Introduction 4. Web Setup 4. Handheld Software Installation 7. Delete previous versions of TAS 7. Download TAS software 8

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1 Users Guide Introduction 4 Web Setup 4 Handheld Software Installation 7 Delete previous versions of TAS 7 Download TAS software 8 Synchronize your Palm or Pocket PC 8 Download Softick PPP if necessary 8 Palm internet settings 8 Synchronize the handheld to the web 8 Formative classroom observations utilizing the handheld 8 Palm or Pocket PC 8 Synchronize the handheld to the web 9 For iphone and Blackberry 9 Go to the Web Application 9 Sending Formative Observations to teachers 10 Select Teacher 10 Formative Observations 11 Summative Evaluation 12 Growth Improvement Plan 13 TAS Users Guide Page 1 of 20

2 The following section of the manual identifies each menu option that can be found in the TAS Web Application. 14 File Menu 14 Contact TAS 14 About 14 Site Info 14 Users 14 Main 14 User Guide 15 TAS Toolkit 15 Download Handheld Software 15 Teacher Menu 15 Select Teacher 15 Teacher Information 15 Observations Menu 15 Formative Observations 16 Summative Evaluation 16 Growth Plan 16 Reports Menu 16 Recent Observations 16 All Formative Observations 16 All Summative Evaluations 16 All Growth Plans 17 TAS Users Guide Page 2 of 20

3 Data Reports 17 Sites 17 Assignments 17 Reports 17 Indicator Score 18 Formative Observations by Date 18 Indicators Observed 18 Formative Observations by Indicator 18 Preview button 18 Network Newsletter 19 Counseling Guide Menu 19 Organizing Classroom Appraisal 19 Specific Indicators 19 Library Media Specialist 19 Counselor 20 Complete Counseling Guide 20 TAS Users Guide Page 3 of 20

4 Introduction This users guide has been developed to take you step-by-step through all aspects of Handheld and Web use of the Teacher Appraisal System. This is simply an operational manual. For evaluation theory and practice tips consult the TAS Counseling Guide, TAS Toolkit, and other evaluation materials. For any questions or additional information please contact us by at or by phone TOLL FREE at TAS. Web Setup Begin by going to the TAS Website: Login with your district TAS administrative username and password. An administrative login is used only for entering and maintaining TAS district information such as sites and users. Only a site level user (principal, director, supervisor) may conduct observations and evaluations. If the person assigned the administrative login for your district wishes to also conduct evaluations, a second, site level login should be created for that person. TAS Users Guide Page 4 of 20

5 If you do not yet have an administrative username and password or have forgotten it, us at or call us TOLL FREE at TAS. Administrative Level Users Enter site information Select File: Site Info district and site information may have already been entered for you Click Next to see each site entered Make changes or Click ADD to add a new site Click SAVE after each one Enter Principal info Select file: users Input principal information and assign a username and password User Level: Select Site User Click SAVE Click ADD to enter information for another principal TAS Users Guide Page 5 of 20

6 Principals and other Site Level Users Enter teacher info Principals login with their site logins and input teacher info for their schools. TAS Users Guide Page 6 of 20

7 If you do not yet have a username and password or have forgotten it, contact your district TAS administrator, us at support@teacherappraisalsystem.com or call us TOLL FREE at TAS. Select: Teacher Information Input teacher information. All fields must be completed, except teacher ID, if not applicable to your district. Click SAVE Click ADD to enter information for another teacher Once you have installed the Palm/Pocket PC handheld software you will be completely ready for classroom observation. Handheld Software Installation Delete previous versions of TAS If you have used a previous version of TAS, delete it from your Palm or Pocket PC. For Palm users go to the main screen which contains all of the program icons, tap the time, which appears at the top left corner of the screen, select delete, and choose TAS. For Pocket PC users, select settings, tap the system tab at the bottom of the screen, select remove programs, then select TAS. TAS Users Guide Page 7 of 20

