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Message from the Superintendent

Dear Colleagues:

Teaching is a learner's profession.  Commitment to learners and learning defines Albemarle County Public Schools' Mission.  Through our own learning, we determine our potential to improve professional knowledge of best practices, relevance and rigor of our content, and the relationships we build with students, parents and colleagues. Professional growth is a hallmark of teachers who believe they make a difference in the lives of students, whether in the first or thirty-first year of experience. Through professional growth, we hone our pedagogical skill-sets, deepen our knowledge and understanding of both content and students, and maintain focus on the ethical standards that represent the professional behaviors we value in ourselves and others. Three core beliefs about teaching and learning underpin the appraisal process:

• teachers profoundly impact student achievement;
• content knowledge and pedagogical skills are most effectively developed as close to the classroom as possible;
• professional relationships, supported in formal and informal learning communities, enhance continuous improvement and professional growth.

In your work as a teacher in Albemarle County Public Schools, I expect you to demonstrate and model the very best we can offer our young people. In turn, the School Board and I commit to supporting your work to do so. We believe that the Teacher Performance Appraisal model engages you in a systematic, inquiry-based process designed to support your individual growth and development. This structure supports a culture of professional learners committed to meeting the educational needs of all students. The appraisal model honors lifelong learning as a hallmark of all professions, especially within the field of education.

The appraisal process provides opportunities for self-assessment, professional reflection, results-based "SMART" goal-setting and access to ongoing learning walk and formal observational data to inform targeted improvements in practice. The Domains, Standards, and Key Elements of the Teacher Performance Appraisal model adopted by the Albemarle County School Board represent current educational research and the proven practices of high performing teachers. Together, these constitute professional expectations for all teachers in the Division, regardless of assignment. The Teacher Performance Appraisal process supports professional accountability to developing and extending the behaviors and beliefs of effective educators.

Recognizing that teachers vary in their professional expertise, your performance will be assessed along a descriptive continuum of practices in the appraisal model.  Through your strategic growth efforts, you will have opportunities to improve as a practitioner and to share your expertise with peers. In so doing, we believe that your professional performance will represent the Division's core mission to establish a community of learners and learning, through rigor, relevance, and relationships, one student at a time.

Sincerely,

Pamela Moran
Superintendent

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