The PACTA Making Personnel Decision with a Focus on High-Quality Instruction describes what the course or program is designed to accomplish and how it will be measured. The curriculum framework has six required components, and the following four components are to be addressed in this form:

1. Big Ideas

2. Key Concepts

3. Competencies

4. Essential Questions

Evidence must be provided that the implementation of the course or program will result in increased student achievement within the participant's school entity or organization. Read the Big Ideas, Key Concepts, and Essential Questions. Those qualities are to be kept in mind in the development of both the Job-embedded Assignments of the Entry Plan and Curriculum Plan.

1. Big Ideas. Big ideas are declarative statements that describe concepts that transcend the content of the course or program. They are overarching principles that are essential to provide focus on specific content for all participants. Each big idea must flow into key concepts for that big idea.

In order to have a significant and positive impact upon student achievement, schools must hire and retain the best teachers.

Many teachers struggle in their first few years, particularly those hired to teach career and technical programs of study because they lack formal training in pedagogy.

Effective schools provide interventions and supports to retain those teachers who have the potential to provide effective instruction in the future.

For those who are unable to produce the desired student achievement results, there are legal and ethical protocols that must be followed.

2. Key Concepts - Key concepts describe what participants should know as a result of this course.

Hiring is a complex and time-consuming practice that covers the entire process from advertising to offering the position. This requires a great deal of time, planning, and thought. Practices must be consistently applied to all candidates to ensure equitable and fair hiring practices.

Induction programs help to retain teachers and improve their instruction. All induction programs are not equally effective. Effective mentors have a significant impact upon the effectiveness of the induction program.

Ethical behavior and confidentiality are essential to building trust in the administrator's role as supervisor and coach. Understanding that the actions of the administrator demonstrate ethical behavior and confidentiality is essential to building an effective school.

C. Competencies - Competencies describe what participants should be able to do, key skills developed as a result of this course. Competencies are performance measures of the key concepts and big ideas.

Participants will create a bias-free hiring process to ensure placement of high-quality, effective teachers in the classroom.

Participants will review and revise the mentor selection process and mentor training to retain high-quality, effective classroom teachers.

Participants will demonstrate a professional understanding of confidentiality and ethical behavior by responding to a case study.

Participants will create an effective and legal performance improvement plan for a classroom teacher.

D. Essential Questions - Essential questions specifically link to the big ideas which frame participant inquiry and assist in learning transfer. Essential questions provide a framework for the transfer of knowledge and development of skills.

How does an administrator create an effective and bias-free hiring procedure based on the organizational vision around personalized student success?

What selection criteria and training make for an effective mentor?

How is ethical behavior and confidentiality demonstrated in the principal's role of supervising teachers?

In what ways can a performance improvement plan for a teacher retain the teacher and improve the quality of instruction and student achievement?

E. Key Terminology - Define key terminology that is linked to the standards, big ideas, concepts and competencies identified.

Act 13 of 2020 - Signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on March 27, 2020, Act 13 revises the Act 82 Educator Effectiveness process used to evaluate professional employees in Pre-K-12 education across Pennsylvania beginning in the 2021-22 school year. The revised rating system affects classroom teachers, non-teaching professional employees, and principals, as defined in Act 13.

High-quality CTE Program of Study Framework - A research-based framework for career and technical programs of study that leads to high-quality, 21st programs with high student achievement performance outcomes. The framework was created as a result of a research study of many career and technical frameworks conducted by the Association ofor Career and Technical Education, the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers.

Induction Program - For career and technical education teachers, an induction program requires more than an orientation to the school. It must include critical pedagogy that cannot wait until the teacher completes classes in the second or third year of alternative certification. By then the teacher has already developed poor instructional habits that are increasingly harder to change. It must include immediate observations of effective peers, and most importantly, it must be implemented by an effective mentor and administrator.

PDE Chapter 339 - Chapter 339 Vocational Education - Part of the Pennsylvania Code that deals specifically with the requirements for Career and Technical (Vocational) Education (not to be confused with 339 Plan related to school counseling)

Perkins V - Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act - Signed into federal law July 31, 2018. Retrieved information for the PIL and the law from https://cte.ed.gov/legislation/perkins-v