Hommocks Middle School
April 8, 2015
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Think of a time you were evaluated.
What comes to mind as you recall this experience?
Mark and Nora Present
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“Teaching matters pre-eminently.
Nothing matters as much as what a teacher knows, understands, and does in the classroom.”
-Jonathan Saphier, March 2008 SCD
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“For the students in our classes, we are the weather.”
-Alan Sitomer
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How do we develop a teacher evaluation system that…?
• Complies with state regulations
• Reflects research on effective teaching
• Motivates and supports all teachers to improve
• Documents underperformance effectively
• Is practical and sustainable to implement
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Components of Teacher Evaluation System
• Well-articulated curriculum
• Shared understanding of effective teaching and learning; common language for instruction
• Clear standards and criteria for teacher evaluation
• School and central office administrators in classes each day
• Data collection from myriad sources (observations, student work, assessment data, parent perspective)
• Frequent, low-stakes conversations about teaching and learning; clear, supportive, evidence-based feedback
• Professional development opportunities (coaching, professional texts and videos, inter-visitation, conferences)
• Evidence-based summative evaluations
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“Teaching is a constant stream of professional decisions made before, during, and after interaction with the student--decisions which, when implemented, increase the probability of learning.”
-Madeline Hunter
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Teachers make
1300+ professional decisions a day.
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In making decisions, teachers draw on…
• Knowledge of children
• Knowledge of content
• Knowledge of pedagogy
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Shared Vision and Language for
Teaching and Learning
Affiliation with Research for Better Teaching
• Studying Skillful Teaching course
• The Skillful Teacher distributed to all new teachers during orientation
• Professional coaching from Jon Saphier
• Analyzing Teaching for Student Results course for all district administrators
• Ongoing coaching for all administrators from Ken Chapman
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“Skillful teachers do what they do because they’ve thought about it and made choices from a repertoire of options.
Skillful teachers constantly reach out to colleagues with an assertive curiosity that says, “I don’t know it all. No one does or ever will, but I am always growing, adding to my knowledge and skills and effectiveness.”
Map of Pedagogical Knowledge
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Clear Standards and Criteria for
Teacher Evaluation
14
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Marshall Teacher Evaluation Rubric
• Adopted by district APPR
Committee in 2010.
• Assesses six components of teachers’ practice:
– Planning and Preparation
– Classroom Management
– Delivery of Instruction
– Monitoring, Assessment, and
Follow-Up
– Family and Community Outreach
– Professional Responsibilities
• Possible ratings: highly effective, effective, developing, ineffective
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• 6 or more mini-observations of every teacher every year (3,000+ in total)
• 1 or more formal, full-period observations of every non-tenured teacher every year
– Carol Priore joins school administrators in observing 1 st year teachers
– Annie Ward observes 2 nd year teachers
– Bob Shaps observes 3 rd year teachers
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Data Collection:
Announced, Full-Period Observations
• Pre-conference
• Full period observation
• Post conference
• Written observation report
• Time-consuming
• Infrequent
• Inauthentic Most teachers teach 900 lessons a year.
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Frequent, Authentic
“Mini-Observations”
• Unannounced classroom visits (approximately
5-20 minutes duration)
• Administrators may confer with students, teachers
• Take notes, gather data unobtrusively
• Subsequently meet with the teacher to discuss lesson
• Provide written feedback
• More frequent and authentic than announced observations
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Sample Mini-observation
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• Teachers set goals in September, then submit written reflection with evidence of progress towards the goal in May/June
• Summative evaluation conference for teachers in May/June using Marshall rubric
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• Monthly “learning walks” in every school every month
– Meeting with school administrators
– Review of mini-observation data
– Classroom visits
– Debriefing with school administrators
– Assignment of mini-observation meetings and write-ups
– Plan for professional development (individual teachers, grade level teams, departments, entire faculty)
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• Ongoing professional development for administrators
– Summer retreats
– Monthly Administrative Council meetings
– Monthly elementary and secondary administrative meetings
• Professional readings
• Case studies
• Simulations, role-play exercises
• Coaching with RBT consultant Ken Chapman
• Ongoing consultation, peer review of written feedback
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• Formal review of non-tenured teachers with the Board of Education in October and
February
• Examine principals’ summary comments and background evidence (mini-observation write-ups, formal observation reports)
• Central administrators provide status update on each teacher, including evidence from their observations
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“For a time, let’s ferociously monitor and evaluate for our clearest, highest instructional priorities. Such a focus will deliver, at long last, the results we want: an ever-increasing level of good teaching and, as a result, an inexorable rise in the proportion of students who are truly prepared for college and careers. We can count on this.”
-Mike Schmoker, “The Madness of Teacher Evaluation Frameworks”
(Phi Delta Kappan, May 2012)
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