I am writing to oppose the elimination of the Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA) position at several schools in OUSD for next school year. The TSA plays a vital role in leading the literacy work at each site. Without a TSA, teachers will not receive the vital curriculum-focused, non-evaluative coaching that helps strengthen instruction in both ELA and Early Literacy. The TSA holds the systems-level literacy coordination work, the data analysis and thoughtful intervention planning, the progress monitoring, the teacher professional development. These are not functions that classroom teachers can just "pick up the slack" on (not to mention that teachers can't handle one more thing added to their plate anyway). For a district that is "Rooted in Reading," the choice to eliminate these roles at ANY sites, regardless of their location in the city, is a grave error.
I am writing to oppose the elimination of the Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA) position at several schools in OUSD for next school year. The TSA plays a vital role in leading the literacy work at each site. Without a TSA, teachers will not receive the vital curriculum-focused, non-evaluative coaching that helps strengthen instruction in both ELA and Early Literacy. The TSA holds the systems-level literacy coordination work, the data analysis and thoughtful intervention planning, the progress monitoring, the teacher professional development. These are not functions that classroom teachers can just "pick up the slack" on (not to mention that teachers can't handle one more thing added to their plate anyway). For a district that is "Rooted in Reading," the choice to eliminate these roles at ANY sites, regardless of their location in the city, is a grave error.