Making Sense,
Improving Learning
Teacher Evaluation Implementation
Moving from Compliance to Coherence:
Enhancing Professional Learning and Growth
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Objectives
Participants will…
 Reflect on current district/school efforts and plan ahead
for implementing 2015-16 educator evaluation and
support systems
 Interact with practical resources and tools to support
the work of educator evaluation and professional
learning in your district/school
 Explore ways to improve existing systems and better
integrate key initiatives
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What We Intend To Convey:
1.
Keep The ‘Big Picture’ In Mind
2.
Collaborative Process with All Stakeholders
3.
Communicate So Everyone Knows the Work
4.
Align District Work With Reform Initiatives
5.
Modify and Adjust  Continuously Improve
6.
Purpose  All to Improve Teaching and Student Learning
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What Do You Think?
 Read the article, “What It Takes to Change Ineffective
Practice”, by Atul Gawaude (5-7 Min)
 Look for  What does this article have to do with our
theme, Moving from Compliance to Coherence?
 Partner up and discuss the implications for district
school leaders (5 Min)
 Share ‘takeaways’ as a whole group (5 Min)
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What Constitutes Coherence?
The quality of being logically integrated: work together in
an integrated way to implement an articulated strategy
Achieve coherence by:
1.
Connecting the instructional core with a district-wide
strategy for improvement
2. Highlighting the district elements that can support or
hinder effective implementation
3. Identifying interdependence among district elements
4. Recognizing forces in the environment that have an
impact on the implementation of strategy
Childress, Elmore, Grossman, King (2007)
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Strategy
 Set of actions a district deliberately undertakes to
strengthen the instructional core with the objective of
raising student performance district-wide
 Gaining coherence among actions at the district, school
and classroom levels will make a chosen strategy more
scalable and sustainable
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Here Is One Approach….
Making Meaning Work
Through TEVAL System
 Background of the Waterford Public Schools
 2012-13 SY Piloted the SEED Model of TEVAL
 Prior to that only non-tenured teachers observed,
tenured teachers had professional goals
 District focus on Literacy and understanding and
implementing the Common Core Standards
 Additionally to build capacity of teacher leaders
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Pre-Step: What will be the
Context of the Process?
 Honored current practice
 Commitment to Continuous Improvement
 Not ‘one more thing’  Next Level of Work
 Sane Approach
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Use of time (District PD, Monthly Faculty Meetings, Weekly
afterschool PLC, and strategic release time)
Regular and on going support of Instructional Coaches
Teacher Leader leads (Grade level / Department) PLC
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1. Big Picture  How Will This
Improve Student Learning
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Building on the work  Coaching and feedback
Have a well thought out collaborative process that makes sense and
translates external mandates into the work of the district
Summer Admin Retreat


Unpack summative data
Set focus for the work (goals and PD)
Convocation

Handout: District Theory In Action
Yearlong Focus
Tangible Support (Time, Training, & Feedback)
Annual Report
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“Theory of Action” Definition
 Set of beliefs, understandings, and assumptions about
which improvement efforts will generate what desired
changes and why
 A mental map that shows the relationship between
improvement strategies and intended results
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Importance of a
Theory of Action
 “Connect the dots” among the work at various levels
and in various divisions of the district
 Points the way to strategic decisions that align
structures and resources
 Allows for distributing leadership by building collective
ownership and understanding of improvement efforts
 Provides vehicle for organizational (collective) learning
providing explicit and testable hypothesis
 Shines the light on where in the organization (and on
what) you should be looking for evidence of
improvement
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Theory of Action:
Simple Visual

Point A:
Current Reality
(AS IS)
Improvement
Strategies

Point B:
Desired State
(TO BE)
Theory of Action:
beliefs, assumptions,
understandings
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Theory of Action:
Brief Review
 A through-line from beliefs about teaching and
learning…
 To the main hypothesis (if/then statements)… and
drivers…
 To your specific leadership action plans/drivers…
 Includes “how you will know” evidence…
 Is practical and looks forward…
 Makes your leadership theory explicit
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Establishing Priorities from a
District Theory of Action
 Standards and essential understandings for student
achievement for all
 Efficacy as a belief system to promote achievement
 Data as the vehicle for examining progress
 Collaboration as an environment to focus on learning
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2. Collaborative Process with All
Stakeholders
 SEED
 Instructional Rounds
 Professional Development and Evaluation Committee
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Diverse Committee
Discussions through reading of articles (Handouts)
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3. Communicate So Everyone
Knows the Work
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
Admin
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Summer Retreat
District Goals
Reoccurring Topic at Ad Team Meetings
Teachers
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Convocation
Faculty Meetings
Goal Setting
Post Observation Conferences
Board of Ed
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District Theory of Action
Convocation
Annual Update Report
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4. Align District Work with
Reform Initiatives
 We can not do it all at once
CT Professional
Learning System
 What is the Next Level of Work
that provides us with the biggest
levers to improve instruction?
Educator
Evaluation
and
Support
Smarter
Balanced
Assessment
CT Core Standards and
Other Relevant Content
Standards
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The Instructional Core
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5. Modify and Adjust 
Continuously Improve


First version of TEVAL  not seeing improvement in student
learning, compared to the time spent on formal write ups.

Adjustment  Focus of this system should be the post conferences,
to afford coaching to improve instruction

Professional Development  Ad team time on what good
instruction looks like and what to prioritize as a discussion point in
a post conference

Professional Development Instructional Rounds Process
Moved from all Formal Comprehensive Observations to more
Formal Mini Observations


Why  how much time is sufficient to gather conversation points
Why  Which is more authentic schedule observations or drop in
observations?
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6. Purpose  All to Improve
Teaching and Student Learning
 Instructional Coaches
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Literacy
Math
Technology
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Are We Achieving Coherence?
 Have we connected the instructional core with a districtwide strategy for improvement?
 Have we highlighted the district elements that can
support or hinder effective implementation?
 Have we identified interdependencies among district
elements?
 Have we recognized and addressed forces in the
environment that have an impact on the
implementation of strategy?
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Moving from Compliance to
Coherence
 Move from Mechanical Use and Routine to Refinement
and Integration
 Continue to develop new systems, structures and
efficiencies in order to increase feasibility of
implementation
 Expand levels and types of support provided to
individual educators, schools and districts to support
implementation
 Support professional learning that enhances educator
practice and, in turn, results in improved student
outcomes
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Final Thoughts

Keep The ‘Big Picture’ In Mind

Collaborative Process with All Stakeholders

Communicate So Everyone Knows the Work

Align District Work With Reform Initiatives

Modify and Adjust  Continuously Improve

Purpose  All to Improve Teaching and Student Learning
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Thank You For Participating
 Please Complete the Survey
 Feel Free to Stay and Ask Questions
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