Early Childhood Teachers in State Educator Evaluation Systems offers resources on
observations of teacher practice, student learning and growth, professional development, legislation and policy guidance, and national resources to support early childhood teachers in state teacher evaluation systems.
Almost always it is the case when a counterpoint is needed for an article such as this, that a teacher says they see «value» in the system, but almost if not every time it is because of the increased professional
observations of teacher practice, not the value - added component or the value - added data derived.
Known as the HEDI rating system, this approach to teacher evaluation draws upon multiple measures, including student growth measures and
observations of teacher practice.
We examine a unique intervention in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to uncover the causal impact on school performance of an evaluation system based on highly structured classroom
observations of teacher practice.
For instance, strong qualitative methods would help with direct
observation of teacher practice.
Teacher coaching begins with a 30 - 90 minute observation where the consultant completes
an observation of teacher practices and student behavior.
Not exact matches
The mentor is also trained to do objective
observations of teaching so that evidence may be collected
of a
teacher's current
practice.
In this context, the responsibility
of schools is to ensure high quality assessment
of classroom
practice as part
of accreditation and registration as well as developing a growing understanding
of the use
of classroom
observation and feedback as key tools for improving the quality
of teaching and learning
practice for individual
teachers, teams and schools.
For instance, in the Measures
of Effective Teaching project, we learned that even with trained raters, a single
observation of a single lesson is an unreliable measure
of a
teacher's
practice.
Another study will assess the impact
of different frequencies
of observations on
teachers and whether
teachers trained as observers also improve their own classroom
practice.
At the very least
teachers should be trained in the
practice of observation and feedback.
They argued that there is a growing professional and academic understanding
of the use
of classroom
observation and feedback as key tools for improving the quality
of teaching and learning
practice for individual
teachers, teams and schools.
Student feedback, test - score growth calculations, and
observations of practice appear to pick up different but complementary information that, combined, can provide a balanced and accurate picture
of teacher performance, according to research recently released from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Try this thought experiment with another observed
practice to illustrate my point about how the results are being mis - reported... The correlation between student
observations that «My
teacher seems to know if something is bothering me» and value added was.153, which was less than the.195 correlation for «We spend a lot
of time in this class
practicing for [the state test].»
Based on the literature reviews,
observations in the schools and meetings with the departments at the Ministry
of Education, the team presented several key policy considerations to the Ministry: (1) utilize a website, the National Play Day, and the Jamaican Teaching Council as platforms from which educators can develop and share best game - based learning
practices; (2) promote a culture
of collaboration through the Quality Education Circles (local discussion groups for educators), and by allocating time for
teachers to develop and share game - based learning strategies; (3) provide resource support for schools in the form
of workshops and training; and (4) create a monitoring and evaluation plan to be conducted at the school level.
• Classrooms open to
teacher colleagues for
observation and analysis In order to articulate a problem
of practice teachers must make use
of instructional data which they collect through
observations of their colleagues» classrooms and contrast current
practice with their shared expectation
of effective instruction for the identified learning problem.
The authors point out that the Cincinnati system
of evaluation is different from the standard
practice in place in most American school districts, where perfunctory evaluations assign the vast majority
of teachers «satisfactory» ratings, leading many to «characterize classroom
observation as a hopelessly flawed approach to assessing
teacher effectiveness.»
Proponents
of coaching - based supervision contend that, when separated from evaluation
practices, coaching provides a «safe place» for
teachers to learn and
practice new skills and reflect on outcomes — while still drawing upon
observation, feedback, and other common supervisory
practices (Joyce & Showers, 1982, p. 6).
By making
observation and advice a part
of the
teacher's normal routine, particularly through the use
of reading
teacher trainers, the district has made it easier to target the use
of ineffective teaching
practices and to help struggling
teachers improve.
The achievement gains based on that measure were more reliable measures
of a
teacher's
practice (less variable across different classes taught by the same
teacher) and were more closely related to other measures, such as classroom
observations and student surveys.
Subsequent
observations enable
teachers to continue to analyze their classroom
practices and take charge
of their professional growth.
We contend, however, that evaluations based on
observations of classroom
practice are valuable, even if they do not predict student achievement gains considerably better than more subjective methods like principal ratings
of teachers.
There is also a heavy focus on in - school development through paired
observations of practice, mentoring and coaching approaches (
Teacher Training & Professional Studies is largely focused on new entrants whereas for existing staff it's more CPD focused).
Teachers and school leaders, if they like to learn, do so through
observation of and conversation regarding perceived «best
practices.»
Interviews with
teachers and students as well as classroom
observations provided the bulk
of the data as researchers looked into the effectiveness
of the
practices in action.
An iterative process
of observation and conferencing focused on improving lesson planning and preparation, the classroom environment, and instructional techniques should drive positive changes in
teacher practice.
The only «strong research» NCTQ cites for support
of the claim «that entering
teachers learn crucial methods
of instruction and management through
observation of and supervised
practice in schools where staff are successfully teaching students living in poverty» is a study by Matthew Ronfeldt.
