Uploading to the TLE Platform-updated

There is quite a bit of discussion in our area about recent evaluation scores on the Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS).  Some teachers are thrilled, some are enraged.  The TKES/TAPS system is as good, and as flawed, as the other "evaluation instruments."

1. There is one evaluator who has the reputation of only giving 3s to the teachers (unless they are very bad), with no hope of ever getting a 4 in any area irrespective of a teacher's performance.
2. One of the teachers in our area received straight 3s in all areas very quickly with no documentation required; yet there are questions regarding their teaching ability.
3. One teacher received straight 4s in two areas after a single observation, with not documentation.
4. Some really good, consistent, effective teachers are receiving only 3s.

Here is what I have noticed and think:

• It does not matter have much evidence you have to document your excellent performance if the Evaluator does not look at your evidence (i.e., Evidence Notebook) while at the observation.
• It does not matter how much evidence you have if the Evaluator does not ask for it after the observation.
• An Evidence Notebook is irrelevant if no one looks at it.  That is fine if 3s are OK.

I decided to proactively upload most of my notebook into the TLE Platform.  In this way, the documents are dated and timed indicating that I uploaded them well ahead of time.  While I was scanning documents (for Section 1) on my printer into a USB drive and uploading them, I realized that it may beneficial to upload the table of contents (TOC) that I have created for each Section of the TAPS.  So, after I loaded about 25 documents into the Platform, I uploaded each of my TOC for each section of the TAPS.  In my mind, in this way, there is notification of multiple pieces of evidence for every section of the TAPS proactively entered.  If I make changes to the TOC for a section, I can change it and upload it at a later.  In the end, all of this documentation will be associated with my evaluation, for a long time.

10/31/14
I learned at a meeting recently that as the current semester comes to an end, we will be meeting with our Evaluator for the Formative #1 session.  The Formative assessment will be an overview of all 10 Standards.  I asked if the documents loaded into The Platform would be reviewed and used as part of that formative assessment, and I was told, "Yes, they would."  I intend to have several (if not multiple) pieces of evidence for all 10 Standards in The Platform well before that time.