The T-TESS pre-conference is more than just a box to check. It’s a powerful opportunity to set the tone for your evaluation and improve your teaching practice.
When done right, this meeting serves as a collaborative space for teachers and appraisers to connect, share, and reflect.
Key Takeaways
- The T-TESS pre-conference is essential for understanding instructional strategies and improving evaluations through professional dialogue.
- Adequate preparation from both teachers and appraisers is vital for a productive pre-conference, including discussing lesson planning and instructional choices.
- Building trust and clear communication during the pre-conference fosters collaboration and enhances the overall evaluation process.
Why Should You Care About the Pre-Conference?
Instead of approaching the pre-conference as a formality, think of it as a chance to showcase your thought process, instructional strategies, and areas for growth. This is your time to ensure the appraiser understands the why behind your lessons, objectives, and teaching decisions.
Key Benefits of a Well-Prepared T-TESS Pre-Conference
Here are a few benefits you can reap with the pre-conference stage of the T-TESS evaluation cycle:
- Clear Communication of Instructional Choices: The pre-conference allows you to articulate the reasoning behind your lesson planning and teaching methods. By explaining your approach, you give the appraiser the context needed to provide meaningful feedback that is aligned with your teaching goals.
- Stronger, Fairer Evaluations: When you have the chance to clarify your instructional strategies and goals, you ensure that your evaluation is based on a deeper understanding of your work. This leads to more accurate and fair assessments of your performance, particularly in Domains 1 (Planning) and 2 (Instruction).
- Building a Collaborative Relationship with Your Appraiser: The pre-conference fosters an environment of trust and cooperation. It centers on making the evaluation process a partnership. This helps transform the appraisal from a one-way critique into a mutual conversation about growth.
- Opportunities for Reflection and Self-Improvement: Through the pre-conference discussion, you gain valuable insights into your teaching practices. This feedback loop supports continuous improvement, helping you to refine your methods and build on your strengths.
- Prevents Surprises in the Formal Evaluation: By addressing any potential issues or areas of concern beforehand, you help ensure the formal class observation is as smooth and productive as possible. It sets expectations and minimizes misunderstandings during the actual evaluation.
Timing and Scheduling Requirements
Timing is critical for an effective pre-conference. Ideally, the meeting should occur 1–3 days before the scheduled observation. This window allows both teacher and appraiser to prepare thoroughly without last-minute pressure, ensuring that the observation is focused and productive.
While in-person meetings are preferred, virtual or phone conferences are also viable. The key is ensuring that the meeting is structured, thorough, and allows enough time to discuss lesson plans, objectives, and instructional strategies.
Preparation for Teachers
T-TESS Preparation is the cornerstone of a successful pre-conference. Teachers should focus on the following steps:
- Demonstrate Understanding of Student Needs: Use assessment data and previous observations to show how your instruction aligns with learner needs.
- Analyze and Disaggregate Data: Identify trends and patterns in student performance that inform instructional choices.
- Differentiate Instruction: Show how lesson plans address diverse learners and adapt instruction accordingly.
- Request Specific Feedback: Proactively ask for feedback on targeted areas, which helps guide your professional growth and clarifies expectations.
- Review the T-TESS Rubric: Ensure familiarity with evaluation criteria to highlight alignment between your teaching and rubric standards.
- Prepare Lesson Materials: Bring lesson plans, assessments, and any supporting documentation to provide a comprehensive view of your instructional strategy.
- Reflect on Instructional Decisions: Be ready to articulate the reasoning behind your teaching choices, giving your appraiser insight into your planning and instructional approach.
Preparation for Appraisers
Appraisers must also arrive prepared to foster a productive and supportive discussion:
- Review Sample Conferencing Questions: Use T-TESS sample questions to guide the conversation and ensure all critical areas are addressed.
- Listen to Teacher Needs: Focus on understanding areas where teachers seek support, allowing for relevant and actionable feedback.
- Ask Targeted Questions: Use insights from lesson plans and instructional objectives to ask clarifying questions that reveal the teacher’s strategies and thinking.
- Create a Collaborative Environment: Approach the pre-conference as a partnership aimed at growth rather than just evaluation.
- Prepare Notes for Follow-Up: Identify areas of strength and improvement to discuss in the post-conference, making feedback actionable and meaningful.
Key Discussion Topics
The T-TESS pre-conference is the ideal opportunity for teachers and appraisers to align on instructional goals and lesson design. Teachers should use this time to walk through their entire lesson cycle, covering:
- Student Learning Goals: Clearly explain what students are expected to learn and how those goals inform instruction.
- Instructional Strategies: Share the teaching methods and approaches you plan to use, including differentiation techniques.
- Classroom Environment and Behavior Management: Describe how you structure the learning space and manage student behavior to support learning.
- Assessment Plans: Explain how you will measure student understanding and adjust instruction as needed.
Appraisers can ask targeted questions related to Domains 1–3, gaining a holistic understanding of the teacher’s planning, instructional strategies, and assessment methods. Discussing what will be observed ensures both parties are aligned on the focus areas, reducing misunderstandings and setting clear expectations.
Finally, addressing multiple dimensions of the T-TESS Rubric, with a particular focus on Domain 1 and its connection to the other domains, ensures the pre-conference is comprehensive and supports a thorough evaluation process.
