Thank you for your responses to our question, “What is the biggest challenge facing education today?”
The challenges in education are multifaceted. Your thoughts on insufficient resources, teacher shortages, increasing equity for all students, and an absence in accountability for both parents and students have been heard. Thank you for voicing your passion on issues that must be dealt with in order to enhance our schools. Your insights continue to guide our thinking about policy and how it affects practice, a vital consideration for anyone passionate about improving public education.
Certainly this is a period of intense debate. Recently the fervor on the topic of whether to tie student assessment data to teacher evaluations has gained national attention. In a conversation last week, we agreed that teachers generally want to be held accountable and supported by a fair evaluation system. The Fellows’ opinions varied, however, in terms of whether that evaluation data should be shared in a public forum.
In an effort to further expand our understanding of how teachers weigh in on this issue we have the following questions:
What elements do you believe make a fair evaluation of your professional practice? Should the outcome of that evaluation be transparent to parents and/or the public?
Please share your comment below.
For some resources on how ED has proposed to support great teaching click here.
Also, to hear the thoughts and opinions of the past Fellows on these and other issues click here.
With great hope for the future of education,
Antero, Edit, Jemal, Jeff, Katie, Laurie, Leah, Linda, Lisa, Nick, Pam, Patrick, Tracey, Stephanie and Steve
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There have been several thoughtful post. The elements of the teaching profession that would make a fair evaluation are teaching procedures, classroom management, professional characteristics and subject knowledge. Who would have the task of evaluating teachers?
Should the outcome of the evaluation be made public? Why should it be? What other profession publishes an annual review for anyone to read…and that includes public officials?
1,How do you know you have an accurate understanding of a teacher’s abilities?
2. What is the “best” method to collect data on a teacher’s ability?
Teachers have to be allowed opportunities for growth and development just like in other major professions. They need on the job training with close monitoring, evaluation, and feedback. Student teaching alone isn’t enough. For many teachers, they are thrown into the field of teaching without adequate preparation and no one has the time sufficient enough to help and guide them. With these present factors, teacher evaluations must be used for performance improvement and not as means for dismissal. We need to groom our teachers and help them to become stronger, better educators.
I may be a little late on this one, but I maintain a blog roll of URLs on my website Free For Teachers. The majority of the complaints come from external and internal evaluation being done, but NO FOLLOW UP. Or, the ultimate concern is that after the follow up, there’s no budgeting in place to allow the correction of discrepancies. If the school can’t afford to replace the old chalk boards with white boards, then the students and teachers alike have to cope. The oversight is there, it’s the actionable portion that lacks!
Teacher evaluation is necessary and valuable, but it’s irresponsible to start publishing “evaluations” when there is no consensus on how it can be measured. To assume that a single sample of student performance on a standardized test is an accurate measurement of teacher effectiveness is the equivalent of having all of a physician’s patients come in for a blood pressure test on a single afternoon to determine their heart health and the physician’s efficacy. The student assessments that are being used to “evaluate” teachers were never designed for that purpose and that’s why most teachers are resistant.
One of the most difficult problems is how we assign “credit” or “blame” for student outcomes. If we know that developmental rates vary and that retention is often tied to cross connecting information across content areas, which teacher should get credit for Johnny’s learning? What about inclusion teachers or specialists? How is their impact measured? What if a “bad” teacher had a “great” sub during an extended leave of absence?
There have been several thoughtful posts here as to what factors should be included for an evaluation process to be meaningful. A good internal evaluation system should be used to identify excellent teachers for leadership, improve teachers who are weak, and counsel out teachers who are incompetent. A peer evaluation such as National Boards is a strong external verification.
Student test scores should never be used as “stats” as if teaching were a competitive sport and, in fact, one could argue that to publish them potential violates the privacy of not only the teacher but of the students. If publicly posting teacher evaluation is suppose to somehow “warn” parents about the “bad” teachers to avoid and give them a “heads up” so they to request the “good” teachers, then the problem lies with administrators and elected officials who lack the competence or the will to effectively manage human resources.
There are some excellent and detailed posts here already, so I won’t go into too much detail. The bottom line is that many/most politicians and members of the public think of evaluation as quality control, period. In effective practice, evaluation should be ongoing, growth-oriented feedback, creating a trail of evidence that the teacher, in collaboration with students, parents, fellow-teachers, and all school staff, is able to recognize and address student needs. I mean academic and social/affective needs that relate to comfort and success in school. The teacher should demonstrate the ability to apply a critical, analytical lens in self-evaluation and adjustment to practices, and provide evidence that their practices (usually) bring about desired results. Usually, not always – because all complex, creative and challenging work involves some failures.
