SLO Teacher Guide

Step 6: Did students grow and what did I learn from the process?

Teacher Name Date

School

Appraiser Name

Grade

Subject Area

Identify the focus area of the SLO.

What is the SLO skill focus statement for this content area or subject?

What led to the decision to focus on this content area and the SLO skill focus?

What TEKS for the content area or subject correspond to these most important skills? You may provide an enumerated

lis

t of TEKS, but be prepared to share the verbiage of the TEKS with your appraiser

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix A: Student Learning Objectives Form

Student Learning Objectives Form

Step 1: What is the focus for my SLO?

Who will be included in your SLO?

When choosing your class or classes, gather informal data about your students to determine which class or classes is/are most

representative of the cross-section of students that you teach.

• Elementary classroom teachers: select your entire class.

• Elementary departmentalized teachers or secondary teachers: identify the targeted class or classes (class, grade and subject).

What multiple sources of evidence/student work (both current and historical) did you

use to map students to the Initial Student Skill Profile?

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix A: Student Learning Objectives Form

Step 2: What do I think my students will be able to do?

Use your knowledge of prior students' performance and end-of-year expectations for students in previous, vertically aligned

courses to describe typical students in the class. A best practice is to start by describing a typical entering skill level, then, the

highest entering skill level (“well above typical skill”), and the lowest entering skill level (“well below typical skill”) and finally,

complete the in-between levels (“above typical skill” and “below typical skill”).

Initial Student Skill Profile

SLO Skill

Foc

Level

Descriptors

Number of

Stu

dents

in this level

Well above

typical

skill

Above

typical

skill

Typical

skill

Below

typical

skill

Well below

typical

skill

Match your current students to the descriptions in the Initial Student Skill profile.

List the total number of students at each level in the right hand column above, and

ii.

Record the level for each individual student on the Student Growth Tracker.

iii.

Check here when both tasks are complete:

Step 3: What are my expectations for these students?

Use information about how students mapped to the Initial Student Skill Profile to describe the expected skill sets across all

five levels, that student will be expected to demonstrate at the end of the year. In other words, what are the specific skills

that will describe what high, average, and low performers will be able to do at the end of the course? Complete the

Targeted Student Skill Profile below

The profile should describe your expectations for what this particular group of students' performance will look like at the

end of the

interval. For example, the description at the middle level describes what you expect to be a typical skill level at

the end of the interval.

Targeted Student Skill Profile

SLO Skill

Focus

Level

Expectations

Well above

typical

skill

Above

typical

skill

Typical

skill

Below

typical

skill

Well below

typical

skill

Use available data on your current students (e.g., attendance, grades in relevant courses, current student work, prior

testing data, etc.) along with each student's description on the Initial Student Skill Profile to establish a target for each

individual student covered in the SLO. Record these targets on the Student Growth Tracker.

What evidence did you use to establish a targeted skill level for each student? Include multiple data sources.

What will you include in the body of evidence (BOE) that will establish students' skill levels at the end of the interval?

Describe the measures to be used and how they are aligned with the skills identified in the SLO.

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix A: Student Learning Objectives Form

Optional Notes

Comments

Teacher Signature

Date

Appraiser Signature

Date

Revision Comments (if required)

☐

Teacher Signature

Date

Appraiser Signature

Date

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix A: Student Learning Objectives Form

Step 4: How will I guide these students toward growth? (for use in discussion)

Be prepared to discuss answers to the following questions with your appraiser.

How will you differentiate instruction for those students who are in the highest performing group as well as those who

are

in the lowest performing group? How will you guide all students toward reaching their targeted growth goals

What strategies will you use to monitor progress? How will you document your body of evidence for each student.

Describe your plan for conferencing with your colleagues about student progress. Who will be members of your team

and how often will you meet?

Who will be members of your team and how often will you meet? How will you share

notes, best practices, feedback, etc.?

Student Learning Objectives Review & Approval

By signing below you acknowledge that you have discussed and agreed upon the Student Learning Objectives Plan, above.

Decision

Approved

Revise and Resubmit

Decision

Final Approval

Student Growth Tracker

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix B: Student Growth Tracker

SLO Teacher Rating Rubric

(For rating of the student growth component of T-TESS, either as a 5

domain or a 17

dimension)

The list below provides guidance for locating evidence to support evaluation of teachers’ effectiveness on the criteria included in the rubric.

