FEEDBACK ON THEIR TERMS

A PATH FOR TEACHER GROWTH WITHOUT ANXIETY

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STEVE CARLSON

DIRECTOR OF GENERAL EDUCATION

HURON ISD

LEARNING TARGETS

• Examine barriers to frequency of administrator feedback to teachers; consider the evaluative weight of administrator feedback.
• Discuss how teachers can receive meaningful feedback from non-evaluators.
• Examine responsible AI usage to amplify, magnify, & multiply the impact of quality feedback.
• Explore one AI tool you might consider implementing in your teacher inquiry cycles.

INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE IMPROVES WITH FREQUENT, SPECIFIC, ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK CONNECTED TO CLASSROOM PRACTICE

• One research study suggests that sustained instructional coaching can improve instructional practice by +0.49 Standard Deviations, with student achievement improving by +0.18 Standard Deviations (Kraft, Blazar, Hogan 2018).
• Context: this moves a teacher from the middle of the pack to top third of your staff, and it provides the equivalent of an extra six weeks of learning to the teacher’s students.

FREQUENCY OF FEEDBACK MATTERS

• Per RAND (2018):
• 76% of teachers reported they improved their instructional practice as a result of their district evaluation system, but:
• Receiving feedback 4 or more times: 83%
• Receiving feedback 2-3 times: 71%
• Receiving feedback 1 time: 67%
• Receiving no feedback: 61%�

WHO PROVIDES THE FEEDBACK?��ACCORDING TO THE SAME RAND STUDY, WE KNOW THIS ABOUT PERCEPTIONS OF WHOSE FEEDBACK�

Found the feedback helpful:

• Informal observation by peers: 86%
• Coach/mentor feedback: 82%
• Informal administrator feedback: 74%
• Formal observation feedback: 73%

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Believe the feedback improved their practice:

• Coach/mentor feedback: 91%
• Peer feedback: 87%
• Administrator feedback: 76%

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LIMITED TIME, CROWDED PRIORITIES

SY20-21 National Center for Education Statistics study suggests:

• Principals average 58.3 hours/week, with the following reported time priorities:
• Internal admin tasks: 29.7%
• Curriculum/teaching work: 25.2%
• Student interactions: 24.5%
• Parent interactions: 15.7%
• Other: 4.9%

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DISCUSSION #1

Choose one or more of these topics with an elbow partner, or choose your own topic!

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• What is your reality when it comes to finding time to get into classrooms?
• What barriers have you experienced to your feedback to teachers be received as helpful vs. evaluative?
• What structures are in place in your school for teachers to get feedback from peers?
• How well developed in your teacher mentoring system in your school?

METHODS FOR PEER FEEDBACK

• Teacher Mentor Programs
• Instructional Rounds
• Learning Labs
• Lesson Studies
• Learning Walks
• Teaching Squares

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All of these can be great, but all of these can be underutilized or detrimental without proper planning/staff training.

SUGGESTED ACTION STEPS

• Conduct a review of your teacher mentoring practices with your SIT and have honest reflections.
• How do mentees feel about the system? Are you training mentors in how to be a mentor? Do you carve out time for mentors/mentees to meet?
• If you have other methods of peer feedback, do a similar reflection. If you don’t consider models that might benefit your system.

DON’T SKIP THE HARD WORK!

• High-quality, professional learning around collaborative practices is a must—AI is not a substitute for this learning.
• AI must be used ethically & responsibly by trained educators to amplify, magnify, and multiply best practices.

WHAT HURON ISD IS DOING

• We are using a tool called Sibme with select educators who have robust training with adult learning principles:
• Early Literacy/Early Mathematics Coaches, who have evidence-based coaching models that they follow.
• Soon to come: mentor teachers who have received multiple trainings on coaching stances, biases, managing complex change, and other topics.
• Goals: all ISD Instructional Coaches use AI ethically and responsibly to enhance their practices, and all Huron County mentor teachers have robust mentor training and can use AI ethically & responsibly in inquiry cycles with their mentees.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

HTTPS://APP.SIBME.COM/HOME/PROFILE-PAGE

DISCUSSION #2

Choose one or more of these topics with an elbow partner, or choose your own topic!

• Seeing how the Sibme tool functions, how might your building use it, or a similar tool, to increase the amount of quality feedback a teacher receives?
• Would you loop yourselves into these feedback cycles or would you lean on peer feedback?
• What guardrails would you establish to ensure the feedback received was targeted, relevant, and of high-quality?

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EARLY FEEDBACK

“The Sibme app was very useful in helping me clarify my goals especially in reflecting with my teachers. It gave me great feedback on things I could enhance and how to dig deeper. I also liked the optional added prompts you could apply to reexamine the conversation in ways you hadn't thought about before which then leads to better coaching. I am finding this app beneficial in all aspects of my coaching position.”

Early Lit/Math Coach

“I really liked that the Sibme app allowed me to upload all of the resources that were used in the lesson and those that built upon that particular lesson. Having the ability to ask very specific questions about the lesson, the content standards, the evaluation model, and type of student interaction was incredibly helpful as I worked to address gaps. Having a video of the same lesson that was done across my hours in the same day was really insightful when feedback was given in the app.”

HS ELA Teacher

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EARLY FEEDBACK

“I loved the idea that I could be in a huddle with my mentee and could give specific feedback without having to leave my classes to view her teaching. ”�

HS ELA Teacher

“Based on the conversations I uploaded, Sibme provided thoughtful feedback, identified trends, and suggested actionable next steps. This helped me refine my coaching practices, better support teachers in reaching their goals, and identify areas for my own continued learning and development. Overall, it served as a powerful reflection and growth tool that strengthened both my coaching effectiveness and professional growth.”

Early Literacy Coach

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EARLY FEEDBACK

“Sibme is non-threatening in two ways.  First, it always tries to be “nice” and include positive feedback with suggestions.  Second, it’s private.  I can tell Sibme “this part is hard for me” without anxiety.”

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Early Mathematics Coach

WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?

SIBME CONTACT INFO

Keshia Swaringam, Vice President of Sales

keshias@sibme.com

(812) 618-5166

SIBME SANDBOX ACCOUNT/FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITY

Thanks for spending time with me at #EdCon26!

Stay Connected:

scarlson@huronisd.org

LinkedIn: SteveCarlsonEdS

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