What makes a meaningful teacher evaluation?
Teachers around the world often view evaluations as scary or unnecessary. This is because most teacher evaluations do not provide sufficient opportunities for learning and growth. I have been on both sides of teacher evaluations, and until recently, I would have agreed with those who claim evaluations are unnecessary because the evaluation systems I experienced did not lead to professional learning nor teacher efficacy. When I first started as a coach, I had no training on how to coach, I was assigned to teachers who did not want to be coached, and I had to fulfill other responsibilities other than coach. Much like Elena Aguilar in her blog “Why Your Coaching Program is Failing”, I knew that it did not have to. Unfortunately, I was not in a position to change the system and left the job. Now with training and experience with California Administrator Performance Expectation 2A, I will be a much more effective coach and evaluator.
Historically teacher evaluations have not led to meaningful, actionable data causing districts to reform evaluation systems. In the 2019-2020 school year, my district piloted a new evaluation process called the System of Professional Learning and Growth, which seeks to change the current “evaluation” structure in order to create a safe, systematic approach that supports teachers in the continuous cycle of professional learning and growth. The System of Professional Learning and Growth allows teachers to pick their coach and follows the four steps of the Collaborative Coaching Cycle: first, a collaborative planning conference, next is the observation and data collection, third the reflective conference, finally, the coaching plan. Throughout this evaluation process is teacher-led and facilitated by the coach/evaluator. In the pilot year, the feedback from teachers and coaches who participated in the System of Professional Learning and Growth was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers reported investing in the evaluation process because they focused on specific growth elements of their choice leading to teacher efficacy.
What does relevant feedback look like?
A critical part of the evaluation process is feedback. In his TED talk, Bill Gates noted that “until recently, over 98 percent of teachers just got one word of feedback: Satisfactory”. I can attest that I was one of those teachers. “Satisfactory” is not feedback that will inspire teachers to engage in professional learning or coaching. In the Collaborative Coaching Cycle, the coach will record the lesson so the teacher will have the opportunity to self-assess before meeting to discuss the observed lesson. The self-assessment is then discussed, along with the data collected during the observation, in the reflective conference. Here the coach and teacher appraise and reflect on the data, and the coach provides resources for professional growth. In this system, the coach facilitates feedback and follows up with a growth plan by the teacher. This feedback will inspire teachers to grow from and ultimately have a positive impact on student learning.
References:
Aguilar, E. (2019, August). Education Week Teacher: Why Your Coaching Program is Failing. Retrieved Sep. 4, 2020, from https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coaching_teachers/2019/08/why_your_coaching_program _is_f.html
Gates, B. (2013, May). Teachers Need Real Feedback. TED-ED Talk. Retrieved Sep. 4, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_teachers_need_real_feedback?quote=2149
Gerber, N. (2019, October). Teacher Evaluation That’s Meaningful. National Council on Teacher Equality. Retrieved Sep. 4, 2020, from https://www.nctq.org/blog/Teacher-evaluation-thats-meaningful
Reiman and Thies-Sprinthall. (1998). Coaching With a Focus. Retrieved August 20, 2020 from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gGVgrXXJSkpj5Ix_3q0FDevzN_mF_SvS/view
Comentários