October 2022

Dear Educators,

Welcome to the first issue of the ACCESS newsletter for the 2022-2023 school year. As the air grows colder, the leaves begin to turn and the days become shorter, we hope you have settled into the new school year. The purpose of ACCESS is to provide you with the most up-to-date information from the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) along with resources to support the complexity of teaching and learning. Each month we will offer insights about instruction and leadership and include interviews with top thinkers in the field. 

 A particular focus this year will be preparing for statewide implementation of the new teacher evaluation system, the Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System (DTGSS). DDOE is excited to engage in a second year of pilot DTGSS implementation with 14 districts and charter schools. 

SY22-23 pilot districts and charter schools are:

For more information about DTGSS, visit Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System (DTGSS) – Delaware Department of Education.

Thank you!

We are honored to work with amazing leaders who have taken the initiative to implement DTGSS in pilot year 2.  Their support, hard work, flexibility, feedback and patience are valued and appreciated.

Shout out to the following DTGSS Champions:

The redesign process began with the formation of a steering committee of educators from across the state. Steering committee members included classroom teachers, school leaders, district leaders, superintendents, and representatives from higher education.

The steering committee first met in the fall of 2018 and spent the 2018-2019 school year designing the observation framework. Beginning in September 2019, the steering committee engaged in two rounds of testing the observation framework in classrooms across the state. Testing allowed the committee to assess the usability of the framework, and to assess the extent to which the framework was applicable to a diversity of classroom contexts, grade levels, and subjects. Smaller working groups of committee members dove deeply into the evaluation process, examining research and best practices about teacher observation processes, and using both research and what the committee learned in testing to create the observation and coaching process for Delaware.

Instructional Corner: Blog Post on The Many Job Functions of Skillful Teachers

Leadership Interview: Blog Post on Where to Show Up and What to Do 

Interview: Why is DTGSS beneficial for your building and faculty?  

Interview: What do you recommend to other administrators?

Interview Senior Leadership Interviews 2022 

Information Sessions: Join a session to learn more about DTGSS.

What is DTGSS?  Click here to learn more.