Rubric Criteria Supporting evidence location

Quality of the Skill Statement Skill Statement Success Criteria

Expectations for students Targeted Skill Profile Success Criteria, and steps 3 and 4 on the SLO Form

Students meeting targeted growth Completed Student Growth Tracker at the end of the SLO interval

Student Growth

Rating

Descriptors

Distinguished

The following have been accomplished:

• Teacher has crafted a high-quality Skill Statement

• Teacher has set beginning of year skill profiles using multiple sources of dat

• T

eacher has set student growth goals that reflect high expectations for student

• T

eacher has consistently monitored student progress, collected data, and used evidence of student work to mak

ucc

essful adjustments to instructional strategies, as

needed

• T

eacher has compiled a valid and reliable body of evidence that accurately documents students’ end of year growt

• All students met targeted growth goals and most students exceeded targeted growth goal*

Accomplished

The following have been accomplished:

• Teacher has crafted a quality Skill Statem

ent

• T

eacher has set beginning of year skill profiles using multiple sources of dat

• T

eacher has set student growth goals that reflect high expectations for student

• T

eacher has consistently monitored student progress, collected data, and used evidence of student work to mak

adjust

ments to instructional strategies, as

needed

• T

eacher has compiled a valid and reliable body of evidence that accurately documents students’ end of year growt

• All students met targeted growth goals and some students exceeded targeted growth goals*

Proficient

The following have been accomplished:

• Teacher has crafted a quality Skill Statem

ent

• T

eacher has set beginning of year skill profiles using multiple sources of dat

• T

eacher has set student growth goals that reflect high expectations for student

• T

eacher has consistently monitored student progress, collected data, and used evidence of student work to make some

adjust

ments to instructional strategies, as

needed

• T

eacher has compiled a valid and reliable body of evidence that accurately documents students’ end of year growt

• Most students met targeted growth goals and some students exceeded targeted growth goals*

Developing

The following have been accomplished:

• Teacher has crafted an adequate Skill Statement

• Teacher has set beginning of year skill profiles using minimal sources of dat

• T

eacher has set student growth goals that reflect adequate expectations for student

• T

eacher has attempted to monitor student progress, collect data, and make some adjustments to strategies, alt

hough

wit

h limited succes

• T

eacher has complied a limited body of evidence or a body of evidence that unreliably documents students’ end of y

ear

wth

• Some students met targeted growth goal

Improvement

Needed

The following have been accomplished:

• Teacher has crafted an adequate Skill Statement

• Teacher has set beginning of year preparedness levels using minimal sources of dat

• T

eacher has set student growth goals that reflect adequate expectations for some student

• T

eacher has attempted to monitor student progress, collect data, reflect on his or

her

pedagogy,

and make some adjustments to strategies, although with limited succes

• T

eacher has complied a limited body of evidence that unreliably documents students’ end of year growt

• Few students met targeted growth goal

*Required

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix C: SLO Rating Rubric

Appraiser Comments:

TIA Tip

For districts using SLOs as their student growth measure for TIA, consider using

the chart below to align your SLO ratings to the TIA Statewide Performance

Sta

ndards for Student Growth .

% of Students who

exceeded targeted

growth (From SLO

Growth Tracker)

% of students who met

targeted growth (From

SLO Growth Tracker)

SLO Teacher Rating

Rubric Level

Alignment to TIA

Statewide Performance

Standards for Student

Growth

Appraiser Signature: ___________________________________ Date: _________________

Teacher Signature: ____________________________________ Date: _________________

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix C: SLO Rating Rubric

Student Learning Objectives

Success Criteria

This tool is designed to be used by appraisers as they review SLOs for approval. Ideally, SLOs will

demonstrate effectiveness with each of the success criteria. Appraisers can use this tool to coach

teachers for improvement of the SLO. In addition, teachers are encouraged to use this tool as a guide

to improve the quality of their SLOs as they are crafting them.

SLO Skill Statement

1) Represents a foundational skill that is specific to the content area

Persists throughout the course

Measurable through a demonstration of student skill

Focus on it

will improve the teacher’s practice (teacher depe

ndent)

The skil

ls captured are clearly defined and appropriately focused (teacher

dependent)

Initial Skill Profile

1) Articulates

skills for the beginning of

the year

Differentiate

s between l

evels

Descriptors

align to skill statement (potentially through subskil

ls)

Can be assessed in multiple ways

Specific to the teacher’s experience and expectations (teacher dependent)

Targeted Skill Profile

1) Articulates skills for the end of the year

Differentiate

s between l

evels

Descriptors

align to skill

statement

Can be assessed in multiple ways

Targets are

specific to the students in the teacher’s class (teacher depen

dent)

Reflects high, yet reasonable, expectations for student growth (teacher dependent)

Plan, Monitor, Collaborate

Plan

1) Considers highest and lowest performing students in planning

Challenges all

student

s regularly

Monitor

1) Assesses student progress on SLO at least twice per semester

Assessment

s are aligned to SLO in content and

rigor

Adjusts ped

agogy and lesson plans based on assessment r

esults

Collaborate

In alignment with district

and campus expectations for collaboration

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix D: SLO Success Criteria

Progress Discussion Notes (Optional)

Meeting Name

Discussion #

Date

Colleagues/Team Members

• Who is on my support team?