More and more schools, however, are using
observation —
teachers observing
teachers — as a form
of professional development that improves teaching
practices and student performance.
So, NCTQ claims that it knows the right way to prepare
teachers because it is relying on research, the authority
of experts and school leaders, and their
observation of the «best
practices» among successful organizations.
«We joined collaborative planning teams, where we sat and chatted to
teachers, had
observations in classrooms, informal walkthroughs... [and] a
teacher inquiry group which ran for a semester where a group
of teachers who were looking into their
practice in mathematics engaged in challenging some
of the things that they were doing.»
According to a survey done by the Al Qasimi Foundation,
teachers found that training sessions that allowed for the sharing
of best
practice and
observations between peers were the most effective in their development.
Our vision at
Teacher is for all teachers to consider themselves «teacher - researchers», to participate actively in broadly defined continuous professional education — coaching, mentoring, peer observation, team teaching, action research, formal learning, reflective practice, etcetera — and to place evidence at the centre of their pr
Teacher is for all
teachers to consider themselves «
teacher - researchers», to participate actively in broadly defined continuous professional education — coaching, mentoring, peer observation, team teaching, action research, formal learning, reflective practice, etcetera — and to place evidence at the centre of their pr
teacher - researchers», to participate actively in broadly defined continuous professional education — coaching, mentoring, peer
observation, team teaching, action research, formal learning, reflective
practice, etcetera — and to place evidence at the centre
of their
practice.
Recent work suggests that direct training methods, such as mentoring and coaching and constructive feedback based on
observation of teachers, can improve early education
practice and children's performance.
This way, staff are confidently identifying and meeting the needs
of all learners, and evidence
of this can be seen from
observations of classroom
practice, progress and attainment data, the scrutiny
of work produced, discussion with
teachers, the views
of parents / carers as well as the views
of the pupil, too.
For example, in our improvement
of pedagogy we were really looking for a way for
teachers to reflect on their
practice and it took us a while to look at how we could do that in a streamlined fashion; how we could use collegial
observation and feedback as well as supervised
observation and feedback.
We also propose to require that such
observations and feedback be directed primarily at the implementation
of research - based
practices and effective
teacher - child interactions.
(2) A program must use information from paragraph (b)(1)
of this section with informal
teacher observations and additional information from family and staff, as relevant, to determine a child's strengths and needs, adjust strategies to better support individualized learning and improve classroom
practices in center - based and family child care settings and improve home visit strategies in home based models.
This collaboration has helped jump - start this work across the state and shed light on the many significant challenges associated with overhauling the hoary systems in place, such as measuring student achievement in «untested» grades and subjects, ensuring inter-rater agreement and accuracy
of teacher practice observations, and ending the long - standing culture
of «The Widget Effect.»
To ensure that all observers are on the same page in their ability to identify and rate
observations with consistency, Learning Sciences suggests that within any system
of observation observers take the time to view
teacher practice together and then discuss what each person observed.
Currently, many
teachers view
observation as the same thing as evaluation when in fact these structures (informal, formal and walkthrough
observations) provide a means for gathering what Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Robert Marzano and others experts refer to as a preponderance
of evidence in order to make a reasoned judgment about a
teacher's overall
practice.
The far reaching capabilities
of iObservation engages
teachers and leaders in a continuous systematic process
of observations and feedback by which
teachers and leaders are able to identify and develop instructional
practices to maximize student achievement gains.
Close
observation of candidates» classroom teaching, availability to answer their questions, modeling
of effective teaching
practices and provision
of insightful guidance and advice — by skilled and experienced supervisors - are vital to equipping pre-service
teachers to become effective on their own.
Research methods included routine and repeated
observation of reading instruction, survey and interview data regarding classroom
practices, and
teacher - submitted time logs detailing reading instruction.
One
of the commitments that Washington — and every State that received ESEA flexibility — made was to put in place
teacher and principal evaluation and support systems that take into account information on student learning growth based on high - quality college - and career - ready (CCR) State assessments as a significant factor in determining
teacher and principal performance levels, along with other measures
of professional
practice such as classroom
observations.
District and / or state evaluations
of teacher effectiveness, including classroom
observations i.e.; Danielson's Framework for Professional
Practice, edTPA
As to why the principals did not link their
observations to any discussion about instructional
practice, or any attempt at broader efforts to unite
teachers around a vision for the school,
teachers said, for example, «He is supportive
of my teaching philosophy.»
Additionally, from our analysis, a dichotomy emerged between
teachers» perceptions
of technology integration and
observations of practice.
Determined to create a digital - age school culture, she began modeling use
of apps and other technologies in faculty meetings, man - dated monthly
teacher peer
observations of tech - leader colleagues, provided extra training opportunities for innovators, and created a schedule with time to share best
practices.
Additionally, Learning Sciences supports the system
of feedback through a foundation
of a common language
of instruction in which
teachers receive feedback through self and peer
observations, walkthroughs, supervisor
observations, instructional rounds, and deliberate
practice.
The amount
of time invested in the
practice of direct
observation when compared to the totality
of teacher - student contact is so extremely low that it is no surprise that validity and reliability are questionable.