THE POST
 
The Personnel Post

 
October, 2015


In This Issue
Staff Spotlight


Dr. Bernard Frost, District Math Coach housed at Houston Elementary has been selected as the new President-Elect for the  South Carolina Leaders of Mathematics Educators. 

Beth Walsh, art teacher from SHS  has been selected as the 2015 Secondary Art Educator of the Year award winner by the South Carolina Art Education  Association. 

Sarah Kate Warner, art teacher from Pine Street School is the recipient of the 2015 South Carolina Art Education Association Promising Young Professional of the Year Award.

Preventive Screening
The screening includes blood work, a health risk appraisal, height & weight measures, blood pressure and lipid panels. This  benefit is provided free to employees, retirees, COBRA subscribers and their covered spouses if their primary coverage is the Standard Plan or the Savings Plan.

No-Pay Copay
Savings Plan and Standard Plan members with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, congestive heart failure or diabetes can qualify for 12 months of generic drugs at no cost to you that treat these conditions. 

Flu Vaccine
The flu vaccine will be offered at no charge to all members covered under the Savings Plan or the Standard Plan.  If a member receives the shot in a participating network doctor's office, the flu vaccine and the administration fee will be paid in full; any associated office visit charges will be processed according to regular Plan coverage rules .

Shingles Vaccine
Zostavax, the shingles vaccine, and the fee for giving the shot, are available at no cost to State Health Plan members age 60 and older. The shot requires a prescription, so ask your doctor for one. 

Left to Right: Anita Littlejohn, Receptionist; Carey Arnold, Executive Assistant; Larry Moore, Coordinator of Teacher Quality; Dr. Carlotta Redish, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources; Vickie Hutchins, Benefits Coordinator; Nancy Rhodes, Human Resource Assistant
  
From the Desk of Dr. Carlotta Redish
The Post is a periodic newsletter focusing on human resources, personnel pointers and information on benefits and teacher quality. We will also have a section to spotlight administrators, teachers, and staff. It's a pleasure to have you back in school for the 2015-16 school year. Whether it's in the classroom, in the community or on the athletic fields, the Human Resources department can't wait to see what you and your students will accomplish this year. Our mission is to be proactive and responsive to the needs of all employees we serve. 
Personnel Points 
Certified Personnel
If you have completed an advanced degree or a specific amount of hours that qualify you for a salary change, you will need to have an official transcript sent to the State Department of Education(SCDOE). Be sure to complete a "Request for Change/Action" form requesting that a change be made to your certificate.  Any advancement of a certificate for compensation must also be reported to the Human Resources Department.  The SCDOE does not automatically notify Human Resources of these changes.  The change will be made according to the validity date on the certificate.  Any change resulting in a pay adjustment must be presented by the 10 th of the month.

New Personnel 
Please be reminded all new employees must present the results of a tuberculin (TB) skin test to Human Resources within a year of the test administration.
Benefits Bytes
Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is October 1 - 31, 2015.  To make changes to your insurance coverage sign into MyBenefitsOnce signed in, click on open enrollment and proceed to make your changes. You may meet with a representative at a time designated by your principal at your location, or schedule an appointment with Vickie Hutchins at the District Office at  594-6184. All  open enrollment changes become effective January 1, 2016.

Retirees and Medicare
Retirees returning to work are required to contribute to the retirement system at 8.16%, the same rate as all other active employees.  Returning to work will not alter your monthly retirement checks nor will it add to your service credit time.  Retirees who retired after January 1, 2013 and were not 62 when they retired are subject to a $10,000 cap on their active earnings from a state employer.  This stipulation will be waived if you are teaching in a critical subject or geographical area.  If you are working full time and your insurance premiums are being deducted from your retirement check; and if you or anyone you cover on your retirement insurance (husband/children) becomes eligible for Medicare because of age or disability, you are required to stop the insurance through retirement and notify our benefits office to sign up for active coverage.         

Retirement Beneficiaries - New Employees
If you elected a retirement plan through the South Carolina Retirement System or the Optional Retirement Program when you became a new employee you should have received an email with the link to the corresponding beneficiary form.   If you do not complete and return the beneficiary form, then your retirement benefits will default to your estate.   You may sign into your account at  www.retirement.sc.gov and review your information and beneficiaries.  In order to make changes to your beneficiaries, you must complete a hard copy of a beneficiary form.  
Teacher Tips
All District 7 schools have aligned their policies to comply with the new state regulations on the observation and evaluation of teachers and administrators.  Our emphasis will continue to be on sustaining professional development  with a focus on writing and implementing Student Learning Objectives (SLO).  Although the term SLO may be new, teachers already follow an informal SLO process: they determine students' baseline for learning through data analysis, set academic goals for students, assess student progress, and adjust their instruction on the basis of progress monitoring.

ADEPT
South Carolina's Expanded ADEPT Support and Evaluation System, in compliance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waiver awarded to the state of South Carolina in 2012, will incorporate student growth measures into teacher evaluations beginning in 2015-2016 in the form of SLOs.   SLOs are teacher-driven, student-centered, data-informed, standards-based goals that measure an educator's impact on student learning growth within a given interval of instruction.
How many SLOs are required as part of the expanded system?
The South Carolina Department of Education requires the creation of one SLO annually as part of a teacher's evaluation. It is recommended elementary teachers focus their SLO on either literacy or math. Teachers of multiple subjects will write one SLO for one subject area.
Who writes SLOs for use as a student growth measure?
Measuring student growth through SLOs is appropriate for classroom- based teachers who have direct interaction with students who could noticeably improve their learning. This includes licensed teachers of core academic subjects, related subjects (e.g. physical education, career and technology education) and special education. The term classroom teacher does not include special area personnel (e.g. school counselors, library media specialists, speech-language therapists).  
Will the SCDOE be collecting SLO templates?
No. The template is designed for use in developing and monitoring. 
Will the state audit the assessments used?
No. SLO evaluators will need to approve the assessment used within the SLO as part of the SLO approval process. SCDOE has provided guidance on how to determine the quality of an assessment.
Will SLOs take the place of Goals-Based Evaluations (GBEs)?
The requirements for Goals Based Evaluation can be satisfied through the completion of Section 9 of the SLO template: Teacher Professional Growth and Development Plan (and Action Research). If an educator does not write a SLO, then GBE will be used.
Where are we in the evaluation timeline? 
Between now and November 6: Integral Classroom Observations, Teacher Reflections on Lessons Observed (TT3),  and Observers Complete Classroom Observation Record (ET1).