Beginning this school year, local education agencies (LEAs) must use the updated Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS) rubric to meet the commission’s recommended principal appraisal system requirements.
On June 10, 2021, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) sent a letter reminding districts they will need to take the necessary steps to either change the updated T-PESS rubric or continue with the original rubric, now considered a locally developed principal appraisal system.
Districts choosing to continue to use the original T-PESS rubric must follow the alternative principal appraisal system processes outlined in TEC § 21.3541 and 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) § 150.1026.
Changes to the updated T-PESS rubric were made based on feedback from district administrators and education services center (ESC) staff. The primary changes include the following:
- Descriptor language that provides more clarity or specificity in the practices described with a continuum across performance levels
- A preponderance of evidence approach to rating as opposed to an additive and cumulative approach
- A clear alignment to the Effective Schools Framework to connect T-PESS to campus-based practices
Training and resources are available from your ESC and can be found on the T-PESS website.
Cheryl Hoover is an HR consultant at TASB HR Services. Send Cheryl an email at cheryl.hoover@tasb.org.
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Tagged: "Employee performance", "HR training", "Professional development", TEA, "Texas Education Agency"