I am not inclined to agree that the evaluations should be made public, without knowing the purpose of that move. I don’t think there’s much evidence that such an approach will improve the quality of the evaluations or the teaching, and I believe it’s more likely that such an approach would cast a certain uneasiness over the process. The public is entitled to monitor the school, but not down that level. I might be persuaded if the argument were limited to opening the file within the framework of some type of discussion at the school level, something involving current students/parents who raise a particular concern relevant to the evaluation process. But not posted for all to see.
A teacher’s work is multi-faceted and complex; the evaluation process should be similar. Renee’s post above shares many of my own thoughts on how a comprehensive evaluation process might be made. I do think parents and students should be allowed a voice in those evaluations. I also believe the evaluation process should include a “snapshot” of items other than standardized testing: a purposeful conversation about how I plan my lessons; a purposeful conversation after an observation to link my performance to professional development; credit for any leadership roles and/or extra responsibilities I’ve taken on, such as Academic Decathlon Team, etc. Again, a multi-faceted evaluation system that rigorously attempts to ascertain my effectiveness.
Although I have a much more extensive reponse to this question than I could post here, I would like to share a few key points. Starting with the second question, I do believe results of teacher evaluations should be made available to parents and students.
A “fair” evaluation of my professional performance would also have to be an effective, accurate, pedagogically sound process. That would have to include:
-examination of my preparations and rationales for the teaching techniques used in my classroom;
-multiple observations by skilled evaluators (which would have to include other teachers, preferably in my subject area) of my implementation of those techniques with variety of students and topics, including de-briefing discussions with me for at least some of those observations;
-review of my development and use of formative and summative assessments of student work, and how I used the data from those assessments to make adjustments in my teaching for specific students;
-consideration of my efforts to pursue appropriate professional development both mandatory offerings and those I seek at my own expense or time (this would include PD obtained through web, social networking, etc.)
-feedback from students both formal (such as test data, performance assessments, senior projects, success in subsequent endeavors) and informal (surveys, interviews).
-feedback from parents on how well I worked with them (or attempted to), informed them, involved them in their children’s learning;
-commentary (preferably with documentation) from my building level administrator on my participation as part of the school-wide educational team towards the school mission, as well as more general employment performances (attendance, paperwork, other assigned duties)
-a self-evaluation in which I reflect upon my strengths and weaknesses as an educational professional, and my plans for addressing those areas of weakness.
As you can see, this is not a quick, cheap, nor easy process, and such thorough evaluation is rarely done well at individual building or district levels–which has great bearing on the gaps we see in student achievement. The need for a true and fair evaluation of my teaching was my primary motivation for seeking National Board Certification.
as a local union rep. for my school and working in special ed., i feel that evaluations should be based on a child’s progress from the beginning of the school year. and we can not expect to keep up with other kids on state tests. our goal for them and all students is to progress and be mainstreamed as much as possible, not count their test scores that will affect the entire school’s score.
What elements do you believe make a fair evaluation of your professional practice?
I agree with Gary, the Charlotte Danielson framework really embodies the main attributes of an excellent teacher. It is well utilized already and tested. The best part is that it advocates growth and projects a path by which every teacher could map out a plan for growth and improvement. I also believe that it gives a way to answer the concerns that teachers have over being measured too narrowly.
If DOE doesn’t like Danielson’s framework, then I’d suggest something like the National Board process. Again it is because it is multi-dimensional…and asks teachers to produce student work samples that prove that they have achieved certain goals. It would be fantastic if we had to demonstrate that we know how to plan, to use curriculum objectives, use data to change up our instructional practices and so on. National Board also emphasizes the importance of classroom culture and being responsive to the community from which your studnets come.
Should the outcome of that evaluation be transparent to parents and/or the public?
I don’t know exactly what “transparent” means. I certainly think that our personal evaluation shouldn’t be public. I don’t know of any other profession that publishes an annual review for anyone to read…and that includes public officials. Why should teachers be any different?
That said, I do believe that parents and the community deserve a reasonable explanation of what is going on in the classroom. I guess I don’t know what DOE thinks it’s role is here. don’t we have local school boards that are charged with this responsibility? Isn’t it their role to oversee this kind of micro level examination and are in the best position to take action if they see a problem area? I think they have the authority and develop a layperson’s expertise in understanding the subtleties of assessment data. I would see that they also know how to manage the reporting of data to the voters that elected them. Why wouldn’t we continue to use the system of checks and balances that are already in place?
Here’s a great idea. Let’s hold all the politicians to the same level of accountibility as they would deem for us. It is only fair and equitable to expect all public servants to have to prove their worth to ” The People”. If this point was ever discussed in any reasonable manner, I’m sure the public would be very interested. Why is education always the scapegoat for the failures of most of the rest of the government?
