Evidence
What is it? How do I use it?
How can it help me?
A Training Prepared by the
PERA Workgroup
Fall 2013
PERA Training – What is Evidence?
The purpose of this training is to hold an interactive session that allows for
discussion. Both the Framework for Teaching (Danielson’s continuum) and
the concept of evidence are integrated so deeply in each other that it is
difficult to determine which should come first (sort of like the “chicken or
the egg” argument).
This training focusing on the concept of evidence is meant to foster
discussion, so we look forward to your participation through questions or
discussion points.
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From the ITED Document:
Chapter 2A, Appendix 5
Evidence refers to data, information, artifacts and
performances that educators and evaluators review in
order to accurately assess or determine educator
effectiveness. The evidence should be judged against
specific teaching criteria or teaching standards,
elements and performance indicators. It should be
objective and based on what evaluators see, hear and
read while observing an educator’s practice or while
engaging in conversations with the educator.
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A Clear Definition of Practice
• The Framework for Teaching guides collection
of evidence of practice…
– that is grounded in actual events, in actions or
statements, in artifacts, or in decisions a teacher
makes.
– that serve as a basis of decision-making
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Evidence of Teaching
How to Gather
Evidence
Classroom Practice
Non-classroom
Practice
Direct Observation:
•Observation of
teaching, with a
planning conference
and a reflection
conference
•Observation of
practice-for example, a
presentation to a child
study team or leading a
meeting with
colleagues
Examine Artifacts:
•Analysis of activities
and assignments for
their cognitive
challenge
•Analysis of student
work
•Planning documentsfor example, a unit plan
•Examples of
components of Domain
4-for example,
Communicating with
Families
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Danielson, C. (2008). The handbook for enhancing professional practice: Using the framework for teaching in your school.
Types of Observation Evidence
1.Verbatim scripting of teacher or
student comments:
“Could one person from each
table collect materials?”
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Types of Observation Evidence
2. Non-evaluative statements of observed
teacher or student behavior:
The teacher stands by the door, greeting
students as they enter.
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Types of Observation Evidence
3. Numeric information about
time, student participation,
resource use, etc.:
Three of the 18 students offer
nearly all of the comments
during discussion.
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Types of Observation Evidence
4. An observed aspect of the
environment:
The assignment is on the
board for students to do
while roll is taken.
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Teachscape Evaluator Training
provides
• An introduction to biases and personal
preferences
• Opportunities to identify biases
• Strategies to help put aside biases and
personal preference.
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Teachscape
• Evidence - “Observer records an event with
no interpretation.” Ex.- The teacher greets
students as they enter the classroom.
• Opinion – “Observer interprets an event
based on own beliefs about good teaching.”
Ex.- The reading assignment is too difficult for
the students.
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Teachscape Bias Training
• Examine the difference between evidence and
bias
• Learn about triggers for underlying bias
• Uncover your underlying triggers
• Create a personal trigger list
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Teachscape Quote
“It is important that you record as evidence only
what you see, hear, or read – not your
interpretation of what you see or your opinion
about it.”
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Evidence vs. Opinion
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EVIDENCE
observable
OPINION
draws conclusions
objective
free of value judgment
not subject to debate
(unambiguous)
subjective
may include value judgment
makes inferences
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Evidence or Opinion Activity
• Imagine you are reading comments from an
evaluator’s observation or summative rating
report.
• Working with a partner examine the
statement. Is the comment an example of an
evidence statement or an opinion statement.
Write E or O after the comment.
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Evidence or Opinion?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
____Students were paying attention during the lesson.
____Raul states “Can you help me. I’m confused.”
____Your kids are making steady progress .
____Lesson plan states “review quadrilateral equations.”
____The students came into the class. 6 students were talking in the back of the room while you were
introducing the lesson.
____Your classroom management techniques were evident.
____English Language Learners were neglected during the lesson.
____Seven of eight students in the group completed the assignment.
____This common core standard was on the board: Explain how an author develops the point of view of the
narrator or speaker in a text.
