Aligning Evaluation Models to Danielson and Marzano Frameworks

Video Transcription

Welcome. I'm Trisha Fyfe. And in today's video lesson, we'll dive into the lesson titled Aligning Evaluation Models to Danielson and Marzano Frameworks. As we learn about this topic, we will work towards one main learning objective. And we'll answer the following question in this video lesson to guide our learning. What are the best practices when reviewing a teacher evaluation model for alignment to the Marzano or Danielson frameworks?

The Danielson and Marzano frameworks are two that you will become very familiar with as a teacher-- if you're not already, that is. Many state models include both elements that assist in supporting teacher development, as well as components that are aimed at evaluating teacher effectiveness.

It's important to fully understand the particular model you'll be using as a teacher. It may be based on Danielson, whose model is geared more towards evaluating teacher effectiveness, but also has components of teacher support. Or it may be geared more towards Marzano's evaluation model, where the emphasis is on supporting teacher development by the use of teacher evaluation. Comparing your specific model to the models of Danielson and Marzano will help you understand the purpose as well as the big picture of the evaluation process in your school or district.

So how do you know if an evaluation model is based on Marzano or Danielson? Let's go over the process for this. When I review these steps for you, I'll go over an example of the process using a teacher evaluation model. First you need to see all of the frameworks together. It's helpful to lay all three-- the two evaluation models of Marzano and Danielson, as well as your own evaluation model that you'll be using-- side by side.

The next step is to compare your evaluation model to the Marzano and Danielson frameworks. Here's where a highlighter comes in handy. Since there is so much information here, it's super helpful to use your evaluation model to highlight domains that are Danielson in one color and Marzano in another color and domains that are individually and unique to your school or district in a third color. After all of this information is colored, you can easily see if there are any areas that are not highlighted or any areas that are missing completely.

If the answer here is yes, it's important to ask, do you think that this impacts the overall quality of the evaluation model that you are reviewing? If so, what suggested changes would you make? Does your evaluation model have a guidebook that indicates a purpose for the model? Is it to measure teacher effectiveness, such as Danielson? Is it to support teacher improvement, such as the Marzano model? Or is it both? You should also ask, based upon the indicated purpose of the model, does the rubric tool provide the level of feedback necessary to achieve the stated goal?

Let's go through an example of this. Here are the three models that we'll use today. You can see examples of Washington state resources for teachers that can be found at tpep-wa.org. This is a Washington state resource. And I've chosen to walk through the models and frameworks at a glance instead of the entire rubrics for ease of walking through this process with you today. Be sure to check out these resources and the full rubrics at the additional resources section of this video lesson.

First we'll look at Marzano. And we'll look at the first section for Marzano, which is centering instruction on high expectations for student achievement. Here we have components 1.1 through 1.4. Take a moment to read over these.

Next we have Danielson's framework for teaching. And again, we're looking at the first section here, centering instruction on high expectations for student achievement. Take a moment to pause and look over these.

Finally, we have the CEL 5D+ Teacher Evaluation Rubric 2.0. This is for the 2014-15 school year for some of the school districts in Washington state. And again, here we're looking at section 1, centering instruction on high expectations for student achievement.

In this lesson, we're going to go through each of these components of the first section in this evaluation model. And we're going to highlight what is related to Marzano, what aligns to Danielson, and what is independent for this school district. Let's make some connections here. I'll use one color for Marzano and one for Danielson.

First we have P4, communication of learning targets, SE3, which is work of high cognitive demand, and CEC3, discussion, collaboration, and accountability. All three of these align to Danielson's model. P4 aligns to 3A, communicating with students. SE3 aligns to 3C of Danielson's model, engaging students in learning. And CEC3 aligns to Danielson's 2B, establishing a culture for learning.

P5, which is success criteria and performance tasks, aligns to Marzano's components 1.1, providing clear learning goals and scales, and Marzano's 1.2, celebrating success. The only one of these components here that does not align directly to Marzano and Danielson is P1, connection to the standards, broader purpose, and transferable skill. There may be some overlap here. But it does not directly align to one of the other two frameworks.

Since this one area does not align, let's ask, do you think that this impacts the overall quality of the evaluation model you're reviewing? If so, what are the changes you would make? The answer here for me is no. While it's an important area to consider, this will fall into other areas of the model.

Does your evaluation model have a guidebook that indicates the purpose for this model? This model is well used within the state of Washington. And the website that was shown earlier in this lesson has some great resources, including a breakdown of the model itself.

Is it to measure teacher effectiveness, such as the Danielson model, or support teacher improvement, such as the Marzano model? Or is it both? This teacher evaluation model is a bit of both. It's designed to support teachers and measure effectiveness.

The last question that we need to ask is, based upon the indicated purpose of the model, does the rubric tool provide the level of feedback necessary to achieve the stated goal? This rubric tool in particular is very extensive and efficient. It provides a great deal of feedback to the teacher.

So let's now go through an example of a teacher that's gone through this process. Let's say Mrs. Smith has completed these steps and feels she understands the alignment of her model and both Marzano and Danielson's frameworks. She should then reflect on what some solid approaches or best practices are after completion of the framework alignment.

First, with her principal, Mrs. Smith discussed this exercise and how she aligned both Danielson and Marzano models to the evaluation model of their school. She asked, am I able to engage in this exercise with the appropriate team? She wasn't already part of a team. So she considered engaging in this alignment process with a district or school level evaluation team. These are becoming more common in schools and districts. If there would not have been a school level evaluation team, she could've then checked into the school improvement teams that were available at her school.

Once she established a team, her team began to use the data from this exercise. They used the information to study and adjust the implementation of the evaluation model. This is allowable in her district. But you should definitely find out if you are able to do this and it is allowable in your district or school.

Mrs. Smith and her team began to build on this process. They thought about the actions that they could take to better the process or the model itself. A survey of teachers and administrators to get feedback and recommendations for changes from the larger school community was one method that they considered.

Another best practice comes after the changes are implemented. At this time, Mrs. Smith and her team began to consider how and when they could revisit these ideas and these changes and the impact these changes were having. They planned for several times to revisit. This process generally repeats itself. When reviewing the changes and impacts, it was important for Mrs. Smith and her team to ask, what's going well? What is not? And what revisions are still needed?

One thing that you must keep in mind is that while you are suggesting ideas that might be beneficial, there may be very little that you can do to make the actual changes. You might have very little flexibility here and your team might not be able to do anything. In this case, use the process the best you can. Take this chance to provide thoughtful feedback to those individuals who matter. Talk with individuals who can recommend and make changes at the district or the state level.

So let's talk about what we learned today. We discussed the question, what are the best practices when reviewing a teacher evaluation model for alignment to Marzano or Danielson frameworks? In this lesson, we discussed the process and best practices for attempting to align your teacher evaluation model with Danielson and Marzano's models. We looked at the steps involved and we went through some ideas to consider when you're attempting to do this.

Now that you're more familiar with these concepts, let's reflect. Consider an evaluation rubric that you are familiar with. Go through this process and align Marzano and Danielson's models using the techniques we discussed in this lesson. Pay attention to steps that are hard for you. Do you have someone that you can collaborate with to assist you in this process?

Thanks for joining me today in discussing the lesson Aligning Evaluation Models to Danielson and Marzano's Frameworks. I hope you found value in this lesson and are able to apply these ideas and resources to your very own teaching. As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skill set.