The purpose of this policy is to implement guidelines that will ensure appropriate and responsible use of Teachers on Special Assignment.
Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA) or Teacher Specialist is the term used to describe a licensed teacher who has been assigned to perform duties other than classroom instruction. The assignment may include, but not be limited to, working on special programs and/or curriculum development; However, TSA and Teacher Specialist assignments are not typically intended to provide or replace administrative judgment, direction, or oversight. Because a TSA opportunity provides exposure to unique program responsibility and development potentially enhancing an educator's career, it is important that eligibility, qualifications, competition requirements, and limitations are clearly defined. Further, as a teacher authorization is a valuable and scarce resource, TSA assignments must focus on the effective instruction of students and must be cautiously, wisely, and prudently used.
3.1. QUALIFICATIONS:3.1.1. To be eligible for consideration and placement into a TSA or specialist position the educator must:
- meet applicable state and federal endorsements and/or requirements for the special assignment.
- hold a current level 2 or 3 license issued by the Utah State Office of Education;
- be a teacher in good standing with no documented performance or conduct concerns within the past three years.
3.1.2. Staff developers are required to participate in the following training activities:
- Staff developers hired after July 1, 2011 are required to pass the Principals of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Praxis II examination within the first year of their assignment, unless s/he has previously passed the examination.
- Summer Staff Developer Academy: Staff developers are required to attend the yearly Staff Developer Academy to enhance their skills and share best practices in mentoring and PLC.
- Instructional Coaching: Each staff developer is required to complete the District Peer Coaching Seminar within their first year. Then participate in yearly Instructional Coaching Professional Development, with a focus chosen in consultation with their principal (such as differentiated instruction, language arts, math, ESL, technology, etc.), that aligns with school and district goals, and leads to high levels of learning for all students.
- Staff Developer Forums: Elementary and secondary staff developers will attend on-going forums to access implementation of key program elements, collaborate, and receive on-going training.
- Partnership with Principal: Unless directed by the Superintendent, the staff developer will not serve in an administrative role. Each staff developer will meet regularly (at least twice a month) with their principal to coordinate PLC efforts and support for new teachers, plan professional development and align it with school goals, examine student and teacher data to determine training needs, and determine next steps and needed support;
- Annual Performance Review: Principal will complete an annual performance review with their staff developer. As part of the annual performance review, they need to consider available data from student assessments, PLC results, feedback from faculty, EYE and PLC surveys, etc.
3.1.3. Staff developers are expected to complete the following position responsibilities:
- Spend approximately 75% of their time coaching new and veteran teachers to build teacher capacity for selecting, implementing, and reflecting on effective teaching strategies and curriculum;
- Meet specific teaching needs of individual (new and veteran) teachers and PLC teams through the use of research-based coaching strategies, such as: analyzing student work, modeling effective teaching strategies, peer coaching observations, discussing case study students, reflecting and problem-solving, analyzing and reflecting on student data and authentic teaching artifacts, learning walks;
- While staff developers are advocates for teachers, they still have the responsibility, as all employees do, to report violations of the law or major employee conduct violations of District policy, such as child abuse, disregard for administrative directives, or acts of insubordination.
The term of assignment is based on the nature of the project, program, and/or funding. Assignments may be limited to one year or less under the terms and conditions specified in a temporary agreement or indefinite if there is a reasonable expectation that the project, program, and/or funding will continue beyond three years. (9-13-05)
3.3. CONDITIONS:
3.3.1. TSA assigned to Program Level 3 or 4 will not receive Professional Learning Community (PLC) compensation.3.3.2. TSA and Specialist salary will be based on the daily rate of the applicable lane and step on the Certified Salary Schedule times the contract days listed in the following table:
Program Level Program Requirements
Basic Contract
Addendum Agreement (by temporary agreement) Total Contract PLC Compensation 1 Basic Teacher Contract Assignment
183 0 183 Yes 2 TSA contract will be closely associated with school days and will not require substantial program planning or development outside of the school year.
183 5 188 Yes 3 TSA contract will require additional preparation, planning, or development time beyond a standard teacher contract.
183 18 201 No 4 TSA contract will require working a schedule that is equivalent to an Administrative Employee on a year-round contract.
183 32 215 No 3.3.3. The workday for a TSA or Specialist assignment is eight hours. (9-13-05)3.3.4. The TSA assignment is temporary and as such may conclude or change at any time at the sole discretion of the District. TSA or Specialists with provisional or career employment status whose assignment is abolished will be placed in a temporary position pending the opportunity for permanent placement at the beginning of the next contract year or as soon as the District is able to administratively effect a transfer to the first available vacant teaching position for which the individual is fully qualified without undue disruption. Additional compensation beyond a standard teacher contract, to include additional days, may end at any time regardless of employment status. (9-13-05)
3.4. LIMITATIONS:
3.4.1. TSA vacancies will be announced and filled competitively according to District Policy.3.4.2. The District may non-competitively assign (designate an employee without announcing the position) a TSA to fill an administrative position for one year or less when the action is necessitated by an exigency, such as, but not limited to, the need to temporarily fill a principal position while the incumbent is on sabbatical or sick leave. If an administrative TSA assignment exceeds 30 days, the individual will be compensated for the daily rate of an additional 1/7th FTE for the number of days the administrative duties are assigned. The TSA may also be assigned and compensated for additional workdays.
3.4.3. A fully qualified TSA selected from outside the current permanent WCSD employee workforce will be hired under the terms and conditions of a Temporary Employment Agreement with no expectation of continued employment. At the end of the temporary employment agreement, the employment relationship with the District will simply end.