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The remaining 60 points will be determined through “local assessments,” which will take forms that must be negotiated by school districts and their local unions. The law leaves open what those assessments could look like. Newly-developed tests or portfolio demonstrations of student work are two ideas that state officials have mentioned as possibilities.

One aspect of the local assessments is clear: they all must meet new regulations that are currently being developed by a state task force led by Deputy Education Commissioner John King.

The group ended up recommending that the 60 points be spread across five different evaluation measures, giving the most weight to observations by school administrators and other teachers in the school. A sixth measure — student portfolio work — was considered but abandoned, because the increase in paperwork for teachers seemed too high for the value the portfolios would provide for the evaluations, Anderson said.

Teachers, when looking over your lesson plans, ask, “Can this lesson be executed without kids?”  I know this sounds laughable, but there are such lessons.  Take, for example, the following lesson: Teacher plans the lesson Teacher dictates expectations Teacher lectures Teacher tells students what to write down Teacher gives kids worksheets to do at home (maybe parents do them..?) Teacher grades all worksheets

Title 1 funding that traditionally would have paid for an additional literacy specialist was allocated for the data strategist position.

The possibilities are endless when an individual's interests and skills are considered within the context of a school's needs. Such roles might also include community liaisons responsible for connecting families with various social services while plugging students into local job, volunteering, or community service opportunities. A keen interest in 21st-century skills might develop into a role that guides students to collaborate with others, synthesize information, and create something unique and useful for their peers.

The most prevalent barrier to hybrid teaching roles is the district-mandated staffing plan that leaves buildings with little opportunity to determine how personnel are allocated.

$500 from the school’s operating budget, the iPad is cheaper than a typical laptop, more portable, and, with its touch screen technology, easy to use.

Of course, with greater freedom comes greater responsibility. That’s why Trinity has developed a detailed policy, signed by student and parent, which explains how the iPad can be used. For example, the use of social networking sites is prohibited. Students may only access the Internet through a specific application that filters out inappropriate material. And the iPad must never be left unattended.

“Technology offers flexibility in scheduling and the ability to work anytime,”