State by State Database on Evaluation Policies: State Teacher and
Principal Evaluation Policy Database
E4E teachers know that principals matter: NYC teacher Luke Goodwin, a member of
the principal evaluation policy team, talks to reporter Lindsey Christ, who...
The principal evaluation policy paper is the third policy report E4E members have published in the last year.
RTT encouraged states and districts not only to revamp their teacher and
principal evaluation policies but also to use evaluation results to make personnel decisions.
State of the states: Evaluating teaching, leading, and learning; and American Institutes for Research (AIR) Center on Great Teachers & Leaders Databases on State Teacher and
Principal Evaluation Policies
Not exact matches
The session, at Spackenkill High School, was filled with parents and teachers opposed to King's
policy agenda, including the state's rush to the Common Core standards, high - stakes Common Core tests and teacher and
principal evaluations tied to those tests.
The new
policy would have eventually based teachers» salaries in part on
evaluations by the
principal and a number of outside evaluators hired by the district.
In 2004, the Chicago Public Schools changed its
policies to allow
principals» evaluations of untenured teachers to influence layoff decisions (see «Principled Principals»
principals»
evaluations of untenured teachers to influence layoff decisions (see «Principled
Principals»
Principals» research).
But, something left out of many
policy discussions is the necessity of aligning the
evaluation of
principals with that of teachers.
In fact, a 2016 study commissioned by IES concluded that «across all states, use of
policies and practices promoted by RTT was... lowest for teacher and
principal certification and
evaluation.»
The new report did not capture a precise measure on what proportion of tests were required by teacher
evaluation, but it does point out that many states have put in place new assessments «to satisfy state regulations and laws for teacher and
principal evaluation driven by and approved by U.S. Department of Education
policies.»
In this episode of the EdNext podcast, Marty West talks with Chad Aldeman, a
principal at Bellwether Education Partners who worked as a
policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Education, about what went right and what went wrong with teacher
evaluation reform.
The 2017 Yearbook evaluates states against nine
policy areas, with this year's edition including, for the first time, information to reflect teacher diversity initiatives,
principal evaluation and support systems, and state support for teacher leadership opportunities.
Background: Chad Aldeman is a
principal at Bellwether Education Partners, where he has worked on the
Policy and Thought Leadership team since 2012, advising clients and writing on teacher preparation, teacher
evaluation, and college and career readiness.
Her research has focused on
policies intended to improve educator effectiveness such as teacher and
principal evaluation, pay - for - performance, and intensive professional development.
And it turns out that, even after
policies were changed,
principals still were not sure what poor teaching looked like, still did not want to upset their staffs, and still did not think giving a negative
evaluation was worth the ensuing tension and hassle — especially given contractual complications and doubts that superintendents would back up personnel actions against low - rated teachers.
Author Bio: Chad Aldeman is a
principal at Bellwether Education Partners, where he has worked on the
Policy and Thought Leadership team since 2012, advising clients and writing on teacher preparation, teacher
evaluation, and college - and career - readiness.
Legislators can change
evaluation policies but can not force
principals to apply them rigorously.
Other school characteristics associated with better student achievement included: more time spent on English instruction; teacher pay plans that were based on teachers» effectiveness at improving student achievement,
principals»
evaluations, or whether teachers took on additional duties, rather than traditional pay scales; an emphasis on academics in schools» mission statements; and a classroom
policy of punishing or rewarding the smallest of student infractions.
Teacher and
principal evaluation systems now emerging in response to federal, state and / or local
policy initiatives typically require that a component of teacher
evaluation be based on multiple
As a first step, Gov. Chris Gregoire has brokered bills, now before lawmakers, that would revamp teacher and
principal evaluations, give the state power to intervene in failing schools and strengthen other
policies aimed at helping Washington compete.
Federal law in postsecondary education must also be a robust source of support for local innovation, research, and implementation of strategies designed to improve teacher and
principal effectiveness and include: Evidence - based preparation and professional development; Evidence - based
evaluation systems that include, in part, student performance; Alternative certification programs that meet workforce needs; State and school district flexibility regarding credentials for small and / or rural schools, special education programs, English learners and specialized programs such as science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics; and Locally - determined compensation and teacher and
principal assignment
policies.
The
policy paper, «
Principals Matter —
Principal Evaluations from a Teacher Perspective,» lays out six changes to the current principal evaluation system that would better link the ratings of school leaders to the quality of support they provide
Principal Evaluations from a Teacher Perspective,» lays out six changes to the current
principal evaluation system that would better link the ratings of school leaders to the quality of support they provide
principal evaluation system that would better link the ratings of school leaders to the quality of support they provide teachers.
It draws from the research base in educational leadership preparation to offer support to states seeking to improve their
evaluation of
principal preparation programs and offers high - impact state
policy examples.
Catherine Jacques, Matthew Clifford, Katie Hornung, State
Policies on
Principal Evaluation: Trends in a Changing Landscape, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, 2012, 3 - 7.
Susanna Loeb, Demetra Kalogrides and Eileen Lai Horng, «
Principal Preferences and the Uneven Distribution of
Principals Across Schools,» Educational
Evaluation and
Policy Analysis, June 2010, 205 - 209.
Sean P. Corcoran, Amy Ellen Schwartz and Meryle Weinstein, «Training Your Own: The Impact of New York City's Aspiring
Principals Program on Student Achievement,» Educational
Evaluation and
Policy Analysis, June 2012, 232 - 253.
Put on hold the
policy push to use student test scores to evaluate teachers and
principals, unless and until data demonstrate the likelihood that such an
evaluation approach will positively, not negatively, affect student learning and its accuracy morally justifies its use.
