Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation Erik Ellefsen – Kim Marshall – November 4, 2013

1. Rethinking Teacher Supervision and EvaluationErik Ellefsen – Kim Marshall – November 4, 2013

2. Research findings • Occasionally an individual teacher can transform students’ lives. • But the more powerful effect is when students get effective teaching from class to class, year to year. • Especially students with any kind of disadvantage. • However, the quality of teaching varies widely within the each school. • With ineffective teaching, we get the “Matthew Effect.” • School leaders’ job is orchestrating effectiveness.

4. The key to improved student learning is to ensure more good teaching in more classrooms more of the time. DuFour and Mattos, 2013

5. A game changer: the 4-point scale 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – • Differentiates four levels of performance • Level 3 is solid, expected professional performance • The goal – all teachers performing at Level 3 and 4 • Identify master teachers, use their magic, hold onto them! • Intervene with mediocre and ineffective teaching

7. We’ve been using the wrong model! • Extremely time-consuming: • Pre-observation conference – 30 minutes • Full-lesson observation – 45 minutes • Write-up – 120 minutes or more • Post-observation conference – 30 minutes • No evidence it improves teaching and learning. • “Takes me out of the game for four hours!” • In other words, it’s not a good use of a leader’s time. • And it’s a recipe for mediocrity.

8. Behind some classroom doors… • Teacher texting or e-mailing during class • Going over homework for the first 25 minutes • Round-robin reading • Teacher lecturing, many students tuned out, heads down • Teacher teaching while side conversations go on • COPWAKTA syndrome • Teacher calls on those who respond most quickly • Worksheets with low-level, one-word answers • Teacher showing a entertaining movie • Finishing a class early, students have “free time” • With all of these, the “Matthew Effect”

9. Nothing undermines the motivation of hard-working teachers more than poor performance in other teachers being ignored over long periods of time. Not only do poor-performing teachers negatively affect the students in their classes, but they also have a spillover effect by poisoning the overall climate of the school. Michael Fullan, 2003

10. Supervision and evaluation: the goal • Quality assurance – Honestly telling the public that every child is taught well in every classroom based on an accurate evaluation of every teacher • Praise and improvement – Affirming effective teaching and coaching less-than-effective teaching • Motivation – Giving teachers one more reason to bring their ‘A’ game every day • Personnel decisions – Making fair judgments for retention, tenure, awards, merit pay, dismissal

11. The dog-and-pony show stories; why? • We tidy up the house when company is coming. • “I want to see her at her best, what she’s capable of.” • “I can see right through the dog-and-pony show.” • “If he can’t teach well when he knows I’m coming…” • Union contracts, based on mistrust • Makes the principal feel good; power trip • A way to avoid difficult conversations • Additional work when we confront mediocre teaching

12. So using the traditional model,teacher evaluation is… • Inaccurate – not a true appraisal of teaching • Ineffective – rarely improves sub-par teaching • Dishonest – can’t give quality assurance to the public • A major blind spot for researchers • We need to LET IT GO and find a better approach!

13. How to evaluate 900 lessons?

14. The consistent use of effective teaching practices over time is what closes the gap