Teach. Lead. Grow. Educator Evaluation in NJ & SBSD

1. Teach. Lead. Grow.Educator Evaluation in NJ & SBSD Thursday, October 17, 2013 Crossroads North Middle School Library

2. Who We Are • Joanne Kerekes, Assistant Superintendent • Jennifer Diszler, Director of Professional Development

3. Goals for Tonight • Explore what it means to be effective • Why is effective teaching so important? • What does it mean to be an effective teacher? • Provide an overview of the State Law and the State’s System and the District’s Model of Evaluation • Conduct a “walk-through” of a classroom with you

4. The people who make a difference…Take this quiz • Name the 10 wealthiest people in the world. • Name the last 10 Heisman trophy winners. • Name the last 10 winners of the Miss America contest. • Name 8 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize. • How about the last 10 Academy Award winners for best picture… or the last decade's worth of World Series winners?

5. How did you do? Now try this quiz… • Name 5 heroes whose stories have inspired you. • Name 4 friends who have helped you in a difficult time. • Name 3 people who have taught you something worthwhile. • Think of 2 people you enjoy spending time with. • Think of 1educator who aided your journey through school– who made a discernable difference.

6. Easier?  It was for me, too. The lesson? “The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care for you.” “Only those who care, make a difference. To make a difference to others, care for them.”

7. Teach. Lead. Grow. The effort to improve educator evaluation in New Jersey has been a top priority since the Educator Effectiveness Task Force (EETF) was convened in 2010 and released its recommendations in 2011.  Woven into the fabric of this initiative is the need to strike a balance between two important drivers: a sense of urgency to make changes that will benefit students and educators, and a strong desire to proceed thoughtfully and to incorporate feedback from New Jersey educators along the way. ~State of NJ Department of Education

8. Effectiveness. That’s what this project is all about.

9. Why are effective teachers so important? Let’s go to Dr. James Stronge to get us started on our journey into effectiveness.

11. What factor had the largest effect on student achievement? Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting, LLC

12. What factor had the largest effect on student achievement? Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting, LLC Wright, Horn, & Sanders, http://www.sas.com/govedu/edu/ed_eval.pdf (1997)

13. Influences on Student Achievement:Factors that Explain Variability Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting, LLC Hattie, http://acer.edu.au/documents (2003)

14. Piece by piece Effectiveness Reform in New Jersey …and the steps South Brunswick has taken to implement it

15. Evaluation is like a jigsaw puzzle. You have to see the whole picture, then put it together piece by piece.

16. The center pieces of an Effective Evaluation System New State Evaluation System New State Law SBSD Evaluation Model Preparation

17. Building the puzzle… One piece at a time.

18. New State Law TeachNJ Puzzle Piece #1 The Law

19. Teacher Effectiveness & Accountability for the Children of New Jersey • TeachNJ • Law became effective August 2012. • For implementation in 2013-2014. • First year educators must complete a district mentorship program • Educators must complete 4 years of employment to be eligible for tenure • Must be rated either effective or highly effective for continuance

20. AchieveNJ Puzzle Piece #2 The State’s System NJ’ s New Evaluation System

21. Two Parts to the System • Professional Practice • Student or Program Growth

22. Part I: Evidence of Professional Practice • Observation • State approved tool • 3 observations for all • Multiple observers • Unannounced & announced • Other Evidence • Non Tenured Portfolio • Tenured Reflection (documentation log) • Student-staff surveys • Lesson Plan Reviews • Walk through visits

23. Part II:Evidence of Growth • Student or Program Growth • On annual State assessments (Student Growth Percentiles) • On District assessments over time (Student or Program Growth Objectives)

24. The end result. • Four tiered system of rating based on evidence of practice and evidence of growth. • Ineffective • Partially effective • Effective • Highly effective • Used for year-to-year personnel decisions

25. Which educators are being evaluated? • Teachers • All levels and all content areas • Education Specialists • Child Study Team, Related Service Providers, Counselors, Librarians, Nurses, Athletic Trainers, Instructional Specialists • Leaders • Principals, Assistant Principals, Supervisors, Directors, and Central Office • Superintendent is evaluated by the Board of Education

26. SBSD Model South Brunswick School District’s Model of Evaluation Puzzle Piece #3 Choice of State-Approved Models

27. South Brunswick’s Choice • The Stronge Model • Developed by Dr. James Strongeof the University of William & Mary • Meets the criteria articulated by NJDOE • Is research- and evidence- based • Is inclusive of teachers, education specialists, and leaders • Was successfully piloted over the past 2 years

28. Based on 7 Standards • Professional Knowledge • Instructional or Program Planning • Instructional or Program Delivery • Assessment • Learning Environment- Community- Collaboration • Professionalism • Student or Program Growth

29. Training Getting Ready for Implementation Puzzle Piece #4 Professional Development

30. Training Schedule • Trained all teachers, education specialists and leaders on TeachNJ…AchieveNJ…and, the Stronge Model. • Early Release Days • Staff Meetings • Summer Training Dates • Professional Development Day • Piloted with selected staff members in the Spring.

31. Put the jigsaw pieces together, and a portrait of an effective teacher takes shape. ~James Stronge

32. We have become evidence collectors. Let’s “walk through” a classroom and see what evidence of effectiveness we can find.

33. Teacher Observation~ Putting the tools to work What evidence of good instruction do you notice in the video? Be an evidence collector!

34. Observation Debrief

35. Some Final Thoughts • SBSD has always had a “strong” evaluation system. • Multiple observers • Portfolios • Reflection Logs • Lesson Plan Reviews • Walk Throughs • District & State Assessments • SBSD has excellent educators. • As our mission statement says, we are “lifelong learners.” • So… we can always “get better together.”

36. Every child in our classroom is like a starfish. Even when you think you can’t make a difference, never give up. We can make a difference, one child at a time! The Starfish Story