Documentation Experts Team Up With TASPA for Regional Workshops

TASPA partnered with the authors of the authoritative Texas Documentation Handbook, Dr. Frank Kemmerer and Dr. John Crain, and offered three regional one-day workshops in Boerne, Austin, and Dallas on October 10th, 11th, and 12th, respectively.  Plano ISD graciously hosted the Dallas area workshop at the beautiful and accessible Sockwell Center.  Many thanks to Tamira Griffin and her staff for their outstanding job as hosts!  The other two workshops were held at area resorts. Thanks also to the Texas School Administrators’ Legal Digest for the discounted rate for the books.

Using their just-published new fourth edition of the Handbook as a training resource, Frank and John interacted with human resources personnel and campus-level administrators throughout the day at each workshop on a host of documentation issues and concerns relating to both professional and auxiliary personnel. Components of the day-long workshop included:

1. Reviewing the legal framework within which personnel documentation takes place.
2. Learning lessons from poorly-written memoranda and e-mails.
3. Practicing writing effective memoranda for both professional and auxiliary employees.
4. Examining effective supervisory practices to use with marginally-effective teachers.
5. Using the authors’ focused observation instruments for 15-25 minute classroom walk-throughs.
6. Writing a follow-up memorandum using a special template.
7. Developing and assessing intervention plans that link changes in teacher behavior to student performance.

Attendees to the workshop greatly appreciated walking away with key tools which they could apply in their school roles right away, and several requested that a regional documentation workshop be held in their area next year.  TASPA and the featured speakers are considering holding workshops in the El Paso and Houston areas, and possibly in another one or two additional sites.  If you are interested in having one of these workshops held in your area, please email amartin@taspa.org with your request.

Documentation workshop photos

Dr. John Crain and Dr. Frank Kemerer, authors of the Texas Documentation Handbook, trained 160 administrators in three cities over three days in conjunction with TASPA.

Attendees to the San Antonio area workshop listen to John Crain talk about conducting classroom observations.

Attendees to the Austin area workshop watch a skit based on which they will later practice their investigative and documentation skills.

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