8 Download TAS software Download the TAS software from for either the Palm OS or Pocket PC and double click TAS Setup. Proceed with installation for your Palm or Pocket PC. Synchronize your Palm or Pocket PC Synchronize your Palm or Pocket PC to complete the installation. Download Softick PPP if necessary If you are using a Palm Tungsten E, Tungsten E2 or other Palm that is not internet ready you must download and install Softick PPP in order for it to synchronize with the web. If you need Softick PPP, let us know and we will arrange for you to obtain a copy at no additional cost to your district. Please contact us TOLL FREE at TAS for assistance with downloading and installing Softick PPP. For iphone and Blackberry no software installation is necessary. You can begin observations immediately by pointing the internet browser on your device to Palm internet settings Palm Tungsten E and Tungsten E2 users must also set up their Palms to allow connectivity to the internet. From the main screen on the Palm select Prefs. Under the Communication heading select Network. At the bottom of the page select New. Change Service to read softick. Do not change username and password. For Connection select Cradle/Cable. Tap the Connect button to see if it shows that a connection has been established. Synchronize the handheld to the web Connect your handheld to the computer if necessary for your handheld device. From the main screen on the Palm select the TAS icon. Select sync and Input your TAS username and password. Tap the sync button and your handheld will synchronize with the web, placing the teachers and assignments onto your handheld. Formative classroom observations utilizing the handheld Palm or Pocket PC To perform classroom observations with your handheld go to the main screen on your device and select the TAS icon. Select a teacher from the drop-down list. The assignment will be automatically entered, however, you may change the assignment with the drop-down list if necessary. Click Next to proceed to the next screen. Select Satisfactory (S), Needs Improvement (NI), Not Satisfactory (NS) or Not Observed (NO) for any indictors you observe and add comments if applicable. Click Save Observation to save the observation and proceed to the next screen. Begin and End Times for the Ob- TAS Users Guide Page 8 of 20

9 servation are displayed and Total Time is calculated and displayed. Click OK to complete the observation and return to the main TAS screen. Synchronize the handheld to the web Connect your handheld to the computer if necessary for your handheld device. From the main screen on the Palm select the TAS icon. Select sync and Input your TAS username and password. Tap the sync button and your handheld will synchronize with the web, transferring the recent observation data to the web application. For iphone and Blackberry You can begin observations immediately by pointing the internet browser on your device to No synchronization is necessary. Your formative observations are sent automatically to TASapplication.com. Go to the Web Application Open your web browser and go to Login with the username and password assigned to you by the TAS administrator in your district. TAS Users Guide Page 9 of 20

10 Sending Formative Observations to teachers If you have conducted Formative Observations you will see a box on the main page stating There are new formative observations to send to teachers. If you wish to or print the observation without reviewing them or making changes click the click to send button. On the next screen select the teacher to whom you would like to send the observation(s) and click the or Print button. If you wish to review or make changes to a Formative Review before sending a copy to the teacher, go to the Formative Review page as described below, beginning with Select Teacher. Select Teacher Under the Teacher menu choose Select Teacher. Select the teacher whose evaluation you want to address from the drop-down menu. TAS Users Guide Page 10 of 20

11 Formative Observations To look at formative observations select the Formative Observation document button. The most recent formative observation for that teacher will be displayed. You can use the previous and next buttons to cycle through other formative reviews for that teacher, which are maintained chronologically. You may add, change or expand upon comments or change other information if necessary. After making any change click save. Once the Formative observation is complete you may print or a copy of the observation to the teacher at any time using the buttons at the bottom of the page. The date that a copy has been printed or ed to the teacher is recorded automatically in the top section of the Formative Review. To delete an observation select the delete button at the bottom of the page. To create a new observation directly on the web application, click the add button at the bottom of the page. You will need to enter the appropriate begin and end time information when creating an observation directly in the web application. When using the TAS web application you should be sure to save your work often, at least once every 20 minutes, to ensure that your session does not time-out. TAS Users Guide Page 11 of 20

12 Summative Evaluation When you have completed enough Formative Reviews (Observations) and wish to create a Summative Evaluation, begin by Selecting a teacher from the Select Teacher menu, then click the Summative Evaluations button. Begin by checking and completing the teacher information at the top of the page. Next, select the Indicator/Criteria with which you wish to begin. For each indicator select Satisfactory, Needs Improvement or Not Satisfactory for each criterion contained within. When you complete one indicator, click on the next indicator to proceed. Indicators that you have completed will be marked with an X. To assist you in determining the proper rating for each indicator you should refer to the box at the bottom of the page which displays Formative Reviews of Teacher Performance. This box shows each observation of the current indicator, including the date observed. When using the TAS web application you should be sure to save your work often, at least once every 20 minutes, to ensure that your session does not time-out. After completing the Summative Evaluation for a teacher save it and print copies necessary for the teacher to sign and keep and for district records. TAS Users Guide Page 12 of 20

13 Growth Improvement Plan If a teacher is identified as Not Satisfactory or Needs Improvement and a formal plan of improvement is warranted, select the teacher for the Select teacher menu, then click the Growth Improvement Plan button. Begin by checking and completing the teacher information at the top of the page. Identify the area(s) that will be included in the plan by checking the appropriate box(es). In the Related Effective Teaching Performance Criteria section identify and expand upon specific criteria upon which the Plan will be based. Write a complete plan by addressing each of the remaining sections. Save the Plan and print copies for the teacher and district records. TAS Users Guide Page 13 of 20

