Teacher Evaluation

No matter your profession, when it comes to evaluations, it’s easy to get caught up in a stream of anxiety that insists the evaluation comes has the final piece of evidence someone needs to dismiss you from your job. We can very easily see evaluations as tools to deliver punitive measures, and why wouldn’t we? There is research that suggests teachers can go for years without being observed, and that school districts begin an observation and evaluation process only I f they are seriously considering dismissing the teacher in question.

Of course, this can’t be the pure and true aim of professional evaluation. In order to grow within the profession, you have to be able to observe, reflect, and find a direction or set goals for expansion of skills and knowledge base. To me, this is perhaps the key objective of teacher evaluations. But how does this get delivered? And on what set of unifying standards or guiding principles is it based? These are questions I’ve never really asked myself before, content as a new teacher to let someone take the reins on determining the quality of my performance.

The reference materials included in this activity contained a stand-out piece of literature from The New Teacher Project (TNTP) called Teacher Evaluation 2.0.Combing through and analyzing this document, I find many instances in which TNTP and my own philosophies align to create an honest, multi-faceted, and open approach to evaluating teacher performance.

The first design aspect from TNTP that fits my vision of quality teacher evaluation is that of “Clear, Rigorous Expectations.” As important as it is to impart in our students the idea of a Growth Mindset, and the construction of high expectations and a standard of high academic performance, teachers should be given these expectations from their administrators as well.  Expectations that are delivered clearly and demonstrated through training and practice will enable teachers like myself to become something bigger and better as they progress in their careers. I also like the idea of clear, rigorous expectations because this allows for growth and flexibility, and the ability to tailor expectations to a teacher’s specific field, or even teaching style.

Another element that I feel is important for quality teacher evaluation is using Multiple Measures. Again, TNTP outlines several different areas of performance that can come together to create an overall rating for the teacher. This will of course include, to some degree, student achievement, and while that can be a tricky area to correlate with teacher performance, I expect this facet is always going to be present in a career as a teacher, as your goal is probably very closely aligned with getting your students to succeed.

Finally, the TNTP tenet of Regular Feedback is another element to evaluation that I would like incorporated into my performance ratings. Teachers can be busy running in several directions, working to deadlines, managing the heavy work of assessment and grading and classroom management and practicing fairness, and administrators can likely find themselves in similar situations in their roles. It is easy to see how teacher observation, evaluation and feedback can get swept aside in the business of everyday school life.

However, I find that regular feedback helps me stay on course. As we cycle through our respective duties in the education, it’s all too easy to become lost in our classrooms, analyzing and over-analyzing, pouring over material and Pinterest boards, learning programs and re-assessing our learning management platforms until the day you realize that you haven’t really seen or talked to any of your colleagues for a few weeks. In other words, it’s easy to become isolated, and when one is working in isolation, flash decisions and quick problem-solving can take a bit of a warped turn. It’s meaningful to everyone to maintain social connections, but also consistency observe, share, provide, and receive feedback about performance, and any attendant helpful tips or suggestions.

In looking ahead to the clinical portion of the TEACH-NOW program, I think I can say that I am highly anticipating the regular feedback the most as I continue to craft my teaching style and practices. Though I have to admit, the near-constant observation element is more than a little intimidating.

Sources for this post:

1. The New Teacher Project (2010). Teacher Evaluation 2.0 [PDF File]. Retrieved: https://platform-user-content.s3.amazonaws.com/resources/M4U4A3_Teacher-Evaluation_2.0-20150707115740.pdf