Background and Historical Perspective of Teacher Evaluation

Video Transcription

Hi. My name is Ashley. And today's lesson is titled Background and Historical Perspective of Teacher Evaluation.

In today's lesson, we will look at the historical perspective of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and No Child Left Behind. We will discuss ESEA Flexibility and the future of ESEA. We will also explain how highly qualified teachers play a role in ESEA and what are the requirements for reporting teacher quality to state and federal agencies. Then lastly, we'll look at the role of teacher evaluation models in education.

What is the historical perspective of ESEA and No Child Left Behind? First, let's take a look at the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This first began in 1965.

The purpose of the ESEA was to provide funding through Title I federal grants for districts that serve low-income students to provide funds for federal grants for materials and special education centers. Also, the ESEA provided funding for students in low-income areas to be eligible for scholarships to attend college. All of this was in hopes that these funds would improve the quality of elementary and secondary education.

Now, I'm sure you're familiar with No Child Left Behind, which was established in 2001 but actually became a law in 2002. Title I became a means to offer funds for schools serving low-income families under No Child Left Behind.

Title I also provides accountability through state assessments. These assessments focused on increasing educational results, closing the learning gaps, and increasing equality among all students. In addition, under Title I and No Child Left Behind, finding highly qualified teachers to teach the most disadvantaged students was crucial.

What is ESEA Flexibility? ESEA Flexibility is a waiver that exempts states from No Child Left Behind requirements for that particular school year. ESEA Flexibility became an option due to the transition of new standards and new testing requirements, which created a challenge for states. In 2012, states were given the option to file for ESEA flexibility.

In order to be exempt from No Child Left Behind requirements, states need to submit extensive plans that state how they will close learning gaps and improve instruction. The ESEA flexibility ensures that all students are prepared for college, educators have resources to meet their goals, and the underserved population are protected. Currently, 42 states and Puerto Rico have qualified for the ESEA Flexibility.

What is the future of ESEA? On January 12, 2015, Secretary Duncan shared the vision for ESEA. He asked Congress to establish a law that will improve access to high-quality preschools, foster innovation, and advance equity and access.

How do high-quality teachers play a role in ESEA? With ESEA, there is now an additional support that requires the need for highly qualified teachers. States have until June 2015 to submit a plan that number one, ensures the protected classes that students have access to highly qualified teachers, and number two, that schools serving students in low-income areas do not have a large percentage of unqualified teachers compared to schools that serve students in higher socioeconomic areas.

SEAs must provide a framework on how they will monitor the quality of teachers. Therefore, teacher evaluation will be significant in determining the quality of teachers.

What are the requirements for reporting teacher quality data? State Educational Agencies, also known as SEAs, must report on the qualifications of all school teachers in the state. The SEA must report the following-- the professional qualifications of teachers as far as their credentials and trainings that they've had, percentage of teachers with emergency or provisional licenses. There are some teachers who are still able to teach under provisional license, which also means that they are either still in school or finishing up a program and still have other trainings to attend.

And lastly, the SEA must report the percentage of core classes that are not taught by highly qualified teachers in high-poverty areas compared to those in low-poverty areas. The SEA will use data obtained from teacher evaluation systems in order to report these findings.

What role do teacher evaluation models play? States have adopted evaluation models based on Robert Marzano and Charlotte Danielson's models, which include INTASC's professional teacher standards that are developed by the Chief Council of State School Officers to meet the requirements. Therefore, there are many similarities in the state models, which include observations based on rubrics linked to professional teacher standards, pre- and post-conferences, teacher self-evaluations, the review of student data, and there is a large emphasis on professional development.

Due to research that states highly qualified teachers have greater potential to close gaps and increase achievement, the USDO supports the teacher evaluation requirements. So as you can see, with the need for highly qualified teachers, there is also a need for teacher evaluation models to be able to reflect the quality of teachers that we have in our schools.

In today's lesson, we looked at the background information concerning the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and No Child Left Behind. We reviewed ESEA Flexibility, which is a waiver that allows states to be exempt from No Child Left Behind requirements. The future of ESEA looks bright. Secretary Duncan has asked Congress to improve access to high-quality preschools.

Having high-qualified teachers is a requirement of ESEA. Therefore, teacher evaluation models play a role in reporting teacher quality to other agencies.

As we bring this lesson to a close, review how ESEA and No Child Left Behind are connected to teacher evaluation. For more information on how to apply what you've learned in this video, please view the Additional Resources section that accompanies this video presentation. The Additional Resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource.