Developing Great Career and
Technical Education Teachers
How Aligned Evaluation and Professional
Learning Can Promote Teacher Quality
Catherine Jacques and Amy Potemski
December 6, 2013
Copyright © 2013 American Institutes for Research. All rights reserved.
Mission
The mission of the Center on Great Teachers
and Leaders (GTL Center) is to foster the
capacity of vibrant networks of practitioners,
researchers, innovators, and experts to build
and sustain a seamless system of support for
great teachers and leaders for every school in
every state in the nation.
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High-Quality Career and Technical
Education (CTE)
Why Teachers Matter
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The Influence of Teacher Quality on
Student Outcomes
 Teacher quality has the greatest influence
on student achievement, more than any
other in-school factor.
 It is important that we can meaningfully measure and
support CTE teacher performance in order to promote
student success.
Buddin, R., & Zamarro, G. (2009). Teacher qualifications and student achievement in urban elementary schools.
Journal of Urban Economics, 66(2),103–115.
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The Power and Potential of
High-Quality CTE
Improving Educational Outcomes for All Students
 Job projections for the next decade
 College and career readiness, not college or career
readiness
 Better educational opportunities for
students in college-preparatory
programs, too
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What Would High-Quality CTE
Look Like?
State
District
School
Core Academic
Teacher
CTE Teacher
Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
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Aligned Human Capital
Management Systems
To achieve high-quality CTE and promote student success,
it is critical that states and districts support and develop a
high-quality CTE teacher workforce.
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21st Century Educators
 The GTL Center recently published
a brief on how human capital
management policies can either
support or undermine high-quality
CTE.
• Available at gtlcenter.org
 This presentation will focus and
expand on aligned professional
learning.
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Evaluation Policies for CTE Teachers
Alignment With Professional Learning
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What Do We Know About Evaluation
Policies for CTE Teachers?
 Most states (42) allow districts to make many, if not most,
decisions regarding the overall design of the evaluation
system, although states play a key role in providing
guidance and resources.
 CTE teachers are usually categorized as teachers of
“nontested subjects and grades.”
 Policies, measures, and training are rarely specific or
differentiated for CTE teachers.
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What Do We Know About Evaluation
Policies for CTE Teachers?
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What Is the Purpose of Evaluation?
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What Is the Purpose of Evaluation?
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Effective Professional Learning
Focused
Active
Collaborative
Ongoing and embedded
Adapted from High-Quality Professional Development for All Teachers: Effectively Allocating
Resources, http://www.gtlcenter.org/sites/default/files/docs/HighQualityProfessionalDevelopment.pdf
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Professional Learning
That Makes a Difference
Less Effective to Develop
Practice
More Effective to Develop
Practice
One-size-fits-all
Differentiated (focused)
Sit ‘n’ get
Promotes engagement (active)
Once ‘n’ done
Continuous reflection and adjustment
(focused, active, and collaborative)
Removed from practice
Learning from actual practice
(job-embedded)
Sky Mall catalog
Planned scope and sequence with clear
goals and carefully constructed learning
progressions (focused)
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A Developmental Evaluation Cycle
Reflection
and goal
setting
Summative
evaluation
Gathering
evidence
Formative
evaluation
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Linking Educator Evaluation
and Professional Learning
It Is Not Just About…
It Is Really About…
Including student data in
the evaluation system
Analyzing the results in relation to
specific teaching and leadership
practices
Conducting frequent,
reliable observations
Meaningful, actionable feedback and
conversations about how to grow
Rating teachers with a
summative rating label
Linking evaluation results to career
paths, opportunities, and systems of
support
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Focus on Feedback
 Feedback is the link between the evidence gathered and a
change in practice.
• Requires the ability to diagnose instruction or leadership
• Allows evaluators to ask the right questions and hold professional
conversations
• Connects educators to appropriate professional learning opportunities
 Linked professional learning opportunities may include:
• Individual coaching and feedback
• Participation in professional learning communities
• Observation of or consultation with master educators
• Targeted small-group professional development
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The Link Between Measures
and Feedback
Practice or Observation Measures
 Provide direct feedback on instructional practices based on
teaching standards and subject matter.
 Provide feedback on additional resources, strategies, and
opportunities for improvement.
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The Link Between Measures
and Feedback
States and Districts Can:
 Provide guidance on evidence and indicators for CTE
courses and fields.
 Ensure that evaluators have the training, time, and
resources to provide quality instructional feedback.
 Train peer observers to provide quality, content-specific
instructional feedback and reduce administrator burden.
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The Link Between Measures
and Feedback
Student Growth Measures
 Formative student growth data can provide feedback on
the success of various instructional strategies or
approaches.
 Summative student growth data can provide feedback on
the success of instruction overall and the success of
instruction for specific subgroups of students.
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The Link Between Measures
and Feedback
States and Districts Can:
 Use end-of-course exams to provide summative, contentbased growth data.
 Support teachers in gathering other student growth and
achievement data through rubrics and formative
assessments.
 Include growth models for CTE teachers who incorporate
significant academic instruction.
 Use student learning objectives (SLOs).
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SLOs as a Measure
of Student Growth
An SLO is a measurable,
long-term, academic goal
informed by available data
that a teacher or teacher
team sets at the beginning
of the year for all students
or for subgroups of students.
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Types of Measures That
Can Be Included in SLOs
 Industry certification attainment
 Running records of skill attainment and student
performance
 Likert scales of performance
 Rubrics
 Portfolios
 Career and Technical Student Organization competition
results
SLOs must also be based on valid and reliable measures,
such as end-of-course exams or standardized assessments.
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For More Information on SLOs
See the GTL Center’s SLO Resource Library:
http://www.gtlcenter.org/learning-hub/student-learningobjectives
The SLO Resource Library includes:
 Overview information
 Sample SLOs
 Briefs
 Presentations and handouts
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The Link Between Measures
and Feedback
Student Survey Measures
 Provide information on student engagement, classroom
norms and culture, and teacher-student relationships.
 When combined with observation and student growth
measures, student survey measures can provide more
valid and meaningful evaluation results (MET Project,
2013).
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The Link Between Measures
and Feedback
States and Districts Can:
 Provide guidance on using student surveys for all teachers
as one of multiple measures of effectiveness.
 Provide guidance on using student surveys as one
possible source of evidence for a standard in a
professional practice rubric.
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Evaluation Systems as Baseline for
Professional Growth and Practice
Implications for…
 Advocates
 State agency staff
 District administrators
 School-based administrators
 Teachers
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A Practical Model
Aligned Evaluation and Professional Learning
for CTE Teachers
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One Possibility
 School District A
• It is a mid-size suburban district that has CTE courses taught in three large
high schools.
• The evaluation cycle is based on a cycle of continuous improvement and
feedback.
• The district uses SLOs, student surveys, and practice measures.
• The district establishes peer observers to ensure reliability and quality of
feedback.
• It convenes teachers and administrators to help vertically and horizontally
align CTE and core academic curriculum.
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One Possibility
 High School A
• School culture emphasizes collaboration and communication between
teachers.
• Administrators support teacher leaders who work to support connections
between courses and improved teacher practice.
• Administrators allow for periodic common planning time between core
academic teachers and CTE teachers.
• Administrators work with other schools with CTE courses to allow for
periodic peer observation and informal feedback on practice.
• Administrators meet with teachers periodically to discuss performance
goals, student data, and formative performance data.
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One Possibility
 Teacher A
• Teaches architecture and construction courses.
• Is aware of when relevant mathematics concepts are introduced in core
academic classes (such as Algebra 1 and geometry).
• Communicates semiregularly with core academic mathematics teachers
through e-mail and in person.
• Collaborates with core academic teacher to check student understanding
on academic mathematical concepts and addresses misunderstandings.
• Sets goals based on previous year’s performance data and personal focus.
• Regularly analyzes student data to assess impact of instruction, and works
with teacher leaders to adjust instruction accordingly.
• Works with observers and evaluator to identify professional development
based on performance.
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Summary
Meaningful
Evaluation Measures
Meaningful Feedback
District and School
Support Structures
Teacher Collaboration
Improved Instruction as Part of
High-Quality CTE
Improved Student Outcomes,
Student Learning, and
Student Success
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Questions?
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References
Buddin, R., & Zamarro, G. (2009). Teacher qualifications and student
achievement in urban elementary schools. Journal of Urban Economics,
66(2),103–115.
Center on Great Teachers and Leaders. (2013). Database of teacher and
principal evaluation policies. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from
http://resource.tqsource.org/stateevaldb/
Jacques, C., & Potemski, A. (2013). 21st Century Educators: Developing and
Supporting Great Career and Technical Education Teachers. Washington,
DC: Center on Great Teachers and Leaders. Retrieved from
http://www.gtlcenter.org/sites/default/files/21CenturyEducators.pdf
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Catherine Jacques
202-403-6323
cjacques@air.org
Amy Potemski
212-420-0420
apotemski@air.org
1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
Washington, DC 20007-3835
877-322-8700
www.gtlcenter.org
gtlcenter@air.org
Advancing state efforts to grow, respect, and retain great teachers
and leaders for all students
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