Let’s be honest: being evaluated as a teacher isn’t exactly fun. I generally associate the experience with a frowning supervisor at the back of the room scribbling away on a notepad. It can feel invasive and unfair. This person is going to come into my classroom for a single half-hour period and make judgments about the quality of my teaching for the whole term. Oftentimes, the evaluator has his or her own favorite classroom indicators to focus on, that may or may not align with my own sense of what makes for good teaching and learning, or the ways I feel I need to grow professionally. But just because evaluation isn’t always handled well in schools doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea overall. In this post, I’d like to profile a few evaluation approaches I see as big improvements to the traditional approach described above, and then outline my own vision for effective teacher evaluation.
Get the students involved
The video “Measures of effective teaching: student feedback” shows how useful it can be to stop and ask the students themselves how we’re doing as teachers. In this case, middle school science teacher Paul Ronevich, from the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, reflects on his results from the Tripod student survey, a survey that’s been used by over 100,000 teachers across the U.S. Ronevich’s students gave him high marks overall, but they pointed out that he doesn’t always conclude his lessons in a clear and helpful way. This feedback was practical, something Ronevich could apply in his classroom right away, and he did, with great results. Students interviewed for the story said it felt great to be asked what they thought about their teachers. And it makes sense- students are the ones who spend the most time with their teachers, by far. Why not ask them what they think?
Adopt a clear, research-based framework
One of the best ways to enhance a teacher evaluation system is to rally around a proven system. Robert Marzano’s teacher evaluation framework would be an excellent choice, in that it’s backed up by extensive research showing that its strategies improve student learning outcomes (Marzano, Toth, & Schooling, 2017). If teachers are aware of how they are going to be evaluated long beforehand, and if they have support in learning and applying the indicators, the whole evaluation process starts to feel less intimidating. The feedback can be a lot more specific and constructive, and teachers really do grow as a result.
The ideal system: it’s about balance
My ideal teacher evaluation system would take multiple factors into account. No one metric can capture the quality of a teacher’s work, but careful consideration of multiple factors can offer a rich and insightful portrait. I would look equally at student surveys, value-added measures (meaning student growth on standardized assessments), formal observation, and other evidence of student growth, to be selected by the teacher.
The student surveys should be carefully designed and administered, based on relevant research, to elicit the most helpful kinds of responses. The standardized testing data should be analyzed for growth as opposed to grade-level conformity, so that we don't inadvertently disincentivize working with students who are struggling academically. The formal observations should take place at least twice a year to give continuity to the professional development process, and should include pre- and post-observation meetings, so that the teacher gets the most benefit from the process. The observation format should be based on a research-backed evaluation format, like Marzano’s evaluation model. For the other evidence of student growth, a wide range of learning artifacts should be accepted, to be appraised based on a descriptive rubric prepared by the school.
If carried out in a balanced way, teacher evaluation can provide invaluable feedback to teachers for their professional growth; it can enhance the prestige of the teaching profession and attract talented new teachers; and, most importantly, it can lead to better student learning.
Reference list
Marzano, R., Toth, M., & Schooling, P. (2011). Examining the role of teacher evaluation in student achievement: contemporary research base for the Marzano causal teacher evaluation model. Marzano Center. Retrieved Feb. 19, 2017, from http://sde.ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/TLE-MarzanoWhitePaper.pdf
Teaching Channel. (2017). Measures of effective teaching: student feedback [online video].
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