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A highly competent teacher workforce is a critical foundation for continually improving children's educational outcomes. The Teacher Quality page represents Iowa's efforts for attracting, supporting and retaining a diverse workforce of teachers to develop greater mastery and leadership in their classrooms.
Back to topTeacher Accelerating Learning Grant
The Teachers Accelerating Learning Grant was created for districts to develop measures of teacher effectiveness and recognize teachers who significantly accelerate student learning beyond one year’s growth with supplementary pay. This program will span both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. This grant opportunity is open to public school districts.
Back to topIowa Model Educator Evaluation System
The Iowa Model Educator Evaluation System should be understood as an ongoing process rather than a single event. Gathering evidence related to the professional educator standards, reflecting on an educator’s practice, collaborating with colleagues to improve practice and student learning, and providing and using feedback are attributes of continuous improvement in a quality educator evaluation system.
Iowa Model Educator Evaluation System User Guide – The guide is divided into three main sections: Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Evaluation-Area Education Agencies, and School Administrator Evaluation. Each section contains the appropriate professional standards and other resources. For example, the teacher evaluation system provides a table of model descriptors and evidence pertaining to each Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria, a description of the 3-Tiered Teacher Evaluation Framework, an explanation of the Individual Educator Professional Development Plan, and a clarification of practitioner collaboration and peer review. The guide also includes an appendix of sample and required forms related to observations, comprehensive/summative evaluations, individual professional development plans, intensive assistance, school counselor evaluations, etc. Finally, the User Guide contains a glossary to promote a common language in educator evaluation. Updates to the guide will be done annually and communicated to the field via the School Leaders Update and this webpage.
Iowa Model Educator Evaluation System Webinar – Recorded on 11/12/2019. An overview of the User Guide, an update on Guidance for Designing an Evaluator Approval Course and the national leadership standards: Professional Standards for Educational Leaders.
Back to topIowa Teaching Standards and Criteria
The Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria are the very foundation of Iowa's teacher quality efforts. The teaching standards and criteria represent a set of knowledge, skills and dispositions that reflects the best evidence available regarding quality teaching. They are linked to teacher professional development plans and the teacher evaluation system.
Back to topMentoring and Induction for Beginning Educators
The Department is committed to ensuring a successful entry into the profession for all new teachers and to helping Iowa's schools navigate the legislative requirements to offer high-quality mentoring and induction supports. The Iowa Mentoring and Induction (M&I) program began as part of the Teacher Quality legislation enacted in 2001. Since that time the purpose of mentoring and induction has remained the same. Beginning teacher mentoring and induction support is created to promote excellence in teaching, enhance student achievement, and build a supportive environment within school districts and education agencies to increase the retention of promising beginning teachers and promote the personal and professional well-being of all teachers.
District Options and Plan Templates
As a result of the 2017 changes to legislation, districts have two options to support beginning teachers:
Option 1: Continue to Provide a Beginning Teacher Mentoring and Induction Program
Districts may continue to provide a beginning teacher mentoring and induction program that contains specific strategies to support beginning teachers in the competencies of the Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria (ITS&C), teacher evaluation, instructional practices and district and building professional development aimed at increasing student achievement. Each school district that offers a beginning teacher mentoring and induction program shall provide for a two-year sequence of induction, program content and activities to support the Iowa teaching standards and beginning teacher professional and personal needs. To develop this program, please use the plan template found below. The plan shall be included in the school district’s comprehensive school improvement plan pursuant to Iowa Code section 256.7, subsection 21.
- Mentoring and Induction Program Plan Template
- District Profile for Mentoring and Induction Programming
Option 2: Utilize the District’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) Plan for Supporting New Teachers
School districts may implement an approved career paths, leadership roles, and compensation framework, TLC or approved comparable system, as provided in section 284.15 that specifically addresses the needs of beginning teachers. Districts that choose to utilize the TLC framework to address the needs of beginning teachers should review Part 4 of their approved TLC plan to ensure it clearly describes how the district will utilize teacher leaders and resources to improve entry into the teaching profession for new teachers. District administrators may want to include in the TLC plan, Part 4, the components of a beginning teacher program as provided in section 284.5. Any revisions to TLC plans, Part 4, should be submitted for approval through the TLC Plan Change request process.
Back to topIowa Professional Development Model
Iowa Professional Development Model Technical Guide – This is a 129-page technical guide provides guidance and technical assistance for Iowa school districts to use when designing and supporting their District & Building-level Professional Development Plans.
District/Building Plan Template
- Professional Development Plan Template
- Workbook for Developing the District Professional Development Plan - The design of this Workbook is intended to use as a tool with a District Leadership Team to work through the pieces of a continuous improvement process and to facilitate the development of a succinct professional development plan.
District/Building Profile: Iowa Professional Development Model
Rubric for Developing District/Building Profile - The purpose of the profile is to guide the district/building administrators, the Professional Development (PD) Leadership Team, and the PD provider in conducting an optional self-analysis of the effectiveness of their district/building professional development. By reviewing what is in place for PD at the district and building level, district leaders have an opportunity to make adjustments and add supports to ensure that the professional development provided to teachers results in improved instructional practices and increased student achievement. This rubric is offered as a tool to analyze and describe the status of PD plans, processes, and learning opportunities.
Provider Approval
Providers are those individuals, agencies, or organizations that serve the school district by providing long term, ongoing support for the District Professional Development Plan. This document explains the provider requirements and procedures for approval.
Law and Guidance
Iowa Code section 284.6 - Teacher professional development
Extended Guidance on Practitioner Collaboration and Peer Review
Reference Guide for Required Professional Development - There are some types of training required for various school personnel that result from laws outside of education. In most instances, training sessions to meet these requirements would not be included in the District Professional Development Plan. This document provides guidance for topical or specific content intended for individuals with specialized assignments or roles that necessitate specific training.
Back to topTeacher Quality Committee
Teacher Quality Committee Guidance - Provides guidance to questions regarding the Teacher Quality Committee.
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