RAPPS – Rural Alaska Principal Preparation and Support Program

1. RAPPS – Rural Alaska Principal Preparation and Support Program Ensuring Fidelity In the Evaluation System May 28 – 30, 2014 Learning Groups 1, 2, and 3 Hilton Hotel - Anchorage, Alaska Session Leader: Al Bertani, RAPPS Senior Design Consultant

2. WELCOME GREAT TO SEE YOU

3. EDUCATOR EFFECTIVENESS: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATOR EFFECTIVENESS SYSTEM Al Bertani, RAPPS Senior Design Consultant

4. Session Objectives • Establishing goals for the evaluation system • Selecting measures for the evaluation system • Structuring the evaluation system

5. EVALUATION GOALS – RIGOR AND HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION

6. Why Do We Evaluate Teachers? • The Law - Public schools funded by public money = Public has the right to expect high quality teaching. • To ensure teacher quality = Answer the question “Everyone here is good – here is how I know”. • To promote professional development Evaluations That Help Teachers Learn by Charlotte Danielson Educational Leadership – December 2010 ASCD

7. Alaska Statute • Help the educator • grow professionally • Improve the • effectiveness of • instruction • Relate to the future • employment of the • educator • 4 AAC 19.010(a) Statutes indicate that evaluation and improvement of performance are the focus of educator evaluation AS14.20.149(a)  Regulations indicate that an evaluation must provide information and analysis that: Alaska School Leadership Institute; May 2014; Al Bertani, Senior Design Consultant

8. Alaska’s Legal Requirements By July 15, 2015 • A district will build an evaluation system to determine whether an educator’s overall performance is exemplary, proficient, basic, or unsatisfactory. • A district shall include student learning data in teacher and administrator’s overall rating according to the following schedule: • SY 2015‐16 & SY 2016‐17, at least 20% • SY 2017‐18 at least 35% • SY 2018‐19 and after, at least 50% • A district may not give an educator an overall performance rating of proficient or higher if the educator has been evaluated to be performing at a level of basic or lower on one or more of the content standards or other criteria for which evaluation is required. Alaska School Leadership Institute; May 2014; Al Bertani, Senior Design Consultant

9. Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems A Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems; National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality; May 2012

10. Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems Please assess you current state using the following categories: 1 = Lacing Up; 2 = Out of the Starting Gate; 3 = Gaining Speed; and 4 = Caught the Runner’s High Adapted from A Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems; National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality; May 2012

11. Employee Evaluation – A Negative Examples Downloaded from You Tube – Xtra Normal

12. Evaluation System Goals • What type of impact do you want the evaluation system to achieve? • Will evaluation results be used for personnel and compensation decisions? • What supports be available for teachers in need? • How will the teacher evaluation efforts affect other district initiatives? • What human and financial resources are needed? A Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems; National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality; May 2012

13. Evaluation System Goals • Form small groups will colleagues from your district. • Respond to the three prompts on the next slide. • Record your ideas on chart paper for posting. • Be prepared to discuss your ideas with others. A Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems; National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality; May 2012

14. Evaluation System Goals • What type of impact do you want the evaluation system to achieve? (Identify 3 – 5 impacts) • What supports be available for teachers in need? (Name 2 – 3 Supports) • What human and financial resources are needed? (List 2- 3 Needs) A Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems; National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality; May 2012

15. Definition of Teacher EffectivenessEffective teachers… • have high expectations for all students and help students learn, as measured by value-added or other test-based growth measures, or by alternative measures. • contribute to positive academic, attitudinal, and social outcomes for students such as regular attendance, on-time promotion to the next grade, self-efficacy, and cooperative behavior. • use diverse resources to plan and structure engaging learning opportunities; monitor student progress formatively; adapting instruction as needed; and evaluate learning using multiple sources of evidence • contribute to the development of classrooms and schools that value diversity and civic-mindedness • collaborate with other teachers, administrators, parents, and education professionals to ensure student success, particularly the success of students with special needs and those at high risk of failure. Approaches to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness – June 2008 Goe, Bell, and Little National Comprehensive Center on Teacher Quality

16. SELECTING MEASURES

17. Strategies of the Gates Foundation MET Study If we want to change the curve of improvement, we must… • Identify great teachers • Find out what makes them so effective • Transfer those skills to others A new approach to development and evaluation that teachers endorse and that helps all teachers improve. Learning about Teaching – Initial Findings from the MET Project Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2010

