Teacher Evaluation Reform: A Global Perspective
Dr. Michael Kuchar, Superintendent of Bergenfield
Public Schools
National CCS are here
PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSESSMENT OF
READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS
(PARCC)
Building a Pathway to College and Career Readiness
for All Students
K-2 formative
assessment
being
developed,
aligned to the
PARCC system
K-2
Timely student achievement
data showing students,
parents and educators
whether ALL students are
on-track to college and
career readiness
3-8
College
readiness
score to
identify who is
ready for
college-level
coursework
Targeted
interventions &
supports:
•12th-grade bridge
courses
• PD for educators
High
School
SUCCESS IN FIRSTYEAR, CREDITBEARING,
POSTSECONDARY
COURSEWORK
ONGOING STUDENT SUPPORTS/INTERVENTIONS
4
PARCC Timeline Through Fall 2014
PARCC Tools & Resources
Fall
2012
Partnership
Resource
Center
launched
K-2 tools
development
begins
Winter
2013
Spring
2013
Pilot/field testing
begins
Professional
development
modules
released
Summer
2013
Fall
2013
Diagnostic
assessments
released
College-ready
tools released
Winter
2014
Full-scale
pilot/field testing
begins
PARCC Assessment Implementation
Spring
2014
Summer
2014
Fall
2014
Full
administration of
PARCC
assessments
Excellent Educators for
New Jersey (EE4NJ)
Bergenfield Public School District
Linking Student Achievement to Teacher Practice
• More than two decades of research findings
are unequivocal about the critical connection
between teacher effectiveness and student
learning. The research shows that student
achievement is strongly related to teacher
quality; highly skilled teachers produce
improved student results.
About the EE4NJ Pilot Program
NJ is the 27th State to take on the
teacher evaluation reform initiative.
Teacher Effectiveness Evaluation System
Teacher Evaluation
100%
Student Achievement
(outputs of learning)
50% of total evaluation
Teacher Practice
(inputs associated with learning)
50% of total evaluation
Measures of Student Achievement
include:
Measures of Teacher Practice
include:
•Student achievement on state-approved
assessments or performance-based
evaluations, representing 35%-45% of
the evaluation; and
•Use of a state-approved teacher practice
evaluation framework and measurement
tools to collect and review evidence of
teacher practice, including classroom
observation as a major component,
representing 25%-47.5%; and
•State-approved school-wide
performance measure, representing 5%
of the evaluation.
•Districts have the option of also
including additional performance
measures.
•At least one additional tool to assess
teacher practice, representing 2.5%-25%.
50% Student Achievement
• Measures of student achievement include:
– Student growth on state-approved assessments or
performance-based evaluations.
– State-approved school-wide performance measure.
– Districts have the option of also including additional
performance measures.
• Bergenfield may use aggregated growth of
subgroups, utilizing SAT, ACT, AP, N.W.E.A,
Renaissance Learning, and/or writing
portfolios.
50% Teacher Practice
• Use of a state-approved teacher practice
evaluation framework and measurement tools to
collect and review evidence of teacher practice,
including:
– Classroom observation as a major component.
– At least one additional tool to assess teacher practice.
• Bergenfield chose the Charlotte Danielson
Framework for Teaching, while the District
Evaluation Pilot Advisory Committee is working
with NJDOE to select the additional tool.
About the Danielson Model:
• The Danielson Framework for Teaching will provide meaningful
feedback on teaching performance on an annual basis by ensuring
that evaluators are exceptional.
– Encourages and tracks multiple measures of teacher performance and
student performance, with student academic progress or growth as a
key measure.
– Evaluators will be trained to provide summative rating that combines
the scores of all the measures of teaching practice and student
achievement.
– Contains diverse and distinct summative rating categories that clearly
differentiate levels of performance.
• As the district has been doing for the past few years, there will be a
clear link from evaluation to professional development, as
administrators and teachers, together, plan interventions to address
both student and teacher needs.
Our focus must not be on the one or two underperforming teachers, rather the
wide range of mediocrity- not due to laziness or lack of effort on part of
teacher, but rather a lack of support, direction, and technical skill.
Who is driving the bus to lead better teacher reform through evaluations?
School Administrators! What is the quality control? 5D Assessment- University of
Washington- Quantitative Survey our teachers- Qualitative. Results Professional
Development for Bergenfield Administrators
5D Assessment
University of Washington
Trained all Administrators on:
Evaluator Bias
Collecting Evidence of Learning
Value Added Observation
Shift Paradigm from expert to colleague
( Will know in June how effective we were based
on inter-rater reliability study with pre and post
5D assessments)
Typical Observation Process
1
Administrator
initiates formal
observation.
2
5
Post-observation
conference held
Pre-observation
conference held
Administrator
takes the lead
Administrator
takes the lead
4
Post-observation
evaluation
completed by
Administrator
3
Formal
observation
conducted
Administrator
collects evidence
Administrator-Teacher Discourse
Of all the approaches available to
educators to promote teacher
learning, the most powerful is
that of professional conversation.
Talk About Teaching!
Charlotte Danielson
2009, Corwin Press
Considering Bias
Appearance
Quiet Classroom
Effort/Work Ethic
Hygiene
Gender
Age
Personality
Classroom Appearance
Organization of Instruction Race/Ethnicity
Packet Page 4
What do you think about when
you hear the word “evidence”?