She writes in that letter about the test - based
evaluation of teachers and
principals, a
policy that's received increasing national attention from
policy makers.
Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of Educators 4 Excellence - NY, which aims to elevate teachers» voices in
policy debates, said the new
evaluation system had sparked conversations on technique, but
principals need more training in executing it.
Often bypassing Congress, Duncan used the money to work directly with states, persuading them to adopt favored
policies by providing incentives through Race to the Top, a $ 4.35 billion competitive grant program in which states were awarded points for adopting ideas such as performance - based teacher and
principal evaluations, higher academic standards, and raising charter school caps.
At the heart of their recommendations, compiled in two separate
policy papers, are the following strategies: empowering
principals and educators with more autonomy over staffing; leadership and coaching opportunities for excellent teachers; student - focused professional development designed at the school site; direct investment in community engagement; and financial incentives to attract and keep teachers making progress with their students (based on a multi-measured
evaluation system) in hard - to - staff schools.
With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act,
principals face even greater uncertainty around state
policy decisions concerning new accountability requirements,
principal evaluation systems, and funding for schools.
The next issue of
Policy Priorities will explore the ways
evaluation systems can drive professional growth and the appropriate role and
evaluation for
principals and school leaders in these systems.
GothamSchools» Geoff Decker covers the release of E4E - NY's teacher
policy team paper, «
Principals Matter:
Principal Evaluations from a Teacher Perspective.»
As reported in today's CTMirror, it wasn't even two hours after Governor Malloy signed the «education reform» bill into law before the three groups representing the school superintendents,
principals and school boards went back on their word, claiming that the new law gave them the right to implement
policies that student's standardized test scores can account for 50 percent of a teachers
evaluation rather than the 22.5 percent that was listed in the draft bill and agreed to by all of the parties last January.
The
evaluation rubric currently in place, known as the
Principal Performance Review, assigns
principals a rating based on their school's score on the city progress report, the results of their school's most recent «Quality Review,» how well they met the «goals and objectives» they set out, and their compliance with city
policies.
A
policy team of 18 public and charter school teachers reviewed research, examined current
policies, and surveyed 197 colleagues to reach their conclusions, which will be discussed tonight at a panel on
principal evaluations.
Even Christie's arch-enemies at the New Jersey Education Association like the new
policy, which subjects teachers and
principals to yearly
evaluations that will make it tougher to gain job security and easier to lose it.
We will support evidence - based
policy reforms aimed at ensuring
principals have the autonomy and data they need to lead schools with strong cultures focused on improving teaching and learning, and that they are trained to use teacher
evaluations to deliver high - quality observations and feedback.
And all of this is happening despite the fact that teachers and
principals in this state of New York already, and democratically, created sound
evaluation plans to which the majority had already agreed, given the system they created to meet state and federal
policy mandates was much more defensible, and much less destructive.
In recent years, states and districts have implemented
policies related to educator
evaluation and professional learning that have shifted
principals» roles to include both building manager and instructional leader.
Many more examples of new state and district
policies on teacher and
principal evaluation are available at www.tqsource.org, all of which offer innovative ideas and lessons learned for the benefit of other education leaders around the country.
The primary role of the DEAC is to oversee and guide the planning and implementation of the school district board of education's
evaluation policies and procedures (for both teachers and
principals), whereas the School Improvement Panel (ScIP) provides leadership at the school level not only for the implementation of the district's teacher
evaluation policies and procedures, but also mentoring and professional development supports for teachers.
As many states work to implement new teacher
evaluation systems, a new report by the Brown Center on Education
Policy indicates a bias in
evaluations resulting from
principals who give their teachers an unfair boost based on the students they're assigned to teach, not their instructional capability.
Unlike
principals in provincially - funded schools, the
principals of the majority of First Nation schools do not have the support of an administrative infrastructure and must have an understanding of how to administer all aspects of school operations including: developing the daily schedule; supervising teachers; ensuring
evaluation of students; reporting to parents; developing and implementing the school's
policies and the safety plans; establishing safe learning environments; overseeing the maintenance of schools, and providing information to Chiefs and Councils.
At the state
policy level, 46 states have adopted leadership standards for
principals, and many have begun aligning them to all components of a school leader's career continuum.125 In addition, recently more than half of states, through a mix of state and federal initiatives, have passed laws to strengthen the
evaluation process for
principals.3 AAnd under the federal Race to the Top grant, states such as Louisiana and Rhode Island implemented new requirements for
principal preparation programs.
Federal and state
policies such as the US Department of Education's Race to the Top state grant competition and Illinois» Performance
Evaluation Act of 2010, which prioritize building effective principal and teacher evaluations systems to improve student achievement outcomes, have ratcheted up the need for data - driven teacher evaluation in
Evaluation Act of 2010, which prioritize building effective
principal and teacher
evaluations systems to improve student achievement outcomes, have ratcheted up the need for data - driven teacher
evaluation in
evaluation in Illinois.
Teacher and
principal evaluation systems now emerging in response to federal, state and / or local
policy initiatives typically require that a component of teacher
evaluation be based on multiple performance metrics, which must be combined to produce summative ratings of teacher effectiveness.
This 2011 report surveys recently passed teacher
evaluation policies in five states and rates each on the law's strengths and weaknesses in teacher
evaluation design requirements, transparency and public reporting of
evaluation data,
principal autonomy over teacher hiring and placement, and the extent to which the law links teacher
evaluation results to key personnel decisions, including tenure, reductions in force, dismissal of underperforming teachers, and retention.