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Traditional Teacher Evaluation:

One 45 minute (class period) formal evaluation
Teacher provides examples of artifacts meeting the Eight Iowa Teaching Standards and indicators
Teacher meets with administrator for pre-observation to review lesson and for post-evaluation to review lesson
Teacher and administrator meet once to discuss formal evaluation and review write up

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Disadvantages of Traditional Evaluation:

Teachers view evaluation as measurement of ability and not for the purpose of ongoing professional development (Marzano, 2016)
Teachers not having a clear understanding of what administrators are looking for causes stress (Nielsen, 2014)
Teachers often use “familiar” lessons for evaluation because they are comfortable with them (Pierce, 2014)
Basic checklist approaches do not help a teacher grow (Danielson,2010)

Often teachers end up with high marks, but no clear direction on how they can continue improvement (Danielson, 2010)

What the Experts Say:

Marzano and Danielson agree that to implement a new evaluation system requires “principals and their administrative teams to apply and practice transformational, visionary, and distributive leadership theory, harmoniously and with fidelity, to enable the school to rise to the challenges inherent in educational change” (Marzano, 2007)
Lack of consistency among evaluators is a common area among teacher evaluation systems (Rigby, 2015)
It is common for teachers and administrators to view evaluation as punitive process set up to “catch” teachers using poor instructional techniques (Danielson, 2010)
In traditional evaluation systems, the administrator is the driver of the process (setting expectations, writing notes, informing teacher of their performance) (Danielson, 2010)

“Learning is done by the learner through a process of active intellectual engagement” (Danielson, 2010)

What the Experts Say:

The main reason for teacher evaluation should be to precipitate professional learning (Danielson, 2010/Nielsen 2014)

A system must be created to ensure teachers achieve standard benchmarks and also promotes professional growth (Speculand, 2014)
Key elements of evaluations should include self-assessment, reflection on practice, and professional conversations (Marzano, 2007)
Principals must prioritize teacher observations, conferences, and evaluations as it is a high leverage point for student achievement (Rigby, 2015)

To Improve We Must:

Teachers must collaborate with administration to identify observable actions to demonstrate progress towards PD plan and goals
Ensure administrators are explicitly tying observable teacher and student actions/interactions to building improvement goals
Administrators and teachers must meet frequently throughout the year to discuss PD goals and plan

How?:

Create a system of evaluation that aligns to the various evaluation and coaching tools we utilize in the District
Create a system of observation (formal and walk-through) that is collaborative and has common language and evaluation
Create a system of evaluation that promotes growth throughout an entire school year and encourages teachers to take instructional risk and go outside of their comfort zone
Create a system of evaluation that promotes collaboration between teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators

The Plan:

Utilize the following tools to create a system that aligns to Iowa Teaching Standards as well as Core Teaching Capabilities (already utilized for new teachers and instructional coaching cycles)

Use Teaching Practices, Student Actions, and Classroom Interactions indicators from the Post-Observation Co-Analysis as well as Marzano Elements and observable student behaviors to create personalized walkthrough and evaluation documents for each teacher

Based on district, building, grade level, PLC, and individual professional development goals

PD Plans Moving Forward:

All goals will use Core Teaching Capabilities language and POCA/Marzano indicators to help guide planning, collaboration, reflection, and growth
Teacher will collaborate with administrator to build custom walkthrough template for informal and formal observations for the year

Individually Focused Observations:

Instead of trying to find evidence of every standard and indicator, teacher and administrator will focus on growth based on PD plan tied to District, building, grade level, content, and personal goals

An Additional Exciting Opportunity:

Teachers can choose to collaborate with their administrator and instructional coach to undertake a six week improvement cycle in lieu of a traditional evaluation
Includes:

Allows teacher to receive two recertification credits (one for PD plan and one for improvement cycles)
Teachers participating in this option will receive a $1000 stipend for their additional time

Sources:

Danielson, C. (2010). Evaluations that help teachers learn. Educational Leadership: The Effective Educator, 68(4), 35-39. Retrieved from http://www. ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec10/vol68/num04/EvaluationsThat-Help-Teachers-Learn.aspx
Learning Sciences International. (2016). Introducing Dr. Marzano’s teacher evaluation and leadership evaluation models. Retrieved from http://www.marzanoevaluation.com/
Marzano, R. J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Nielsen, L. D. (2014). Teacher evaluation: Archiving teaching effectiveness. Music Educators Journal, 101(1), 63-69.
Pierce, S. (2014). Examining the relationship between collective teacher efficacy and the emotional intelligence of elementary school principals. Journal of School Leadership, 24(2), 311-335.
Rigby, J. G. (2015). Principals’ sense making and enactment of teacher evaluation. Journal of Educational Administration, 53, 374-392.
Speculand, R. (2014). Bridging the strategy implementation skills gap. Strategic Direction, 30(1), 29-30. doi:10.1108/SD-12-2013-0093