PROSE

What is PROSE?

The Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) program was established as part of the contract between the UFT, CSA and the DOE. The PROSE program enables schools who have a demonstrated record of effective school leadership, collaboration, and trust to implement innovative practices outside of existing rules.

Administrators and teachers in 196 PROSE schools collaboratively engage in reflective conversations that surface changes and improvements to existing practices and systems with the goal of increasing student achievement and teacher effectiveness. PROSE enables collaborative schools to engage in an application and voting process to modify certain existing regulations and work rules for a period of five years.

Ultimately, the goal of PROSE is to improve teacher practice and student learning outcomes and drive innovation across the community of PROSE schools by supporting schools with a history of collaborative practices. PROSE schools also seek to develop a culture of reflection and continuous improvement at every level, in order to create structures that encourage the sharing of lessons learned and promising practices across the school system.

How can my school become a PROSE School?

The application process for new PROSE schools typically opens in the early part of the school year. This website will be updated with information with specific dates so please check back periodically. Also check Principals Digest for any updates on the application submission window.

Option PROSE

Option PROSE Overview

Option PROSE is an additional option for all teachers only in PROSE schools that voted for it on their PROSE ballots. Teachers cannot be required to select it. All teachers in Option PROSE schools should notify their principal or suitable administrator at or before their initial planning conference (IPC) whether they intend to select Option PROSE. The administrator should select observation option PROSE and then print IPC forms in the Advance Web Application.
Teachers in PROSE/ schools who elect to use observation option PROSE on as the process by which they will be observed and evaluated will have the following performed throughout the year:
- Evaluation by a principal or other school-based trained administrator:
  - Minimum of two (2) informal classroom observations lasting a minimum of 15 minutes each (both may be unannounced but one must be unannounced); and
- A Structured Review that includes a Mid-Year Check-In conference to discuss how the teacher is progressing with the implementation of the Structured Review Plan (SRP).

Steps of the Structured Review Process:

For teachers selecting Option PROSE the area of focus will be proposed by the teacher and discussed with the evaluator at the Initial Planning Conference (IPC) which is typically held in late October.
Typically, in November, the teacher will create and submit a Structured Review Plan (SRP) to the evaluator. The SRP will identify: (1) the specific area of focus; (2) the teacher’s purpose in focusing on this area; (3) the activities the teacher will undertake that align with their purpose and area of focus; (4) at least 3 components of the NYC MOTP Rubric upon which the teacher’s work shall be evaluated based on items discussed and presented at the structured
review.
The SRP is submitted to the evaluator who must either request changes or approve the plan, typically by the end of November. The SRP can be entered in the Advance Web Application and then printed for the evaluator and teacher to both sign by the end of November, indicating that the plan has been approved. (The final signed form can be uploaded, if the school chooses, to the Advance Web Application). If the SRP is not co-signed by this date, the teacher shall be observed and evaluated under their assigned observation type.
Teachers and evaluators participate in a mid-year check-in between January and February to discuss how the implementation of the plan is progressing.
Between April and June, the teacher and evaluator will participate in a face-to-face “Structured Review” to discuss the teacher’s overall experience with each part of the plan, as well as to review teacher-selected documentation that s/he has gathered or created during the implementation of the plan. Using the Structured Review Evaluator Form, the evaluator will score the teacher-selected documentation discussed on all components of the NYC MOTP Rubric that are included in the SRP, as well as all other components of the NYC MOTP Rubric for which there is evidence.

Note: Final dates for the above process are currently being finalized. Please see the Options PROSE information distributed to schools at the beginning of the school year for specific dates.

Other Notes

Additional attendees may be present at the IPC, Mid-Year Check-in, Structured Review and summative end of year conference with mutual consent of the teacher and the evaluator. The Structured Review and the summative end of year conference can be conducted at the same time, if there is mutual consent between the teacher and the evaluator.

Final Scoring

All NYC MOTP Rubric components that are included in the SRP, as well as all other components on the NYC MOTP Rubric for which there is evidence in the Structured Review, will be weighted equally and averaged to create a Structured Review Score on a scale from 1-4. An overall MOTP score, on a scale of 1-4, shall be the basis for the Teacher Observation Category component, and is the weighted average of the overall observation score and the structured review score with the following weights applied: The overall observation score will be weighted at 60% and the structured review score at 40%. In situations where impartial Independent Trained Evaluators (“Independent Evaluators”), are required by the UFT-DOE citywide negotiated contract, the independent evaluator shall be combined with the MOTP score, with the independent evaluator having a weight of 10% and the MOTP score counting for 90%. These will then be converted to the associated MOTP HEDI rating.