Appraiser Role Definition

Tx SLO Growth Models (CC)

The redesigned Texas SLO system was created to provide a more meaningful and instructionally grounded approach to measuring student learning and supporting educator growth. The redesign shifts practice away from compliance and toward a system that emphasizes high-quality instruction, authentic evidence of student thinking, and ongoing professional reflection. Within this system, the appraiser role is essential. Appraisers guide educators through goal setting, monitor the quality of evidence that is collected, and assign final scores using the statewide criteria. Their decisions directly influence the validity, reliability, and instructional value of the SLO process. Texas districts vary widely in size, staffing structures, and instructional leadership models. Rural districts in particular often operate with smaller teams and broader role responsibilities. To support these realities, the redesigned model intentionally provides flexibility for rural districts to determine which qualified instructional leaders may serve as appraisers, as long as they can consistently apply the SLO criteria and support educators through the process. This flexibility ensures that all districts, regardless of size or structure, can implement the system with fidelity while adapting the appraiser role to their local needs. Clarity around the purpose of the role, combined with the ability to adapt who serves in it, strengthens statewide consistency and promotes meaningful implementation across diverse Texas contexts.

In the Texas SLO system, appraisers are designated campus- or district-level instructional leaders who have the authority and training to review, approve, and score educator SLOs. They may include:

• Campus Principals and Assistant Principals
• District or Campus Instructional Coaches
• Department Chairs or Team Leads (if designated by district policy)
• District-level Content Specialists
• Other Certified Evaluators Trained in the SLO System

Appraisers must be trained and calibrated in the redesigned model to ensure consistency, reliability, and alignment to statewide guidance.

Below is the operational breakdown of what appraisers are expected to do within the redesigned Texas SLO cycle:

Support High-Quality Goal Setting

Appraisers guide and approve educators’ SLO goals by ensuring:

• Goals are standards-aligned, ambitious, and grade/content appropriate.
• Baseline evidence supports the selected goal.
• The rationale clearly connects instructional priorities to student needs.

Operational Actions

• Conduct goal-setting conferences.
• Review baseline evidence for sufficiency and alignment.
• Approve or return goals for revision.

Coach for Instructional Planning

Appraisers help educators create and implement instructional plans tied to their SLO by:

• Ensuring the plan aligns with the SLO goal and TEKS expectations.
• Monitoring alignment between daily instruction and long-term student growth.
• Supporting adjustments to instruction based on interim evidence.

Operational Actions

• Facilitate planning conversations.
• Provide targeted feedback on instructional strategies.
• Review evidence of progress during checkpoints.

Monitor Evidence Collection

Appraisers verify that evidence collected through the year is:

• Authentic, instructionally embedded, and reflective of student learning.
• Aligned to the targeted standards and the SLO goal.
• Sufficient in both quality and quantity to support end-of-year scoring.

Operational Actions

• Review student work samples at required intervals.
• Provide guidance on evidence types and calibration.
• Flag evidence issues early to avoid end-of-year gaps.

Facilitate Mid-Year and Ongoing Check-In

Appraisers ensure educators stay on track by:

• Monitoring progress toward goals
• Supporting instructional adjustments as needed.
• Checking alignment between instruction, evidence, and the SLO goal.

Operational Actions

• Hold mid-year review conversations.
• Document progress notes within district or state systems.
• Provide coaching when student progress trends off course.

Score SLOs with Fidelity

At the end of the cycle, appraisers:

• Review all evidence submitted by educators.
• Apply the statewide SLO rubric with fidelity.
• Provide a score that reflects student learning outcomes and instructional impact.

Operational Actions

• Evaluate evidence holistically.
• Score using rubric-aligned criteria.
• Document scoring rationale and provide actionable feedback.

Provide Reflective Feedback and Next Steps

Appraisers help educators turn the SLO process into ongoing professional learning by:

• Discussing what worked, what didn’t, and why.
• Identifying patterns across student work and instruction.
• Setting up next-year goals or instructional priorities.

Operational Actions

• Conduct end-of-year reflection conferences.
• Align feedback to district and campus goals.
• Support educator planning for the next SLO cycle.

Appraisers in the redesigned system must demonstrate:

• Content and Standards Knowledge
• Instructional Coaching Skills
• Evidence Analysis & Calibration Expertise
• Strong Communication & Conferencing Skills
• Commitment to Fair, Student-Centered Evaluation Practices

Purpose of the Appraiser Role in the Redesigned Model

Appraisers exist to ensure that the SLO system:

1. Improves instructional quality,
2. Strengthens student learning, and
3. Creates a consistent statewide system that is meaningful, valid, and defensible.

They safeguard instructional integrity while empowering educators to grow.