Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System
| Date: | May 15 2020 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System |
| Category: | Notice |
| Next Steps: | Share with district leadership |
The Texas Education Agency, based on feedback from district administrators and regional Education Service Center (ESC) staff, is making a few revisions and improvements to the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS).
Changes
The primary changes to T-PESS are revisions to the T-PESS rubric. Stakeholder feedback indicated that the rubric could be improved primarily in three ways:
- Descriptor language could provide more clarity or specificity in the practices described;
- A preponderance of evidence approach to rating would be more effective than the current additive/cumulative approach to rating; and
- A clearer alignment to the Effective Schools Framework would help connect T-PESS to campus-based best practices.
Timeline
The updated T-PESS rubric will be available for LEAs to use in the 2020-2021 school year.
During the 2020-2021 school year, both the current T-PESS rubric and the updated T-PESS rubric will be considered valid appraisal instruments that meet the requirements of the Commissioner’s recommended principal appraisal system in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC) §21.3541.
Starting with the 2021-2022 school year, only the updated T-PESS rubric will meet the requirements of the commissioner’s recommended principal appraisal system in accordance with TEC §21.3541. In addition, a T-PESS assistant principal rubric that is aligned to the updated principal rubric will be available for LEAs that choose to use this option.
|
Resources Resource |
Date Available |
Where Available |
Duration |
|
T-PESS Principal’s Handbook |
Starting June 8th |
T-PESS website (tpess.org) |
N/A |
|
Update training for principal appraisers on new rubric (virtual and face-to-face, when permissible) |
Starting June 23rd |
Local ESC or T-PESS website (tpess.org) |
½ day |
| Updated principal orientation materials for principal appraisers to deliver to principals | Starting June 23rd | T-PESS website (tpess.org) | ½ day |
| T-PESS Principal’s Handbook | Starting June 8th | T-PESS website (tpess.org) | N/A |
Actions
LEAs that intend to use T-PESS during the 2020-2021 school year should determine which rubric they will use – the current or updated rubric.
LEAs that choose to use the updated rubric during the 2020-2021 school year will need to ensure that principal appraisers, principals, and any other applicable personnel in the district receive the appropriate training and orientation on the updated T-PESS rubric (please see the Resources section of this letter).
Starting with the 2021-2022 school year, LEAs will need to use the updated T-PESS rubric to meet requirements of the commissioner’s recommended principal appraisal system in accordance with TEC §21.3541. LEAs that remain with the current T-PESS rubric will be considered to be using a locally developed principal appraisal system and thus must meet the requirements of TEC §11.251 in adopting their locally developed principal appraisal system.
Contact
Please contact your local ESC for dates and information regarding training on the updated T-PESS rubric.
For other inquiries about T-PESS, including the revisions to the T-PESS rubric, please contact support@tpess.org.