Pearl River Schools Adopt Performance Reviews

The Pearl River Board of Education voted Tuesday to adopt the Annual Professional Performance Review Plan, based on state regulations regarding evaluation of educators.

The district was required to adopt an APPR for principals and teachers, though it will only take effect for Pearl River Middle School Maria Paese for this school year. It cannot be put in place for the teachers until their current contract runs out.

"You will see that though this plan applies to teachers, there is an exception for the teachers because the legislation indicates that if a contract is in place, the contract supersedes the law," Pearl River Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Morgano said. "For the teachers, this would take effect in 2014-15."

Morgano and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Sue Wheeler already negotiated the change with the district principals and will have to do the same with the teachers.

"At some schools, it becomes a bone of contention with the principal group or the teacher group, but at our school, Sue Wheeler and I were able to negotiate this with our principals' bargaining unit informally."

The reason it takes effect for Paese this year is based on the part of the law that requires it for principals of schools with 30 percent of the students within the testing grades of third through eighth. Pearl River Middle School has students from fifth through seventh grade. The plan will take effect for the rest of Pearl River's principals for 2012-13.

"This is a plan we had to have in effect for a certain date," Wheeler said. "In all likelihood, looking at how things are happening at the state education department, we will have to revisit this several times over the course of the next few years because there has been litigation and appeals."

Changing State Standards

Wheeler again spoke to the board of education regarding changes in state standards that will change what students are learning.

She focused Tuesday on the changes in English Language Arts.

"One of the shifts is a definite focus into what they call informational texts," Wheeler said. "Kids are reading more and more of what those of you in my generation refer to as non-fition. At the (grades) six through 12 level, that carries over to content areas outside of language arts. There is a heavy emphasis in science and social studies on the types of texts kids are reading to learn.

"This does not mean (only) textbooks. It could be itnernet resources, scientific journals or historical documents."

Another shift in focus is on how teachers will increase the complexity of what their ELA students' will be reading. Wheeler explained that not only will the reading levels change from year to year, but within each school year. The goal is to ensure that students are capable of reading college-level texts when they graduate high school.

"What they are reading in September is much different from what they will be reading in June," Wheeler said.

Changes in the content of students' presentations and written assignments are also focused on helping them to meet the demands they will face in college and the working world.

"Students will develop habits for making what they call evidentiary arguments," Wheeler said. "What you say, you have to back it up with documented text. The whole idea of your opinion is not central to this. You have to make an argument and back it up with text-based evidence. This includes if you are speaking or writing.

"For English teachers, this is going to throw them for a loop because the general trend is creative writing, prose writing. Telling your life story. Now it is more in line with what is required for college and careers.

Swim savings

Pearl River Diretor of Athletics Todd Santabarbara was able to work out a deal to shift some swimming practices to the Nauraushaun Swim Club, saving the district $2,800 because the fees are lower than Felix Festa.

"It is an excellent situation here and I'm glad we were able to take advantage of it," Pearl River Director of Operations Quinton Van Wyen said.

"I want to compliment Mr. Santabarbara on this," said board member Tom DePrisco. "Being a former manager of the swim club, you must have done a really good job of negotiating."

"Well, we're paying something, so it wasn't that good," Van Wynen joked.