Evidence: JUST THE FACTS!
Evidence is a factual reporting of events. It may
include teacher and student actions and behaviors. It
may also include artifacts prepared by the teacher or
students.
It is not clouded with personal opinion or bias.
Sources of Evidence
• Observations of practice
• Conferences
• Samples of student work
• Teacher artifacts
Making the Most of Teacher Evaluation,
Charlotte Danielson
Milestones:
• General Understanding of the
Framework (rubrics)
• Self-Assess Teaching Practice
• Share Successful Strategies
The Framework for Teaching Charlotte
Danielson
Systematic
Classroom
Observation
The Framework for Teaching Charlotte
Danielson
System for Collaborative Teacher Evaluation and
Professional Learning
1
Administrator
initiates formal
observation
Teacher
completes
planning form
2
5
Post-observation
conference held
Pre-observation
conference held
Teacher takes
the lead
Teacher takes
the lead
4
Post-observation
form (rubric)
completed by
Administrator
and Teacher
separately
3
Formal
observation
conducted
Administrator
collects evidence
Packet Page 12
Framework for Teaching
Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
•Demonstrating Knowledge of Content
and Pedagogy
•Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
•Setting Instructional Outcomes
•Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
•Designing Coherent Instruction
•Designing Student Assessments
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
•Creating an Environment of Respect
and Rapport
•Establishing a Culture for Learning
•Managing Classroom Procedures
•Managing Student Behavior
•Organizing Physical Space
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
•Reflecting on Teaching
•Maintaining Accurate Records
•Communicating with Families
•Participating in a Professional
Community
•Growing and Developing Professionally
•Showing Professionalism
Domain 3: Instruction
•Communicating with Students
•Using Questioning and Discussion
Techniques
•Engaging Students in Learning
•Using Assessment in Instruction
•Demonstrating Flexibility and
Responsiveness
The Framework for Teaching Charlotte
Danielson
Training Evaluators and Teachers
• The district has implemented a rigorous training and certification
process in which evaluators will participate in face to face training,
and online learning using master-scored videos.
– Evaluators will be expected to pass a performance-based assessment
before being certified by the district as ready to evaluate teachers.
– By ensuring a high bar for observer mastery, the district will build in
fairness to teachers, who deserve to be evaluated by trained, highly
skilled evaluators.
• This plan engages teachers, as well, through the use of face-to-face
professional development and online training resources.
• This combination of services and tools for training and certifying
raters, as well as training and resources for teachers, delivered by
the Danielson Group and Teachscape will enhance what the district
has already begun.
Evaluation Data Collection and Management
• Data has never used more heavily in the history of
Bergenfield Public School District.
– Data is linked to teachers, allowing principals and
department chairs to review the scores of different
classrooms
– BPSD has continuously measured progress using real data
to shape classroom learning.
• By using this performance management system, the
district will streamline the evaluation process while at
the same time enhancing its rigor.
• The District is focused on Student Growth vs
Proficiency
• State-aligned computerized
adaptive assessments that
provide accurate, useful
information about student
achievement and growth
• Tailored reports give
educators information to
guide decisions
• NWEA/RenLearn classroom
resources help teachers
directly apply test results
to instructional planning
NWEA
• BPSD has continuously used Northwestern Evaluation
Association (NWEA) assessments.
– Students take online intuitive interactive tests to produce a
RIT score.
– The RIT Scale is a curriculum scale that uses individual item
difficulty values to estimate student achievement.
• NWEA has allowed the district to assess students 3
times per year in grades, 3, 4, and 5 in reading and
math.
– Offers flexibility and enables teachers to intervene in the
middle of the school year.
– Scores allow teachers to tailor lessons to students who are
grouped by identified need.
Renaissance Learning
• For 2011-2012, the district decided to gather
even more data, as the district will be
expanding use of Renaissance Learning
products to assess reading, math and early
literacy. Grades 1-11 will all have formative
assessments by either NWEA or Ren Learn.
• These brief assessments have been proven to
be extremely accurate and will provide even
more flexibility within the classroom.
Bergenfield’s Outcomes
Based on evidence our observations
have become a treasure hunt versus
Versus a witch hunt
Let’s get rid of our most expensive
teacher???
Utilize our own Human Capital to help each other
• One 5th grade teacher had 90% of her students Advanced Proficient in
Math for 3 years in a row when district average was 20%
• Best practices are identified and shared within building and within district
through a Best Practice Wiki
• Identify students by individual skill versus wide range of support
• Give parents access to Ren Learn and NWEA for skill support
• Involve all staff in process. It is not the programs that are effective, it is the
people who use the programs. Expansive Leadership. Utilize the experts in
you buildings- the teachers.
• Administrators must be honest and committed to continuous growth of
the teacher. If everything is always great, are we not really just infantilizing
the teacher? We all can and must keep growing.
Summary
• Every District should have a DEEAC- District Effective Educator Evaluator
Committee
• Every District will have to pilot a teacher evaluation tool in 9/12
• Every district should be curriculum mapping/ revision to align with NCCS
• Every district should be preparing for the transition to the PARCC
assessments for Fall of 2014
• If the curricula revisions are not complete and implemented by 9/2013 our
students will not have optimum positioning for taking PARCC assessments
in 2014.
• Utilize these changes to make your school and district better. It has always
started and ended with the most important variable in education- the
classroom teacher.