14 The following section of the manual identifies each menu option that can be found in the TAS Web Application. File Menu Contact TAS Contains contact information regarding TAS. Click the Support link to send an message to our support team. About Provides information regarding out company and the TAS web application development. Site Info Allows users to modify site information. Only users with login access as client administrators may access and change site information. If you are a site use who requires a change in your site information contact your district TAS administrator or contact TAS directly to have the change made. Users Lists all users at the current access level. Site users will see only their own information. Site users can change username or password information at this screen. Users with Client Administrative access can view and change username, password and school information for all users in the district. If a site user forgets a username or password the districtʼs TAS Administrator can access and retrieve that information at this screen. Main The original page to which users are taken after logging into TAS. TAS Users Guide Page 14 of 20

15 User Guide This complete Users Guide can be accessed from this menu item. TAS Toolkit A valuable resource for evaluators, the TAS toolkit includes detailed information about TAS indicators and criteria as well as examples of printed Formative and Summative evaluations that can be shared with teachers during orientation sessions. Download Handheld Software This is a direct link to the TAS software download page. Teacher Menu Select Teacher Use this menu option to review, modify or create Formative Observations, Summative Evaluations, or Growth Improvement Plans for teachers. Details regarding each of these screens can be found in their respective sections above. Teacher Information This option should be selected to add or modify teacher information. When changing teacher information, be sure to click Save after making changes. When entering information for a new teacher click add before entering the new information to bring up a blank screen for the information. All fields must be completed, except teacher ID, if not applicable to your district. Observations Menu TAS Users Guide Page 15 of 20

16 When a teacher has been selected you may navigate between screens by using this menu. This menu is not active unless a teacher has been selected. Formative Observations Provides access to Formative Observations for that teacher. Summative Evaluation Provides access to Summative Evaluations for that teacher. Growth Plan Provides access to Growth Improvement Plans for that teacher. Reports Menu Several different types of reports can be generated by TAS for use in the evaluation process. Recent Observations All Formative Observations of teachers that have not yet been sent to the teachers via print or are displayed in their entirety in a single document. All Formative Observations All Formative Observations of teachers are displayed in their entirety in a single document. All Summative Evaluations All Summative Evaluations of teachers are displayed in their entirety in a single document. TAS Users Guide Page 16 of 20

17 All Growth Plans All Growth Improvement Plans for teachers are displayed in their entirety in a single document. Data Reports Several Data reports can be generated providing valuable data for evaluators and the district. Sites The evaluator selects first whether the report is to address results from all sites within the district, or only the evaluatorʼs current site. Client Administrator users can view reports from all individual sites within the district as well as the district-wide information. Assignments The evaluator then selects whether the report is to address all teaching assignments, or a specific assignment. Reports The evaluator selects the report to be generated. TAS Users Guide Page 17 of 20

18 Indicator Score This report shows, in a table format, how many Satisfactories, Needs Improvements and Not Satisfactories have been marked for each indicator. This data can be useful in targeting areas for purposes of professional development. Formative Observations by Date A listing of all Formative Observations is shown by date for each teacher evaluated. An evaluator can use this report to quickly see which areas had been observed on particular dates. Indicators Observed All indicators are listed, by teacher, showing which have been observed to-date by the evaluator and which have not. This report is useful for an evaluator to determine in which areas observations have been adequate and where to focus future observations. Formative Observations by Indicator This report combines information contained in the two above, showing both which observations have or have not been observed, as well as identifying dates when the observations took place. Results are categorized by indicator for each teacher. Preview button By selecting the Preview button an evaluator can view a report and decide whether to print. The report is displayed in a PDF format. Most reports generate quickly, but a TAS Users Guide Page 18 of 20

19 sizeable report may take up to a minute. To print, select print from the top of the preview page. Network Newsletter Displays a recent copy of our Network News newsletter. Counseling Guide Menu The Counseling Guide can help evaluators understand and more effectively utilize the process of evaluation. Additionally, incorporating the use of Suggested Activities for Improving Performance from the Counseling Guide can improve the performance of teachers more rapidly while making working relationships between evaluators and teachers better. Organizing Classroom Appraisal This section provides an overview of TAS organization and the methods involved. Specific Indicators To view Counseling Guide information and suggested activities for a certain indicator, select that indicator from the Counseling Guide menu. Library Media Specialist In most cases Library Media Specialists are required to be evaluated under the same criteria as a regular classroom teacher, although their job requirements are quite differ- TAS Users Guide Page 19 of 20

20 ent. This section correlates the duties and requirements of a Library Media Specialist to the TAS indicators and criteria so that evaluators can effectively use TAS for this job category. Counselor In most cases Counselors are required to be evaluated under the same criteria as a regular classroom teacher, although their job requirements are quite different. This section correlates the duties and requirements of a Counselor to the TAS indicators and criteria so that evaluators can effectively use TAS for this job category. Complete Counseling Guide All sections of the Counseling Guide can be viewed here as a single document which can be particularly useful if an entire printed copy of the guide is desired. TAS Users Guide Page 20 of 20