Reflection Notes

• What instructional strategies have been particularly successful in helping students

progress on this skill?

•

Which particular students (or groups of students) have made the most progress? Whic

have made the least? Why might this be the case?

•

Where could I use additional support or ideas from my colleagues

Discussion Notes

Focus Area

• What additional strategies or adjustments do you think you will use to drive student

growth?

•

How will you know if these new strategies are workin

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix E: Progress Discussion Notes

End-of-Year Reflection

Teacher Name

Date

School

Appraiser Name

Self-Reflection Notes on Student Progress

• Who grew the most? Why do you think they were so successful?

•

Who grew the least? Can you identify where their problems in learning occurr

ed?

• Were there any common characteristics among those who did not achieve the

pected growt

Self-Reflection Notes on Instruction

• How did you adjust instruction during the year? Did the changes you made help

improve student learning?

•

What did you learn about your own pedagogy (assumptions, sequencing, groupi

ng,

tc.)

•

Were students engaged in the learni

ng?

•

Were the assignments, class work, and measures appropriate for this cours

•

What would you do differently next time? Would you change the focus, t

nstructional strategies or the goals set for students? Why or why not

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix F: End-of-Year Reflection

Definitions for the SLO Process

Appraiser

“Appraiser” refers to the principal or designated individuals certified to appraise teachers using the T-TESS

evaluation system.

Body of Evidence

A collection of student work products (assessments, projects, tasks, performances, etc.) designed to

measure student skill level throughout the year with respect to their progress toward meeting expected

growth goals as they relate to the SLO Skill Statement.

Colleagues or Teams

To maximize the effectiveness of this handbook, it is recommended that teachers meet with their colleagues

throughout the year to share their learning and experiences. Throughout this handbook, we refer to “colleagues”

and “teams.” These are general terms to signify any and all individuals or groups who can collaborate

throughout a semester or year to support each other with instruction. These teams should collaborate through

channels and networks that likely already exist within schools. In some schools, teams will be grade-level or

content-area groups. In other cases, the team may be the whole school working together on SLOs.

Course

Throughout the handbook, a “course” refers to a specific grade/subject combination. For example, 4th grade

Science, 8th grade Math or High School Physics.

Initial Student Skill Profile

Teachers develop the Initial Student Skill Profile to describe student performance levels on the first day of a

course. The Initial Student Skill Profile is based on typical student performance as seen in the past. The goal of

this profile is to learn the distribution of student skill levels present early in a course. This will provide the

baseline from which the Targeted Student Skill Profile and student growth targets will be set.

SLO Scoring Rubric (developed by TEA to describe teacher performance and measure student growth)

Appraisers will meet with teachers at the end of the year to discuss how they monitored student progress,

adjustments made during instruction, SLO quality, and student growth, reflecting on the overall SLO process.

Based on the conversation, review of evidence, and his or her professional judgment, the appraiser determines

a rubric score based on all of these factors, using the SLO Scoring Rubric selected by the district.

SLO Skill Statement

A clear, focused and measurable statement describing what students will know and be able to do with respect

to a foundational skill of the course. This is the basis of the Initial and Targeted Skill Profiles.

Success Criteria

This tool is designed to be used by both appraisers and teachers. Appraisers can use the tool as they review

SLOs for approval and to coach teachers in improvement. Teachers are encouraged to use this tool as a guide

to improve the quality of their SLOs as they are crafting them. Ideally, SLOs will demonstrate effectiveness with

each of the success criteria.

Targeted Student Skill Profiles (developed by teachers to describe student performance)

Teachers will develop the Targeted Student Skill Profile to answer the question of what students should be able

to do at various levels leading up to and exceeding mastery of the particular skill(s). The teacher describes the

skills that would be exhibited by students who meet each level of performance from “no familiarity” to “exceeds

expectations”. Where possible, it is recommended that these profiles be developed by teacher teams. They will

be based on the initial levels of student learning and TEKS or other curriculum expectations.

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix G: Definitions for the SLO Process

Student Growth Tracker

The Student Growth Tracker is an Excel format spreadsheet that teachers will use to document students starting

and end-of-year levels on the SLO Skill Profile. In addition, any progress check-in scores can be entered into the

form to help monitor progress trajectory.

Teacher

Teacher roles may look different across districts. For the purposes of T-TESS, “teacher” means anyone who is

appraised on the T-TESS evaluation system.

SLO Teacher Guide

Appendix G: Definitions for the SLO Process