Hi. My name is Ashley, and this lesson is titled Connections to Professional Development. In today's lesson, we will define the purpose of teacher evaluation. We will also identify how a professional development plan is established. Lastly, we will look at the difference between professional growth plans and improvement plans.
What is the purpose of teacher evaluation? Marzano states that the teacher evaluation process is designed to improve teacher effectiveness. Though teacher evaluation models have a focus on student achievement through improvement of teaching practices, tools are offered to support teacher growth. The elements of the teacher evaluation process are used to support teachers and provide learning opportunities to assist in professional growth goals and content areas or pedagogical skills.
How is a professional development plan established? When a teacher is considering establishing a development plan, first, the teacher must engage in self-reflection of their teaching practices while using a rubric of the teacher evaluation model. This reflection model will help the teacher decide on the areas that need to be focused on. The teacher should also consider the feedback from past evaluations and feedback from their coaches or peers. The teacher should also consider personal and school and district goals when aligning their goals for the year that they plan to focus on.
Teachers should seek the advice from instructional coaches or feedback from evaluators when selecting professional goals for the year. Depending on the teacher evaluation model that is chosen, a professional development plan may be part of the evaluation process and may be called professional growth goals or plans.
So let's see what this looks like when you apply the steps. The first step is to engage in self-reflection using a rubric. So my rubric, Domain 3, is instruction. Underneath that domain are the following categories-- expectations for learning, directions for activities, and the use of oral and written language.
As I think about my teaching practices, one thing that I know that I want students to be able to do is follow directions the first time and to make good decisions on their own. Maybe there's something that I'm doing that's causing a conflict. Maybe I need to change the way that I give directions or give more time or ask students to repeat the directions back to me. I can also consider the feedback given to me by my evaluator. My evaluator says I need to make sure I comment on student writing in their journals and give clear directions. By making notes in students' journals, that will give a better idea of my expectations.
Lastly, we want to make sure that the goals are aligned to goals of the school and/or the district, as well as our own personal goals. My personal goals are to have smoother transitions and to have students facilitate their own learning. The school goals are that students should be aware of learning expectations. How can I put all this information together to come up with my own professional development plan?
When we make the development plan, the goals have to be measurable. A timeline must be set, and specific actions and expected outcomes must be identified. Two specific goals I want to focus on is making sure that I have standards visible for students so that they are aware of the learning targets and they can use this to facilitate their own learning. I also want to choose a specific day once a week where I will make time to comment on student journals. The students will then be aware of the expectations, and they can use my feedback to facilitate their own learning.
You may find that you may have many goals you want to work on, maybe more than just two. However, you do not want to overwhelm yourself. You can always add on more goals as you meet prior goals.
What is the difference between professional growth plans and improvement plans? Professional growth goals and improvement plans should not be confused as being the same. Professional growth plans are for all teachers. In most cases, it is a required element of the teacher evaluation process. It provides opportunities for continuous improvement. You may recall that research supports students having access to highly qualified teachers, which results in student achievement growth.
With professional growth goals, teachers have more flexibility and choice. When planning, teachers should collaborate with the evaluators and coaches to correlate goals with district goals, and goals should be focused on areas of need as identified by the evaluation process.
Now, on the other hand, improvement plans are only for some teachers who are not proficient in their teaching practices. There is less flexibility with creating improvement plans, given that attention must be focused on the severe areas of need. Evaluators monitor the plans and also observe the teacher and provide feedback. In some cases, a coach or mentor is available to give support.
The improvement plan will remain in effect until progress is made. Teachers who show improvements will move up the effectiveness rating, and an improvement plan may no longer be needed. Ineffective teachers may be terminated from their positions. Teachers who are ineffective for five consecutive years may become ineligible to renew their licenses.
Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. The purpose of teacher evaluation is to improve teacher effectiveness and offer support to assist in teacher growth. Professional development plans are established by engaging in self-reflection, considering the feedback of evaluators, and by considering school and district goals.
We found that there is a difference between professional growth plans and improvement plans. All teachers will select professional growth goals at the beginning of the year that they will work towards for continuous improvement. Improvement plans are only for some teachers, who are not proficient in their teaching practices.
Use the details from this tutorial to establish your own professional growth plan. Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The Additional Resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description, so you can easily target the resources you want.
Overview
(00:00 - 00:10) Introduction
(00:11 - 00:31) What Will You Learn Today?
(00:32 - 01:06) What is the Purpose of Teacher Evaluation?
(01:07 - 04:10) How is a Professional Development Plan Established?
(04:11 - 05:49) What is the Difference Between Professional Growth Plans and Improvement Plans?
(05:50 - 06:31) What Did You Learn Today?
(06:32 - 06:56) Reflection
Creating SMART Professional Development Goals
This tool from the Florida Department of Education is great to use when setting SMART Professional Development Goals using the PDSA cycle of continuous improvement.
http://manateeea.fea.aft.org/files/article_assets/33A21F93-9B6C-B2B1-4101E70CBECB83A5.pdf
How to Develop an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) For Educators Renewing a Level II License through the DOE Licensing Office
This guide from the Vermont Department of Education is a helpful model for using SMART Goals to create a professional development plan connected to teacher evaluation and certification.
http://education.vermont.gov/documents/ipdp_instructions.pdf