The Widget Effect
The Widget Effect describes the tendency of school districts to assume classroom
effectiveness is the same from teacher to teacher. The report was published in 2009 by
The New Teacher Project (TNTP). The Widget Effect is a wide-ranging report that
studies teacher evaluation and dismissal in four states and 12 diverse districts, ranging
from 4,000 to 400,000 students in enrollment. From the beginning, over 50 district and
state officials and 25 teachers’ union representatives actively informed the study through
advisory panels in each state.
Panel members provided ongoing feedback and perspective and were invited to submit
unedited written responses to the study’s finding and recommendations. Their insights
supplemented survey responses from over 15,000 teachers and 1,300 principals, and data
from more than 40,000 teacher evaluation records.
The Widget Effect is characterized by institutional indifference to variations in teacher
performance. Teacher evaluation systems reflect and reinforce this indifference in several
ways:
All teachers are rated good or great – In districts that use binary evaluation ratings
(generally “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory”); more than 99 percent of teachers receive
the satisfactory rating. Districts that use a broader range of rating options do little better;
in these districts, 94 percent of teachers receive one of the top two ratings and less than
1 percent are rated unsatisfactory.
Excellence goes unrecognized – When all teachers are rated good or great, those who
are truly exceptional cannot be formally identified. Fifty-nine percent of teachers and 63
percent of administrators say their district is not doing enough to identify, compensate,
promote and retain the most effective teachers.
Inadequate professional development – The failure to assess variations in instructional
effectiveness also precludes districts from identifying specific development needs in their
teachers. In fact, 73 percent of teachers surveyed said their most recent evaluation did not
identify any development areas, and only 45 percent of teachers who did have
development areas identified said they received useful support to improve.
No special attention to novices – Inattention to teacher performance and development
begins from a teacher’s first days in the classroom. Though it is widely recognized that
teachers are least effective in their beginning years, 66 percent of novice teachers in
districts with multiple ratings received a rating greater than “satisfactory’ on their most
recent performance evaluation. Low expectations characterize the tenure process as well,
with 41 percent of administrators reporting that they have never “non-renewed” a
probationary teacher for performance concerns in his or her final probationary year.
Poor performance goes unaddressed – Despite uniformly positive evaluation ratings,
teachers and administrators both recognize ineffective teaching in their schools. In fact,
81 percent of administrators and 57 percent of teachers say there is a tenured teacher in
their school who is performing poorly; and 43 percent of teachers say there is a tenured
teacher who should be dismissed for poor performance. Troublingly; the percentages are
higher in high-poverty schools. But district records confirm the scarcity of formal
dismissals; at least half of the districts studied did not dismiss a single non-probationary
teacher for poor performance in the time period studied (ranging from two to five years in
each district).
Flaws in Evaluation Practice and Implementation – The characteristics above are
exacerbated and amplified by cursory evaluation practices and poor implementation.
Evaluations are short and infrequent (most are based on two or fewer classroom
observations, each 60 minutes or less), conducted by administrators without extensive
training, and influenced by powerful cultural forces – in particular, an expectation among
teachers that they will be among the vast majority rated as top performers.
Center Line Public Schools teachers may use an Action Research Project to demonstrate
student growth if they choose, or they may use three instruments to assess teacher
efficacy: Rubric, based on Danielson Model, Individual Goals, and Student Growth
(MEAP, NWEA, etc).
In the Danielson Model, levels of teaching performance (rubrics) describe each
component and provide a roadmap for improvement of teaching. The Framework of
Teaching is aligned with common core standards. The Danielson Model is divided into
22 components (and 76 smaller elements) cluster into four domains of teaching
responsibility:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Planning and Preparation
Classroom Environment
Instruction
Professional Responsibilities
The Framework may be used for many purposes, but its full value is realized as the
foundation for professional conversations among practitioners as they seek to enhance
their skill in the complex task of teaching. The Framework may be used as the foundation
of a school or district’s mentoring, coaching, professional development, and teacher
evaluation processes, thus linking all those activities together and helping teachers
become more thoughtful practitioners. Center Line Public Schools utilizes the Danielson
Model as one third of an evaluation instrument. The rubric has four categories of
performance: Highly Effective, Effective, Minimally Effective, and Ineffective.
Another one third of the district’s evaluation process is Individual Goals. Teachers must
list three individuals goals linked with student achievement (math, reading, etc.) and data
to prove student achievement.
The final one third is the MEAP/NWEA assessment results that show student growth.
The aforementioned assessments are used as an evaluation of the academic student
development, and effectiveness of teacher instruction. MEAP is once annually; issued by
the state of Michigan. The NWEA is given three times a school – year and is designed to
demonstrate the progress students are making according to this test instrument.
The district exceeds the MCL 380.1249 and .1250 – which requires only two
observations of teachers (informal and formal) to determine teacher efficacy. Center Line
Public School administrators are required to perform walkthroughs in their buildings to
frequently monitor instructional practices of teachers. Additionally, the district is in the
process of implementing peer observations by teachers for teachers to enhance
pedagogical services to students.