Teacher Evaluation: Part 4 (Final piece)

Final Piece:

Having been evaluated by adminsintrators for 10 years, and seeking to understand teacher evaluation better I'm still wrapping my brain around what are considered "best practices."  Somethings I believe, some things I know, and some things I think you find out on the job, doing the job.  Much like coming out of undergrad into a classroom there is no set design on how to evaluate teachers.  There are some amazing tools that districts have created but there are no universally agreed on structures.  So how is an educational leader to proceed?

Over the last few Blog posts I've been wrapping my brain around what it means to "evaluate a teacher."  I've have lots to learn and much more research to do, but some of the things i have learned will/might beneift others and open conversations.

My final installment on Teacher Evaluation:

Knowledge base is key 

This gives you common language and a common place to being conversations and bring about change.

Create Capacity

Creating capacity means enhacing the ability to move a school, teacher and community forward.  Creating the right environment for growth to occur, similar to tending for a plant (water, sunlight, oxygen, etc.).  Sir Ken Robinson had a great TED talk on this and is still something that I consider to be the foundation of revolution within our education system.

Have a Plan  

Without a plan you may have growth, but it will be by accident.  Doug Reeves created the Leadership for Learning framework (below) and I cannot think of a better explanation of how professional development and teacher evaluation commingle to assess student achievement.

Teacher evaluation is a great opportunity to assess fidelity of implementation of your school or district's mission and vision.  It provides you with an opportunity to assess if your professional development is working on a whole, or if you are 'just lucky.'

Profesional development plan

• Jointly determine goals with agreed upon steps to strengthen skills
• Provide mentoring when needed or asked.
• Provide a timeline for reevaluation.

Ensuring Teacher Quality

• Creditability in the system used to evaluate teachers (How's your PBTE?)
• Be able to answer the statement: Here’s how I know we have good teachers…
• Consistent definition of good teaching
• Shared understanding of good teaching
• Have skilled evaluators
• Promote professional development
• Develop a program for evaluators that Familiarizes self with the structure and framework for teaching, Planning and preparation, Classroom environment, and Instruction.

Professional responsibilities

• Ability to recognize sources of evidence for each coponent and element
• Able to interprete the evidence against the rubrics fr each component level of performance
• Calibrate judgements agains those of the collagues ( adminsotrs collaborate on what good teaching means to them.)

Resources:

• Tomorrows leaders of our community meeting – Teacher evaluation: Chris Lindquist
• ASCD article – Evaluations that help teachers learn
• ASCD Education Update Vol 52 no.12 – Teaming up to lead instruction

Teacher Evaluation: Part 3

Continuing some thoughts I've been having about teacher evaluation brought me to think about the process.  All the steps along the way of being "observed and evaluated", those we as teachers or administrators often overlook.  The word evaluate seems to set up an us vs. them mentality, there must be a better way to describe the process of working alongside teachers to improve student achievement.  Here are some thoughts on the process...

Pre-observation

• Discuss the lesson goals and objectives.
• Discuss the instructional strategies and activities.
• Discuss the plan for assessing student achievement.
• Make sure there are a prescribed set of questions aimed at forming administrator understanding of the complete lesson.
• MOST IMPORTANT: review the process, communicate the process, communicate expectations of the process

Planned observation

• Plan the time over the duration of the lesson (might be a couple of days) to see introduction to closure.
• Script the lesson. (This is a HOT topic right now it seems everyone has their own way of doing it, I don't know if I've found "my way" yet, but I'm not sure writing feverishly everything that is said in the classroom will cause me to miss something that may be more valuable)
• Document times for each transition.
• Use a format that is easy for you to write comments.
• Write down every question the teacher asks (cross reference later for DOK).
• Number times a student is called on.
• Document wait time.
• Document gender/ethnic background of students called on.
• Document strategies used to reach students who are unresponsive.
• Use of probing  to elicit higher level responses.
• Classroom environment
• Number of students engaged
• Seating arrangements
• Collaborative groups and how they are determined
• Stimulus in the room
• Closure or recap of learning goals

Don't leave the observation room until key facts have been documented and feedback has been e-mailed to the observe.

Post observation

• Allow teacher time to reflect on the lesson to facilitate meaningful conversation.
• Copy script and give one to the teacher (script conversation again).
• Complete instrument based on planned observation.
• Create leading questions to open conversation.

Resources:

• Tomorrows leaders of our community meeting – Teacher evaluation: Chris Lindquist
• ASCD article – Evaluations that help teachers learn
• ASCD Education Update Vol 52 no.12 – Teaming up to lead instruction

Teacher Evaluation: Part 2

Creating the right climate

• Clear goals and expectations for student achievement and classroom instruction.
• Formats and structures for regular teacher interaction. (keep in mind that structures must be in place, training must have been completed so that this interaction is proactive and productive and not detrimental to the school community).
• Formalized process for sustained professional development to ensure all staff have the skills necessary to attain goals.
• Systems for formally monitoring and evaluating progress.
• Allocation of resources to accomplish goals.
• Collective, shared leadership to ensure goals and expectations are met.
• Clearly articulated data-driven goals for student achievement and classroom instruction requiring the use of research-based strategies.

Image Credit:
http://mascmahs.org/files/images/advisers/adultshuddle.jpg


Resources:

• Tomorrows leaders of our community meeting – Teacher evaluation: Chris Lindquist
• ASCD article – Evaluations that help teachers learn
• ASCD Education Update Vol 52 no.12 – Teaming up to lead instruction

Teacher Evaluation: Part 1

I have been exposed to a number of meetings, readings and conversations recently around teacher evaluation and the teacher evaluation process.  I thought about covering that over the next few blog posts.  Here's blog post number 1:

Ideas surrounding Teacher Evaluation:

Effective leadership requires

• For administrators - Communication, Visibility and Accessibility
• For teachers - Commitment to collaboration

Administrators in their role as educational leaders:

• Build a common vision, language and knowledge base.
• Focus on learning not teaching.
• Establish a climate of trust.
• Get into the classroom for formal and informal observations.
• Always leave a note for the teacher after being in their room.
• Provide a weekly e-mail to the whole staff communicating generalities about what was observed.
• Ensure professional development that is job embedded, highly effective and spreads best practices.
• Create a curriculum leadership team that includes teachers, community members, instructional coaches, and administrators.
• Share observation and evaluation responsibility to a team of educational leaders.
• Create effective instructional leadership through conditions that allow teachers to be successful, finding ways to monitor progress, providing feedback, and celebrating successes.
• Are committed learners and are humble enough to support teachers and not speak from a pedestal.
• Are lead learners and model learning for others.
• Show support for teachers by carving out time during the day for teachers to collaborate.
• Analyze data from a variety of sources to identify overarching achievement goals and drive important efforts within and across content areas.
• Have strong knowledge of research-based, student-centered instructional methods and model the use of these strategies every opportunity you can.

Cartoon credit: http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rha/lowres/rhan597l.jpg
Idea Credit:

• Tomorrows leaders of our community meeting – Teacher evaluation: Chris Lindquist
• ASCD article – Evaluations that help teachers learn
• ASCD Education Update Vol 52 no.12 – Teaming up to lead instruction