Student Learning Objectives and the Austin Independent School District REACH Program

• In Event: Division H Vice-Presidential Invited Session. The Use of Student Learning Objectives in Teacher Evaluation: Measurement and Policy Considerations

Abstract

The final presentation will shift to a discussion from a school district’s perspective on the implementation and rollout of SLOs at the ground level, the hurdles and issues involved, and the reaction of professionals in the field to the use of SLOs to measure performance. Information will be presented from a large urban district which has been implementing SLOs in a performance-based compensation system in selected schools (38 as of 2013-14). Both individual and team-based SLO structures in the district are linked to performance pay bonuses for teachers in core and non-core subjects. Lessons learned from two years of implementation will be discussed in the context of the measurement and policy issues raised in the other presentations.

Author

• Joann Taylor, Austin Independent School District