Requirements

The district provides two paid exchange days (12 hours) for teachers to attend professional learning during non-contract (off-duty) time by participating in workshops, conferences, seminars, summer, evening, and weekend learning opportunities when pre-approved, completed during non-duty hours and aligned to their T-TESS goals.

Timeline

The annual window for accruing exchange time begins the first Monday in June, following the last day of school, through the last Friday in April. During the 2019-2020 school year, Exchange Time must be earned by Thursday, April 30, 2020. Courses completed between May, and the first Monday in June are not eligible for exchange time.

Documentation

Eduphoria Strive/Workshop will serve as the official record of exchange time requirements being met by teachers during the 2019-2020 school year.

As teachers participate and complete professional learning courses pre-approved by their appraiser and aligned to their T-TESS goals, they are documented in Eduphoria Strive/Workshop. The professional learning sessions might be offered by AISD or through an outside provider.

There are two (2) ways that completed courses are documented in Eduphoria:

  • Session offered in District: Teachers register in Eduphoria Strive/Workshop to attend sessions offered by the district. Upon completion of the course with a participant inked signature, the professional learning credits are added to the teacher’s transcript in Eduphoria Strive/Workshop.
  • Sessions offered outside of the District: Teachers complete the steps below:
    • Complete the “Approval to attend Professional Learning Outside AISD” form with their appraiser
    • Obtain an official certificate of completion as documented evidence outlined by TEA to include:
      • The provider’s name and provider number
      • The educator’s name
      • The date and content of the activity
      • The number of clock hours that count toward satisfying CPE requirements
    • Add a new portfolio entry process in Eduphoria Strive/Workshop to request credit for pre-approved out-of-district or online courses. New portfolio entries are reviewed at the district level, and upon approval, the professional learning credits are added to the teacher’s transcript in Eduphoria Strive/Workshop.

As a point of emphasis, because Eduphoria Strive/Workshop will serve as the official record of exchange time requirements being met, it is imperative that teachers participating in out-of-district and online courses complete the add a new portfolio entry no later than Thursday, April 30, 2020. The campus representative will be responsible for tracking and sending reminders to site/campus staff. This will ensure that the number of professional learning credits reflected on teachers’ transcripts is current when exchange time validation reports are run in May 2020.

Ongoing monitoring of teachers’ participation in professional learning, as part of the T-TESS process and leading to accurate documentation of exchange time, is available to appraisers through Eduphoria Strive/Workshop reporting features.

Note: The district has discontinued the use of the Individual Professional Learning Plan (IPLP) form to document exchange time; however, principals may still elect to use the IPLP for planning purposes when conferencing with the teacher.

Incomplete

Employees choosing not to meet the 12-hour exchange time requirement are docked at their daily rate of pay. Deductions are applied to June paychecks and processed in full-day increments, not hourly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Additional Details

Additional details associated with Exchange Time are available in the 2018-2019 Employee Handbook accessible at the following link:

Additional details associated with Professional Learning are below:

Additional details associated with Eduphoria Workshop/Strive are accessible below:

Should you have questions or need additional information regarding exchange time requirements specific to teachers, please do not hesitate to contact the Professional Learning Department at (682) 867-7500. Thank you!