“If you talk the talk, then walk the walk”
I am curious about what measurement of student performance will be used to measure whether myself and my students were successful in a given year. At this point we are measure by AYP. This is a totally flawed process it does not measure apples to apples. it is a one size fits all measurement. You cannot compare a school where parents are totally involved, and a war chest of $$ for the PTA, where students come ready to learn every day, compare to my school that has none of these. it is inherently unfair.
If my school has certain criteria set for it based on student population, community characteristics, growth potential. and a reasonable assessment to use….some sort of system of continuous improvement could be implemented. It would have to be based on how my students did/improved comapred to ?…that is the question.
I would love to see some of these master teachers in these “cake” teaching schools, try and come to my school. We have come a long way in the last 5 years, but parent accountability and investment in hisotrically beaten down communities has to be part of the equation. Success cannot rest on the teacher’s shoulders alone.
Teacher evaluation is a multifaceted process and should link professional experiences and student outcomes to a deliberate model of professional development. Appropriate professional development experiences should focus on the stages of teacher development that range from novice to expert. By doing so, professional development thus becomes focused on what an entering teacher needs for success as well as what experienced educator needs to extend the teaching and learning process. Placing the most effective teachers in schools and classrooms with our lowest achieving students should be viewed as the highest compliment a teacher can obtain.
Student outcomes should be linked to teacher evaluation systems as one indicator of teacher quality and teacher effectiveness. Linking student outcome performance to individual teachers holds everyone accountable—the student and the teacher.
VAMs are currently (nor in the foreseeable future) not reliable nor valid. How is it possible that the US DoE can support these mistaken evaluations when the BOTA wrote you a letter describing all of the technical (e.g. not statistically valid) reasons why VAMs should not be used to evaluate teaching? While it is intuitively appealing that student test scores should correlate with teaching ability, the statistical models do not support that assertion.
The US DoE has backed the worse type of reform possible (one that has no possiblity of ever making a difference in student learning). With billions of dollars at stake you have thrown all of your support behind teacher evaluations that are not statistically possible. How likely is it that the public will ever support a huge investment in public education (that is still desperately needed) after this horrific failure?
Improvements in student learning will only occur after there are sustainable improvements in classroom instruction. These VAMs will not reliably identify the best teachers o nor will they provide *any* guidance about how to improve classroom instruction. What a SNAFU.
I have been in the educational system for 32 years. The biggest challenge facing education today is the crippling class sizes in elementary schools all across our nation. Individual states slice programs, teachers, etc. and schools are forced to do more with less. There are up to 30+ students in some elementary classrooms of today with no aides. Children do not have the stability that children of the 50′s and 60′s had. We need to realize that what happens to our students happens to all of us.
Until we really face the challenge of poverty, no amount of evaluation or merit pay or corporate changes will make a lasting difference. The idea that we should trust education to business practices is absurd. Business is a selfish endeavor – education cannot be selfish. Schools are a public good, not a business. An education is not a product. My students are not my customers.
Why is it fair to rate a teacher’s salary based on one test given on one day of the year? Many students don’t test well and many have disabilities but are held to the same standards as nondisabled students. Also how would you rate all of the non classroom teachers such as PE, music, art, media and special education?
If you really want to be fair, you can’t just evaluate the teacher for a child’s performance, you need to evaluate parents as well. The teacher provide all the best practices in the world, however if a child does not have support from their parent, it will be very difficult for child to succeed. Every stakeholder in a child’s life should be evaluated for failure or success in school. Every stakeholder in a child’s life should also have a consequence if child does not perform well in school. If you connect a teacher’s paycheck to a child’s performance. I say you should then send a bill to the parent as well. Parents are the first teacher, and they too must pay a price if child does not succeed in school. I bet if parents had to pay a bill if child does not improve in school, they would be more willing to really work in a collaborative manner with the teacher. As it stand now, if child fails parents are in no way impacted. The teacher on the other hand has the full responsibility for a child’s success in school and it’s just not fair, or logical to think a teacher performance is the only key to a child’s success.
I think Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for teaching is a great place to start.She firmly views evaluation as a tool for professional growth, not an end in itself or hammer to use on teachers. Evaluations must also be done by well trained professionals who have the time to devote to them sufficiently. Basing a teachers performance on student growth measured by high stakes tests is the worst form of evaluation. Until a method has been tried, evaluated and proved in its objectivity and reliability it should not be publicly posted.
Question – what empirical support suggests that this evaluation type is accurate, given that most assessments have major flaws, such as large standard error of measurement, or low reliability coefficients?