Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
Michigan Education Association
Spring 2011
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• The Michigan Revised School Code closely
links teacher evaluation (380.1249)and pay for
performance (380.1250) together. Pay for
performance depends, in part, on a teacher’s
evaluation which must be tied to student
growth. The link to student growth has
created the greatest challenge to local
implementation.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How has teacher evaluation changed:
– Teachers and school administrators must be
evaluated annually (*note that the language states
evaluated not observed)
– The evaluation process must have multiple rating
categories
– The evaluation must provide timely and
constructive feedback, and multiple opportunities
for improvement
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How has teacher evaluation changed:
– Student growth must be considered as a
“significant factor” (*note that MDE now takes the
position that this must be defined locally through
the collective bargaining process) in the evaluation
and determined using national, state, and local
assessments , or other objective criteria. The
language of the law provides a good deal of
flexibility to implementation.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How is the new teacher evaluation process to
be used by the districts?
– The law states that evaluations should be used to
help make decisions about--• The retention and promotion of teachers
• In recommending tenure and advanced certification
• Helping teachers improve in their teaching practices,
particularly when there are deficiencies by proving
ample opportunity to improve
• To provide for pay for performance
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How does the MEA suggest a local association
implement the student growth requirement?
– While it is the decision of the local association and
district on how to define student growth, the MEA
suggests that the greatest weight should be
placed on local assessments, such as end-ofcourse tests, pre and post testing, teacher
developed tests, student artifacts (projects,
portfolios, etc.). State assessments, such as the
MEAP or ACT/MME, are better suited to a whole
school application rather than individual teachers.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How much weight should student growth be
given in the overall evaluation process?
– The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has
taken the position that the definition of student
growth is a local decision reached through the
collective bargaining process. The MDE recognizes
that it has no authority in law to determine what
“significant factor” means and, therefore, will not
offer any further guidance.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Is there a reasonable approach to defining
student growth?
– The MEA suggests the following distribution of
weight be given to the components of student
growth:
• State Assessments no more than 15 %
• Locally selected standardized tests no more than 35%
• Locally developed assessments about 50%
– This may include student achievement case studies
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• What percentage of the overall teacher
evaluation should be attributed to student
growth?
– The MEA suggests that 20-25% of the overall
weight of a teacher’s evaluation should be
determined from student growth. The remaining
75-80% of weight should be determined from the
locally agreed upon evaluation method which may
include an observation of the teacher’s
performance.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How will the MDE link student achievement to
a teacher?
– Beginning this fall the MDE will return to districts
reports which link student achievement on state
assessments to any teacher the student had
throughout the year. This means at the high
school level all 6 or 7 of a student’s teachers will
receive a report on how the student performed on
the ACT/MME.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How will the MDE reports impact middle
school and elementary teachers?
– Middle school and elementary teachers will be
linked to the performance of the previous year’s
students on the current MEAP test. For instance a
third grade teacher will receive a report on how
the previous year’s third graders assigned to that
classroom performed on this year’s test.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How will the linkage between the teacher and
the student be made?
– At the end of this academic year each district will
report to the MDE the link between the teacher
and the student by providing the student’s
schedule. It is very important that teachers have
an opportunity to verify the list before it is sent to
MDE to avoid discrepancies in the returned
report. Errors can and will be made.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How will the performance status of each student
be reported by MDE?
– The MDE will not be reporting a numerical value for
each student’s performance on the state assessment,
rather one of the following status indicators will be
reported for each test taken:
•
•
•
•
•
Significant increase
Increase
Maintaining
Decline
Significant decline
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Does the MDE suggest how the reported data
may be used at the district level?
– The MDE has taken the position that it is only
obligated to report the information back to the
district. How the information is used, if at all, at
the district level is a local decision. The manner in
which the data is reported back will make it
difficult to determine use at the individual teacher
level but may be useful in the aggregation at the
whole school level.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• What considerations should be taken when
determining the use of state reports at the school
level?
– As with any set of data on student achievement some
consideration must be given to students who should
be excluded from the final weight placed on student
growth. For instance, students who were not enrolled
in the school for a full year, students with poor
attendance records, students who have had extensive
periods of suspension, or who have been expelled,
etc. These exclusionary considerations should be the
subject of bargaining.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Are the reports sent to the district able to be
accessed by the public?
– There is no absolute answer to whether the
reports will be available through a FOIA request.
However, the MDE plans to take steps to lessen
the availability of the reports to the public by
including the names of the students linked to each
teacher in the report and protect the information
under FERPA. Each report will also be considered a
draft report not assured of complete accuracy
which may prevent a successful FOIA request.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Are there other reporting requirements
regarding teacher evaluation?
– Beginning in Spring 2012 each district must report
to the MDE the evaluation status of all teachers
employed by the district. Each teacher must be
rated as highly effective, effective, or ineffective as
required by federal legislation (the State Fiscal
Stabilization Fund Act of 2009). Districts which use
other multiple rating categories must align the
district terms to the state’s terms.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Will this information be released to the
public?
– The MDE must send a report to the federal
government identifying the percent of teachers in
each category. The MDE report will be an
aggregation of the data sent in by districts and will
have no names attached. However, the
information sent to the MDE from the districts will
name teachers and could be subject to a FOIA
request at the local level.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Has the MEA developed a model for teacher
evaluation?
– The MEA, AFT-Michigan, MASSP, and MEMSPA
collaborated together to develop a guide to
implementing the new teacher evaluation
process. The document is known as the
“Framework for Educator Evaluation” (FEE) which
has been endorsed by the Michigan Department
of Education. It is a collaborative approach to
evaluation between the building administrator
and the teacher.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• How does collaboration occur in the FEE model?
– The model relies on identified school improvement
goals at the district level and building level as well as
some organization of staff into professional learning
communities, grade level committees, or
departmental committees. Every teacher is expected
to be a member of a committee and develop
improvement goals for the team and from there
develop individual goals. The building administrator
and teacher agree on an individual professional
growth plan where the goals are implemented.
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• Remember to strive to develop an evaluation
plan that is
–Rational and Defensible
Teacher Evaluation and Pay for
Performance
• What does the law require relative to teacher
compensation?
– Section 1250 (1)(MRSC) “…The assessment of job
performance shall incorporate a rigorous,
transparent , and fair evaluation system that
evaluates a teacher’s or school administrator’s
performance at least in part based upon data on
student growth as measured by assessments and
other objective criteria.” Hence the link between
evaluation and pay for performance.