18. Gates Foundation MET Study Learning about Teaching – Initial Findings from the MET Project Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2010

19. Gates MET Study Findings – Phase 1 • In every grade and subject studied, a teacher’s past successes in raising student achievement on state tests is one of the strongest predictors of his/her ability to do it again. • Teachers with the highest value-added scores on state tests also tend to help students develop a deeper conceptual understanding as well. • The average student knows effective teaching when he/she experiences it. • Valid feedback need not be limited to test scores alone. Learning about Teaching – Initial Findings from the MET Project Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2010

20. Major Research Findings Phase 2 • Effective teaching can be measured. Teachers previously identified as more effective caused students to learn more.  Groups of teachers identified as less effective caused students to learn less. Balanced weights indicate multiple aspects of effective teaching. Teaching is too complex for any single measure of performance to capture it accurately.  Trade off’s to using different models. Adding a second observer increases reliability significantly more than having the same observer score an additional lesson. Adding outside observers can provide an on-going check against in-school bias. MET Project Ensuring Fair and Reliable Measures of Effective Teaching January 2013

21. Data Collected-Gates Foundation MET Study Measure 1 Student achievement gains on different assessments. Measure 2 Classroom observations and teacher reflections. Measure 3 Teacher pedagogical content knowledge. Measure 4 Student perceptions of the classroom instructional environment. Measure 5 Teacher perceptions of working conditions and instructional support at their school. Learning about Teaching – Initial Findings from the MET Project Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2010

22. MET Evaluation Areas Student Achievement Gains Student Perceptions Formal Observations Teacher Reflections Assessment of Teacher Content Knowledge Teacher Perceptions of Working Conditions Learning about Teaching – Initial Findings from the MET Project Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; 2010

23. What We Know Now Lesson 1 Student perception surveys and classroom observations can provide meaningful feedback to teachers. Lesson 2 Implementing specific procedures in evaluation systems can increase trust in the data and the results. Lesson 3 Each measure adds something of value. Lesson 4 A balanced approach is most sensible when assigning weights to form a composite measure. Lesson 5 There is great potential in using video for teacher feedback and for the training and assessment of observers. MET Project Ensuring Fair and Reliable Measures of Effective Teaching January 2013

24. Alaska’s Evaluation Areas… What measures will make up the components of the evaluation system?

25. Alaska’s Evaluation Areas Student Learning Standards Formal Observations Student, Parent, Administrator Input Plan For Improvement Learning about Teaching – Initial Findings from the MET Project Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; 2010

26. STRUCTURING THE EVALUATION SYSTEM

27. The Mind Shift in Teacher Evaluation • Identify two partners in the room – people beyond your usual district or home group. • Find a location in the room to sit down. • Use the Think It Through strategy to read the article over the next 30 minutes. • Decide how far you will read as a group • Read to the chosen stopping point • Fill-in your Think It Through chart • Share-discuss your chart • Continue reading until you finish The Mind Shift in Teacher Evaluation: Where We Stand – and Where We Need to Go; Angela Minnici; American Educator; Spring 2014 (Published April 8, 2014)

28. THE MIND SHIFT IN TEACHER EVALUATION The Mind Shift in Teacher Evaluation: Where We Stand – and Where We Need to Go; Angela Minnici; American Educator; Spring 2014 (Published April 8, 2014)

29. The Mind Shift in Teacher Evaluation Common Missteps to Avoid • Thinking teacher evaluation alone is the silver bullet. • Inadvertently decoupling teacher evaluation from professional learning. • Excluding educators from the work • Dismissing the importance of building trust. • Failing to communicate frequently. • Communicating the wrong message. • Underestimating time and resources. • Not connecting the dots. • Going it alone. • Relying on principals to do all of the work. The Mind Shift in Teacher Evaluation: Where We Stand – and Where We Need to Go; Angela Minnici; American Educator; Spring 2014 (Published April 8, 2014)

30. Evaluations That Help Teachers Learn “Before, I had no idea what my principal was looking for – I had to be a mind reader! So I just played it safe, taught a familiar lesson, one I knew would go well – but did the process improve my teaching? Not at all! In my old school, the principal just came in with a checklist, but we never really talked. But this time, we had a great conversation about how to help my students want to write. It really made me think. As a result, I’ve got a new approach: I’m going to engage some students around the things they’re passionate about and have them try to convince their classmates about the value of such interests.” Evaluations That Help Teachers Learn by Charlotte Danielson Educational Leadership – December 2010 ASCD