GOSHEN — A professional development program praised by Goshen Community Schools leaders has earned the support of a state senator who hopes to expand it to more Hoosier school corporations.
Last month, Goshen school administrators, staff members and board members met with Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, to discuss ways in which the school corporation has benefited from the System for Teacher and Student Achievement, — commonly called TAP — program and to advocate for additional state-level support for the initiative.
The TAP system hinges on providing support for teachers, regular classroom observations by certified evaluators and providing additional compensation as teachers meet certain performance standards or take on additional responsibilities.
Goshen is one of 14 Hoosier school corporations that are using the TAP model and has led the state in implementation, according to Indiana TAP Director Jen Oliver, who works for the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, or CELL.
CELL, based at the University of Indianapolis, serves as the state partner with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, by providing training, coaching and support for the national TAP model.
“Goshen Community Schools has 100 percent been a leader in the TAP system initiative in the state of Indiana. They’ve been a tremendous partner in this work and have embraced the best practices associated with the TAP system. Even though making some of those changes have been difficult, they have done so courageously because they know that is what is right for their students,” Oliver said.
Positive impact
Goshen schools implemented TAP in 2009 using funds from a five-year federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant that was distributed through the Indiana Department of Education. When the grant funding ended last year, administrators said they would continue to support the program using money from the general fund and by seeking other federal dollars.
Assistant Superintendent Tamra Ummel, who oversees human resources and professional develop
“Because it is a structured system that includes teacher performance evaluations, it has provided all teachers and administrators with a common language of instruction; a way to talk about what good instruction looks like and sounds like,” Ummel said.
During evaluations, teachers are given very specific feedback on areas where they can improve and TAP also provides weekly professional development programs for teachers. TAP has also given the school corporation a “bit of an advantage” in a time of statewide teacher shortages, Ummel said.
“TAP is a system that promotes leadership from within and support for all,” she said. “It has had a positive impact on recruiting new teachers and retaining teachers.”
School leaders have also seen a positive impact on student achievement as a result of the TAP framework, she added.
“As a district, our letter grade has grown from a D to a C and then a B, prior to the change in the state (ISTEP) test,” Ummel said. “Even with the shift to College and Career Readiness standards and a new test, several of our schools were able to maintain the gains that had previously been made. We realize that we still have work to do, and I am confident that with TAP as our framework for improving instruction, we will continue to make a positive impact on student achievement.”
Many of the components of the TAP system also mirror recommendations made by a state commission tasked with studying teacher recruitment and retention, Oliver said.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators was created by Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz in 2015 in response to data that showed a more than 30 percent decline in the number of students seeking teaching licenses. On Thursday, Ritz released the commission’s final report, which included eight strategies for addressing Indiana’s teacher shortage including mentoring, professional development, career pathways and leadership, evaluation and assessment, compensation, clinical experiences, diversity and positive press.
“These are recommendations that arose from the commission that included 50 different educators and we can see how closely those align to the components of the TAP system,” Oliver said.
The same page
After listening to their praise of the program, Kruse told Goshen schools leaders he’d be willing to go to bat to support the expansion of the initiative — and perhaps secure some state funding to do so.
Kruse serves as the chairman of the Indiana State Senate Education Committee.
Kruse said in a phone interview Thursday that he believes TAP is “one of the best programs in Indiana to prepare teachers and actually have them advance forward in their careers.”
Aspects of the TAP program such as group meetings during which teachers can collaborate and the opportunity for teachers and evaluators to discuss and analyze what’s being done in the classroom are major benefits, he added.
“Sometimes it seems like teachers have one agenda and administrators have another, but if we can get them on the same page with the same goals and have everyone buy into this one system, there’s a benefit there,” Kruse said.
And when teachers, administrators and other school officials are collaborating, the students reap the benefits, he said.
Earlier this week, Kruse invited Oliver and other TAP representatives to speak to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee. He said the presentation was well received by several people in the audience and some of his fellow lawmakers.
“There’s a possibility we will try next year to see if we can actually budget some Indiana state funds to expand the TAP program,” he said.
Ummel said Goshen schools supports Kruse’s plans to study and hopefully expand TAP in Indiana.
“If expansion is supported, there is the potential for additional financial support through grants to support local districts in their on-going efforts with TAP as well as for start-up costs for other schools/districts,” she said.
Efforts to expand TAP in the state of Indiana would aslo demonstrate a commitment on the part of legislators, to address the teacher shortage in Indiana with a research-based, nationally recognized system that has demonstrated positive results for both teaching and learning, she said.
“It would be one way to let teachers and school leaders across the state know that teaching is a valued profession and recruiting and retaining excellent educators is a priority for our state,” Ummel said.
Oliver said she’s also pleased with Kruse’s support of the TAP program.
“Over the last five years we’ve seen how the TAP system, when implemented with fidelity, can significantly impact the instructional practices of teachers in a positive way and therefore, also impact students and their academic growth as well,” Oliver said. “We’re excited for the opportunity for additional schools to have a chance to implement the TAP system and very grateful for Sen. Kruse’s willingness to allow for some expanded conversation in that regard.”