The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has rolled out a new requirement for teachers under its purview. Teachers will now be obligated to provide evidence of their Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) ratings. This article details the specifics of this new requirement and its implications for teachers.
Activation of TPAD for Term One 2024
The TSC has activated TPAD for the first term of 2024, allowing teachers to create accounts and initiate the self-appraisal process. Notably, the Commission has been enhancing its servers to facilitate mass uploading of resources. This marks a significant shift, making it mandatory for teachers to furnish evidence for each termly appraisal.
Mandatory Evidence for TPAD Appraisals
The evidence to be submitted by teachers will encompass various elements crucial to the appraisal process. These include:
- Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans: Providing a comprehensive plan for teaching and learning.
- Attendance Register: Documenting students’ attendance in an organized manner.
- Lesson Notes: Detailed notes on the content and methodology of each lesson.
- Progress Records: Tracking the academic progress of students over time.
- Learners’ Work: Showcasing samples of students’ work, demonstrating the effectiveness of teaching strategies.
Importantly, all evidence must be approved by headteachers and their deputies.
TPAD and the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)
The Commission’s move to monitor teacher performance in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is evident in the emphasis on TPAD as a vital metric. In recent teacher promotion interviews, scores were awarded based on TPAD performance, underlining its increasing significance in the evaluation process.
Teacher Promotion Scores and TPAD Compliance
During the promotion interviews, teachers scoring 81% and above in their TPAD were awarded ten marks, while those scoring between 61% and 80% received eight marks. The ongoing promotion process involves 36,505 teachers vying for various grades, with TPAD compliance playing a pivotal role in the assessment.
Guidelines for Effective Appraisals
In a bid to address challenges in the appraisal process, TSC released guidelines for schools where Deputy Heads of Institutions (DHOI) faced difficulties in conducting lesson observations and appraising teachers. The directive outlined steps for assigning rights to deputies to ensure effective appraisals.
TPAD Calendar of Activities
The TPAD calendar outlines various activities at the institution level, including planning meetings, submission of professional documents, lesson observations, professional development, internal monitoring, and TPAD rating meetings. Teachers are required to adhere to these activities throughout the term.
TPAD CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES AT THE INSTITUTION LEVEL
| TPAD Activity | Action By | Time Frame | |
| 1. | Planning meetings before school opening involving all staff to set school TPAD Activity calendar | Heads of Institutions , Senior Management Team, Teachers, | By the last week of the school holiday. |
| 2. | Submission of professional documents | Heads of institution All Teachers | By the end of the first week of the term |
| 3. | Undertaking lesson observations and identifying and documenting teacher’s professional gaps | Appraisees and appraisers. | Between 2nd week and 10th week of the term |
| 4. | Undertaking teacher professional development to address professional gaps. | Appraisees, appraisers, institutional administrators. | Throughout the term; from 1st week to the last week of the term |
| 5. | Internal Monitoring and Evaluation of the implementation of TPAD process. | Heads of institution, Deputy Head of Institution, Heads of Department | Continuous throughout the term |
| 6. | Monitoring the implementation of TPAD process at county level; zonal, sub county & county | Curriculum Support Officers, Sub County Directors and County Directors | Throughout the term; from 1st week to the last week of the term |
| 7. | TPAD rating meetings | Appraisee (teachers) and appraiser (HODs, deputy heads, Heads of Institution, CSOs, SCD) | By the closing date of the term |
| 8. | Uploading of TPAD data and evidence. | Appraisee (teachers) and appraiser (HODs, deputy heads, Heads of Institution, CSOs, SCD) | Throughout the term |