Best Practices for Conducting the T-TESS Pre-Conference
Creating a collaborative and open environment sets the tone for a productive conversation. Both teachers and appraisers should aim for constructive dialogue that prioritizes professional growth.
Actionable best practices include:
Document Key Points
Capture goals, objectives, and important discussion notes to maintain clarity and ensure follow-up. With Education Walkthrough, documenting your pre-conference notes becomes streamlined and efficient.
The tool allows you to select observation templates, input specific class data, and save walkthroughs as drafts, ensuring that you don’t miss any essential details. Plus, you can email immediate feedback to teachers, ensuring that all key points are clearly communicated.
Summarize at the End
Review what was discussed, confirming mutual understanding and aligning on the focus for the upcoming observation. For example, the Education Walkthrough classroom walkthrough tool enables you to document this summary quickly and share it with teachers, making sure both parties are aligned on the next steps for the upcoming observation.
Focus on Lesson Context
Teachers should articulate the reasoning behind instructional decisions, giving appraisers insight into the thought process. This allows teachers to share their instructional priorities and decisions, providing clarity on how the lesson fits within broader student learning goals. It’s a chance to explain not just what is being taught, but why it’s being taught in a specific way.
Adopt a Coaching Mindset
Appraisers should approach the pre-conference as a chance to coach, provide actionable feedback, and support teacher growth. With features like analytics and tracking, Education Walkthrough helps appraisers see patterns in teacher performance, making it easier to provide targeted, actionable feedback.
Set Clear Expectations
Use the pre-conference to clarify focus areas and observation priorities, ensuring both teacher and appraiser are aligned. Here, teachers can explain their goals for the observation, and appraisers can offer guidance on what to focus on. Clear expectations help prevent miscommunication and make the observation more meaningful.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even the best teachers can stumble in the pre-conference if preparation isn’t prioritized. Avoid these common pitfalls:
Inadequate Preparation
Showing up without reviewing lesson plans, student data, or the T-TESS Rubric can make the discussion superficial. Proper preparation allows teachers to clearly share their instructional decisions, anticipated challenges, and areas where they want feedback.
Focusing Only on Certain Rubric Areas
Neglecting some dimensions of the T-TESS Rubric limits growth opportunities. Cover all relevant domains to ensure the discussion is comprehensive and supports professional improvement.
Misalignment with Observation Goals
The pre-conference should tie directly to the upcoming observation. Clarifying focus areas helps both teacher and appraiser align expectations, preventing misunderstandings and creating a more targeted observation.
Integration with the Broader T-TESS Cycle
The pre-conference is just one part of the T-TESS evaluation cycle, which includes pre-conference, observation, and post-conference stages:
- A Required Step: Unlike some evaluation systems (e.g., PDAS), the pre-conference is mandatory in T-TESS. It sets the stage for a thoughtful and fair observation.
- Observation Flexibility: Observations can be unannounced, but districts determine scheduling and frequency within state guidelines, providing flexibility while ensuring comprehensive evaluation.
- Observation Duration: Each observation must last at least 45 minutes unless shorter segments are documented to collectively meet this minimum, giving appraisers a complete view of instructional practices.
The pre-conference ensures that the evaluation process is connected, systematic, and tailored to promote meaningful teacher growth.
Building Trust Through the Pre-Conference
Trust and collaboration are central to a successful T-TESS evaluation.
First, teachers can share their instructional goals and challenges, while appraisers clarify expectations. Transparent communication helps teachers see the evaluation as supportive rather than punitive.
Not to mention, the pre-conference is a two-way conversation. Listening and responding to teacher needs encourages collaboration and strengthens professional relationships.
Making the Most of the T-TESS Pre-Conference: Final Thoughts
The T-TESS pre-conference is more than a procedural requirement. It’s a strategic opportunity for instructional growth and professional development at the district-level. When teachers and appraisers approach it with preparation and focus, it becomes a powerful platform to align on lesson objectives, instructional strategies, and evaluation expectations.
By incorporating Education Walkthrough into the pre-conference, you can ensure that your meeting is focused, productive, and tailored to your needs. Ready to take your pre-conference to the next level?
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? We’re happy to help!
How important is the T-TESS Pre-Conference?
The T-TESS Pre-Conference is crucial since it significantly influences the scoring of Domain 1: Planning and aspects of Domain 2: Instruction, making it on par with the actual observation. Prioritizing this conference can enhance your evaluation outcomes.
What types of questions can appraisers ask during the pre-conference?
Appraisers can ask questions related to Domains 1-3, focusing on the teacher’s planning process and lesson design to gain insights into their instructional practices. These inquiries help clarify the educator’s strategies and methodologies.
What is the purpose of the pre-conference?
The purpose of the pre-conference is to share information about classes, discuss the lesson cycle, and gather evaluation criteria from the appraiser. This collaborative preparation enhances the evaluation process.
What should teachers demonstrate during the pre-conference?
Teachers should clearly demonstrate their understanding of student needs by discussing data disaggregation, differentiation strategies, and lesson alignment during the pre-conference. This ensures a focused and effective approach to meeting educational goals.
How does the pre-conference in T-TESS differ from PDAS?
The pre-conference in T-TESS is a mandatory component, contrasting with PDAS, which did not require one. This change emphasizes the importance of preparation and dialogue between the evaluator and the educator.
