The PDAS is a teacher evaluation system created by the Texas Education Agency in response to the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 1995. The goal of the PDAS is to advance the level of the professional practice of teaching in Texas through a teacher appraisal system that incorporates the learner-centered proficiencies in evaluation criteria and that promotes continuous professional development. All public school teachers in Texas, including theatre teachers, are appraised once a year by certified appraisers, using either the PDAS or a locally-developed system that meets state appraisal guidelines, which are available on the web at www.tea.state.tx.us/PDAS . Specific links between the TEKS and TAAS objectives can be found by downloading the following documents:

PDAS and Elementary Fine Arts Teachers
PDAS and Middle School Fine Arts Teachers
PDAS and High School Fine Arts Teachers

The PDAS appraises teaching according to the following eight domains:

Domain I: Active, successful student participation in the learning process.
Theatre students should be actively and successfully engaged in learning at high cognitive levels, e.g., demonstrating critical and creative thinking, problem solving, and other complex thinking skills in the process of solving artistic problems. Students are self-directed, when appropriate, in theatre lessons and activities, and they connect learning in theatre to work and life applications, the other fine arts, and non-arts disciplines.

Domain II: Learner-centered instruction.
The goals and objectives of theatre teachers should be based on the knowledge, skills, and needs of students and the concepts and themes of theatre. Course content relates to the varied interests and characteristics of students, and instructional strategies promote critical thinking and problem solving. Motivation techniques emphasize the integral value of theatre knowledge and skills to involve students meaningfully in the learning process. Whenever possible, theatre teachers make use of available technology. These and other effective instructional strategies for theatre teachers are discussed in the Instructional Strategies pages of the theatre section of this site.

Domain III: Evaluation and feedback on student progress.
Effective assessment of learning in theatre is necessary for students to consistently demonstrate the Theatre TEKS. Student assessment is aligned with class goals, objectives, and instructional strategies. Ideally, theatre assessments meet all of the following criteria:

• Reinforcing student learning
• Individualized to meet a diversity of student needs
• Providing students with constructive feedback
• Giving them opportunities to relearn and re-evaluate difficult course content. 

See the Student Assessment pages of this site for more information and ideas on effective assessment in theatre, including topics such as performance assessment and the use of rubrics.

Domain IV: Management of student discipline, instructional strategies, time, and materials.
Whenever possible, theatre teachers should participate in the development and implementation of their campus discipline management procedures. Some strategies for managing the theatre class include:

• Be clear with students about their expectations for desired student behavior in a theatre environment, intervening and re-directing disruptive, inappropriate, and off-task behavior.
• Reinforce desired behavior when appropriate and interact with students in an equitable manner. 
• Promote and encourage self-discipline and self-directed learning on the part of students. 
• Refer to the Safety pages in the theatre section of this site for more information on safety concerns specific to theatre. 

Example: Students are most likely to be engaged in learning when instruction is well-organized, meaningful, and related to their own lives. Student disruptions are minimal when all students are actively engaged in learning. Teaching to ensure that all students demonstrate the TEKS helps Grade 4 Theatre teachers demonstrate Domain IV on the PDAS. Students collaboratively plan dramatizations, altering space and other environmental variables to define setting, character, action, and theme. They cooperate and interact with others in dramatic play, narrative pantomime, and story dramatization, which provide opportunities for demonstrating the safe use of movement and voice.

Domain V: Professional communication.
Theatre teachers should practice appropriate verbal, non-verbal, and written communication in their interactions with students, parents, staff, and community members. They are courteous and supportive, respectfully addressing individual student needs, such as those of reluctant students or students having difficulty with course content.

Domain VI: Professional development.
Fine arts teachers should seek out professional development activities that correlate with the theatre content in the TEKS, with campus goals and policies, and with the diverse needs of their students. Ideally, professional development activities address needs identified in teachers' past performance appraisals. In addition to seeking out professional development, theatre teachers should constructively collaborate with other teachers to enhance overall student performance.

Domain VII: Compliance with policies, operating procedures, and requirements.
Theatre teachers should comply with all policies, operating procedures, and legal requirements, participating in policy and procedure development whenever possible. Theatre teachers consistently contribute to their school's safe, orderly, and stimulating learning environment.

Domain VIII: Improvement of academic performance of all students on the campus.
Domain VIII evaluates teaching on the basis of its relationship to student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS):

1. Diagnosing student needs and providing performance feedback related to appropriate TAAS-related objectives and the Theatre TEKS
2. Aligning planning and delivery of instruction with all appropriate TAAS-related objectives and the Theatre TEKS
3. Collaborating with other faculty and administration to improve TAAS-related performance of all students on the campus
4. Identifying students who are at risk and developing strategies to assist these students
5. Monitoring the attendance of all students and intervening to promote regular attendance.

To address the criteria, theatre teachers must identify TAAS-related objectives taught or reinforced in their classes on Teacher Self-Report Forms. Though theatre teachers may not be assigned primary responsibility for teaching the skill sequences assessed in TAAS, theatre teachers can reinforce TAAS-related skills while teaching the Theatre TEKS. 

Example: Middle school theatre teachers have many opportunities to help students develop TAAS-related skills while teaching the Theatre TEKS. Students at the middle school define character, environment, action, and theme in dramatic sequences. These students also evaluate the effectiveness of film, television, and live performances—an integral part of the theatre curriculum. These two skills are closely related to two skills tested on the TAAS--demonstrating an understanding of literary elements and evaluating texts.

Data for appraisal of each domain are gathered from observations, Teacher Self-Report Forms, and other documented sources. The data describe teacher contributions in increasing student achievement, making the whole school safe and orderly, and creating a stimulating learning environment for all students.