Educator Evaluation Beacon

Educator evaluation system

Are DDMs a Potential Minefield?

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minefieldJustin, a middle school math teacher, shared his concerns about DDMs with me this week. I asked why he is supporting his district’s purchase of an off-the-shelf product to measure student growth.

Me: Why not create a DDM to measure what you care about, like the math practice standards from the Common Core?
Justin: I worry about the consequences of creating a DDM without a high level of validity and reliability.
Me: If your students’ growth ends up being low due to a flawed measure, won’t you be able to explain that to your evaluator?
Justin: Yes, with my current evaluator– but what if that person goes elsewhere? How can I be sure that his replacement will be equally understanding and trustworthy? And, if I am given a low impact rating, might it become difficult to get a job in another district?

And therein lies the nature of the minefield. Yes, the results of a low impact rating are not huge– moving from a two-year self-directed educator plan to a one-year plan– but what hard-working, caring teacher wants to be unfairly tagged with a low rating? And the long range impact on a teacher’s ability to find a new job may be immense.

What’s to be done? In my next post I’ll propose some of the long range benefits to be gained from implementing DDMs.

Educator Evaluation Trainings for Teachers and Principals

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Are your new hires trained in the Educator Evaluation System? Do you have staff oncrowd board who were unable to attend the trainings we provided last year?

We are offering open enrollment trainings for administrators in two locations this summer and fall. In these trainings, we address the most important evaluation materials and strategies, all within the state-mandated hours (eleven for administrators). You can register at the CES website or by clicking on the training you need in the “Upcoming Events” column on the right side of this page.

Administrators/Evaluators:

  • August 20 and 21, 9-3, Fitchburg, MA
  • September 24 and 25, 9-3, Northampton, MA

If these dates don’t work for you, we’d be happy to arrange a training on another date. Please comment here or inquire via email (ddouglas@collaborative.org)

The Second Key to Success: Providing Guidance

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In an earlier post I mentioned how important administrative guidance is to successful implementation of the new educator evaluation. This guidance comes in many forms– from limiting the number of elements educators and evaluators focus on to setting clear expectations about the submission of artifacts to a coordinated effort to draft team goals whenever possible.

Both Hadley and Amherst Public Schools encourage teachers to focus their efforts on a specific subset of elements within the performance rubric. Amherst selected ten elements (Amherst Priority Elements–Teachers), while Hadley identified nine (HadleyTeacher Rubric- 9 Elements v2).

As I point out in the Q & A section of this blog, the model system requires teachers to submit artifacts that demonstrate their progress in all sixteen indicators in the performance rubric. In order to streamline this process, administrators lead staff in identifying existing artifacts (such as model curriculum units) that address many indicators. Setting limits on the number and size of artifacts lightens work loads for teachers and principals while also increasing the odds that useful information will emerge from collaborative review of the artifacts.

Similarly, the creation of team goals for either the professional practice or the student learning goal can streamline the process for both the educator and evaluator. A Granby public school principal reports that this approach leads to greater buy-in to the goal by teachers and, one would think, a greater chance of success in achieving the goal as well.

Let me know what’s working in your district.

Early Adopters: Lessons Learned

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Several school districts elected to become early adopters of the Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation.  Reading School Superintendent John Doherty summarizes the district’s thoughts about implementation here. Dr. Doherty claims that the new Educator Evaluation System is the most important initiative at play due to its potential to improve teaching and learning in all classrooms and for all students. He recommends that districts link Common Core and new assessment efforts to their work with educator evaluation.

Meet the Educator Evaluation Beacon!

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Learning to use the Educator Evaluation System is a Journey.

We can help ease your travels by providing:snow-mtn-trek

Roadside Assistance: We answer your questions about the Educator Evaluation System and post frequently asked questions.

Travel Alerts: We keep you up-to-date about new DESE resources and expectations.

Itinerary Planning: We post tips about how to streamline the process and pitfalls to avoid. We let you know about the evaluation system trainings we’re offering.

Travel Stories: We share fruitful experiences, practices, and ideas for implementing the Evaluation System.