By this time of the school year most rotating ATRs have met and have been observed by their field supervisors. For the unfortunate many, who either have had a "U" rating the previous year or was given a poor observation report this school year, the field supervisors bring with them a gift called the " plan of assistance". This plan of assistance is really not much of a plan to help the ATR's pedagogy but is used to go after some weaker ATRs with a second consecutive "U" rating and the ability to fire them with 3020-a termination charges due to incompetence.
The DOE claims the right to file 3020-a termination charges against any educator who has had two consecutive negative ratings. The UFT claims that any ATR that gets two consecutive "U" ratings for incompetence, based solely on the filled supervisor's observation will not be subject to 3020-a charges. However, I wouldn't trust the DOE to continue to follow that approach and it would not surprise me one bit that they start serving ATRs with 3020-a charges for incompetence, starting this school year since they have failed to significantly "trim the ATR herd".
It is unfair that the DOE is using field supervisors to evaluate rotating ATRs since the ATRs have little or no knowledge of the student's academic capabilities and have no ownership of their grade. The union leadership should demand an end to the field supervisors not ignore the unfairness of the observation process and start listening to the most vulnerable of their members the ATRs.
Note: I must say I was disappointed that at the UFT's Executive Board on Monday, MORE and New Action did not bring up the ATR incentive and whether the DOE is telling principals not to permanently hire ATRs who won their 3020-a termination hearings. I would think that our opposition caucuses, whom have previously advocated for the ATRs, would thoroughly question the union leadership on what they are doing about it since its becoming increasingly clear that DOE Central is interfering with principals who want to hire an ATR with the incentive. While I do not expect "Unity" to advocate for the ATRs, I do expect MORE and New Action to represent our interests and in Monday's session they did not. Maybe they will bring it up in January.