EES FAQs: How to develop a Student Success Plan

A major change to the Educator Effectiveness System (EES) announced earlier this year was a focus on student-centered growth. With Student Success Plans (SSPs), teachers and administrators are given the flexibility to determine appropriate assessments and measures of student growth.

So when and how should you implement them in your student evaluations? How do SSPs differ from SLOs? Our EES Joint Committee, made up of HIDOE staff and HSTA members, has compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you better assess your students’ growth.

The FAQs have been reprinted below and can be downloaded as a pdf here.

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Educator Effectiveness System
Student Success Plan FAQs
(DOE and HSTA Joint Response)

1. What happened to Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)?
   SLOs have evolved into Student Success Plans (SSPs), which are similar to SLOs in some respects. However, the expected targets and predictive nature of SLOs have been replaced with a plan whereby the teacher will gather baseline data/assessment(s), set standards focusing on student growth, identify instructional strategies, identify and use assessments to measure growth with desired learning outcomes for the quarter, semester, or year as applicable.
2. If the SSP replaces the SLO, is it completely teacher-selected?
   The SSP should be developed and reviewed collaboratively and approved by the evaluator. The use of the data team or existing teams can be utilized to help develop the SSP.
3. How much student growth is growth?
   Student growth is not necessarily tied to students achieving “at or above” grade level. Demonstrating that students have increased their knowledge base and/or skill set is to demonstrate student growth. Previous rubrics for SLOs showed a determined percentage to achieve a rating. Moving forward, the SSPs collaborative beginning conference is important in setting expectations, determining the assessments that measure growth, and what is acceptable growth to be proficient. Some grade levels, data teams, or PLCs may elect to use similar SSPs, but each teacher’s SSP should be tailored to address their targeted student population.
4. How do you differentiate the levels of student growth and how does this translate into an evaluation rating?
   There are three (3) differentiated SSP rubrics that specify the percentage of students that need to show growth to determine the SSP rating. (EES Manual, page 35) Teachers and evaluators should engage in meaningful discussion of what growth would look like and how it will be measured prior to the final approval and implementation of the SSP.
5. If a teacher wants to set expected targets (as was done with SLOs) to determine student growth, is that allowable?
   SSPs are moving away from expected targets. There needs to be a discussion on agreed to assessments and how growth will be measured using those assessments. Teachers and evaluators should engage in meaningful discussion of  SSP FAQ 11-15-2019 the standard(s) or desired learning, what student growth would look like, and how it will be measured prior to the final approval and implementation of the SSP.
6. Can teacher-developed assessments be used for the SSP?
   Yes. Appropriate assessments should be discussed between teachers and evaluators during the SSP beginning meeting. SSPs need to be approved by the evaluator prior to implementation. If an SSP is not approved, the evaluator should provide specific reasons as well as suggestions for improvement so that the SSP can be approved and implemented.
7. If I’m teaching a Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) tested grade/subject, can I still use my own teacher-developed assessment?
   Yes.
8. Who will decide or have final say on what assessments are to be used?
   This determination needs to be made on the basis of collaborative discussion between teachers and evaluators. SSPs need to be approved prior to implementation. If an SSP is not approved, the evaluator should provide specific reasons as well as suggestions for improvement so that the SSP can be approved and implemented.
9. How do you show student growth?
   Assessments to determine a baseline analysis for students should be completed at the beginning of the selected learning interval (i.e. year, semester, or quarter as applicable). Formative assessments would then be used during the learning interval to monitor growth, and summative assessment(s) at the end of the learning interval would be used to demonstrate whether or not there has been student growth.
10. What group of students does the SSP need to measure? Should it be a whole-class or sub-section for demonstrating student growth?
    It may be either, however, this determination needs to be made on the basis of collaborative discussion between teachers and evaluators. For example, in large classes, representation of student levels of achievement may be determined and used to demonstrate student growth. However, SSPs need to be approved prior to implementation. If an SSP is not approved, the evaluator should provide specific reasons as well as suggested recommendations for improvement.
11. Could I still do a quarter or semester SSP?
    Yes. There is flexibility in this regard. The appropriate interval for measuring student growth should be discussed collaboratively between teacher and evaluator. Generally, SSPs that last only a quarter were created for secondary teachers who teach classes that only last one quarter (e.g., exploratory classes). Unanticipated circumstances or events that may affect student growth throughout the year should be discussed at a mid-term conference with the evaluator and adjustments may need to be made to the SSP on that basis, including changing the duration of the SSP.
12. If I’m a new teacher, when should I do my SSP?
    This determination needs to be made on the basis of collaborative discussion between teachers and evaluators, with consideration for teachers start date and duration and type of course. SSPs need to be approved prior to implementation. If an SSP is not approved, the evaluator should provide specific reasons as well as suggestions for improvement so that the SSP can be approved and implemented. There may be circumstances under which the evaluator recommends that the SSP be completed during the second semester to allow a new teacher additional time to prepare.
13. What assessments could be used to measure student growth?
    Formative assessments, teacher prepared assessments, and universal screeners are examples of assessments that can be used to measure student growth. These examples are not an exhaustive list of measures and the determination of what assessments to use should be made based on a collaborative discussion between teacher and evaluator.
14. What happened to the Special Education rating rubric for SLO (now SSP)?
    There is no longer a specific rubric for Special Education classes. The differentiated SSP rubrics (EES Manual, page 35) should be used. Teachers and evaluators should engage in meaningful discussion of what growth would look like and how it will be measured prior to the final approval and implementation of the SSP.
15. What about addressing the gap closure and the student growth model?
    The objective of all teachers is to reduce the achievement challenge of all students. Learning goals may be justified when the teacher can show the relationship to data.
16. What if a few students are absent a lot or for the rest of the year? Will that affect the number of students for calculating student growth?
    Unanticipated circumstances or events that may affect student growth should be discussed at a mid-term conference with the evaluator, and agreed upon adjustments may need to be made to the SSP.
17. In tracking student growth and student group selection, what happens at schools with high rates of student transiency? (military, etc.)
    Unanticipated circumstances or events that may affect student growth should be discussed at a mid-term conference with the evaluator, and adjustments may need to be made to the SSP on that basis. Issues impacting the ability to show growth over time should be discussed for what is appropriate for the circumstances (e.g., pre- and post-tests customized to units of study).