____Teacher helps students to connect learning to their life experiences and cultural understanding.
____Teacher states “Could the equation we used to solve the hydraulics problem apply to this question?”
____Special Needs student chose a leveled reading book from the basket you gave him.
____There are positive interactions between students.
____Students were working in a group. One person from each group reported out to the entire class.
____The lesson has no relationship to the district’s stated curriculum.
____Teacher visited each group four three times during a ten-minute period.
____ The teacher told the students to put their hands down and pulled sticks out of a jar to call on kids.
____The lesson challenges students to think critically.
____Students cite an average of about six internet sources in their papers.
____ The students do not listen to your instructions.
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Check Your Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
O
E
O
E
E
6.
7.
8.
9.
O
O
E
E
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
O
E
E
O
E
O
E
E
O
E
O
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Students were engaged during the lesson.
Raul states “Can you help me. I’m confused.”
Your kids are making steady progress .
Your lesson plan states “review quadrilateral equations.”
The students came into the class. 6 students were talking in the back of the room while you were
introducing the lesson.
Your classroom management techniques were evident.
English Language Learners were neglected during the lesson.
Seven of eight students in the group completed the assignment.
This common core standard was on the board: Explain how an author develops the point of view of
the narrator or speaker in a text.
Teacher helps students to connect learning to their life experiences and cultural understanding.
Teacher states “Could the equation we used to solve the hydraulics problem apply to this question?”
Special Needs student chose a leveled reading book from the basket you gave him.
There are positive interactions between students.
Students were working in a group. One person from each group reported out to the entire class.
The lesson has no relationship to the district’s stated curriculum.
Teacher visited each group four three times during a ten-minute period.
The teacher told the students to put their hands down and pulled sticks out of a jar to call on kids.
The lesson challenges students to think critically.
Students cite an average of about six internet sources in their papers.
The students do not listen to your instructions
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From the Legal Department:
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Evidence can take a variety of forms, but the
important take-away is that it should be a
reliable way to measure/demonstrate
whatever it is that is trying to be
shown. Different types of evidence show
different things (real/tangible stuff like lesson
plans, representative stuff like a log of calls
made to parents, etc.) and there is a sliding
scale of reliability.
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In the law, there are rules that have to be
met to ensure fairness of the stuff, or
evidence. There are several bargaining
implications here including the rules for
evidence in evaluation—what do you
think is a reliable measure, how much,
etc.
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The stuff that is “in evidence” is all
that can be considered in a teacher practice
evaluation. The administrator has to
present the evidence to the teacher and the
teacher has to present to the administrator.
In other words, the district and teacher
can’t go back after a certain point and add
stuff in if they didn’t try to do that before.
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For evaluation purposes, we want to try to stick
to personal knowledge comments as much as
possible. What did they see, hear or witness
themselves—not what did someone else tell
them. (While opinions can be given as
evidence in legal proceeding, there are special
rules associated with doing so and we want to
stay away from those in teacher practice
evaluations.)
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Evidence also can be categorized as either direct or
circumstantial in nature. Circumstantial evidence
requires an inference to be drawn from it for the
evidence to be relevant. Thus, circumstantial evidence
is used indirectly through inferences.
For example, an Administrator who states “I saw the
teacher yell at the student and heard her threaten to
slap the student,” provides direct evidence. The
statement that “the teacher said something and then
the student started crying which means she must have
threatened the student”, is circumstantial. The teacher
speaking and the student crying both require inference
to prove the material fact, that the teacher said
something which threatened the student.
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Evidence of Non-Observable
Standards/Components
• The Illinois Professional Teaching Standards
and the Danielson Framework for Teaching all
include items that are not usually observed
when teaching a lesson.
• The next activity focuses on finding examples
of evidence that demonstrates teachers’ good
work in these areas.
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Identifying Evidence Activity
• Please read the handout describing the nonobservable Illinois Professional Teaching
Standards or the Danielson Framework (Domains
1 and 4).
• Working together think of what artifacts
demonstrate a teachers work in these areas.
Record these ideas on chart paper.
• Remember to identify some artifacts that can be
used as evidence for more than one standard or
component.
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Evidence vs. Opinion
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EVIDENCE
observable
OPINION
draws conclusions
objective
free of value judgment
not subject to debate
(unambiguous)
subjective
may include value judgment
makes inferences
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