17
C11. When we post our approved APPR plan on our website, can we post copyrighted documents
that are included in our APPR plan?
You must obtain any necessary permission for copyrighted or proprietary APPR-related documents prior to posting
on your website. If you do not have the necessary permissions to post a document, do not upload that document
with your APPR plan.
C12. How will we be notified about NYSED’s decision on our material change?
LEAs will be notified by email of the Commissioner’s decision on any submitted material change. Email notices will
be sent from educatoreval@nysed.gov. If the material change is not approved, the email will describe any
deficiencies and provide guidance for resolving the deficiencies and resubmitting the plan.
D. Student Performance Category
D1. What is the Student Performance category? How is it determined?
Consistent with research and best practices, the Department believes that well-designed and implemented
evaluations are an important tool to help support educator growth and development. With this goal in mind, the
measures that are used as part of an annual evaluation should provide useful information to district administrators
and the educators who are being evaluated that helps support educators and leverage their expertise.
Under Education Law §3012-d, all teachers and principals are required to receive an evaluation based on two
categories: 1) the Student Performance category and 2) the Teacher Observation/Principal School Visit category.
Within the Student Performance category, there are two subcomponents – one required and one optional.
Required subcomponent
The required subcomponent of the Student Performance category for all teachers is a Student Learning Objective
(SLO). SLOs are developed locally, consistent with a goal-setting process that is developed by the Commissioner.
Principals will have either an SLO or an input model for the required Student Performance category. As required by
the Education Law, the selection and use of the assessment as the underlying evidence for the SLO is subject to
collective bargaining and must be based on the following options:
• State created or administered assessments,
• State-approved LEA, regional, or BOCES-developed assessments; or
• State-approved third-party assessments.
The Department believes that the development of SLOs should encourage educators to focus and align instruction
with district, BOCES, and school priorities, goals, and academic improvement plans. Setting long‐term goals allows
educators to plan backwards from a vision of student success, and research indicates that setting rigorous and
ambitious learning goals, combined with the purposeful use of data through both formal and informal assessments,
leads to improved outcomes for students.
The SLO process developed by the Department is aligned with best practices in instructional goal setting and is
intended to have significant instructional benefit by encouraging educators to be systematic and strategic in their
instructional decisions. Done thoughtfully, the SLO process will lead to an increase in the quality of discussions
happening in LEAs, schools, and classrooms that focus on student growth and learning, clearer indications of when
and how to adjust instruction to meet students’ needs, and more targeted professional development efforts.
In an input model, effectiveness is measured by the actions educators take to improve student performance and to
achieve set goals. In the case of the principal input model for the Required Student Performance category, principals
are evaluated based on evidence of principal practice related to the Leadership Standards that impacts student