The Components and Process of Teacher Evaluation 2

Video Transcription

Hi, my name is Ashley. And today's lesson is titled The Components and Process of Teacher Evaluation 2.

In previous lessons, we have talked about the components of the teacher evaluation process. However, in today's lesson, we'll look at the other components that make up teacher evaluation, such as student achievement and growth data, student surveys, professional growth goals, and feedback.

Student achievement data is often considered in teacher evaluation. This is also one of the most controversial topics of the teacher evaluation because there are so many factors that influence student achievement and their growth. Some may argue that growth of the students should not be related directly to the teacher's effectiveness. However, many states require the use of student growth data based on standardized assessments provided by states in specific grades and content areas. This data is called value-added data, which is part of the value-added model. We'll look at this again and a future lesson.

It's imperative to ask your administrator or evaluator how and if the student growth data is included into your final effectiveness rating. Achievement data is derived from standardized assessments, such as NWEA or STAR assessments. State and local assessments are also used. Local assessments that set student growth targets are called SLOs, or Student Learning Objectives. Some models require teachers to set student learning objectives for the year. SLOs those are typically measured through school or teacher-based assessments that are aligned to the curriculum.

Student surveys can also be a component of a teacher evaluation, but it is less common. With student surveys, students are given a survey to provide feedback about their teacher. Halfway during the school year, which was in January, I gave all 30 of my students a survey to complete that ask questions as far as does their teacher listen to you? Does your teacher help you when you ask? It asked about 10 questions to get the students perspective on me as their teacher. With some of the evaluation models surveys are included and weighted and linked to the effectiveness rating. And then, in some cases, the data is shared with the teacher to assist with improvement, but not add it into the evaluation rating. In my case, I was able to use the data and reflect on it and make changes to how I interact with the students if needed. It was a great tool to use to get the students' point of view on how they perceived me.

Professional growth goals are goals that are created by the teacher in areas where improvement is needed. These goals can be established with the teacher alone or with the assistance of the evaluator. In some cases, there may be a school-wide or district-wide goal that everyone is working towards. One year at my school everyone had the same goal and it was to reach 85% passing one state assessments. We even went as far as having t-shirts made with "85" written on the back of them to help us work toward our goal and encourage our students to work hard on their assessments.

In order to successfully come up with the best goals, there are many factors the teacher must consider. The personal interests of the teacher. The teachers needs based upon observation data and student achievement. And the goals of the school or district. Now let's take a look and see how feedback plays a part in the teacher evaluation process.

A crucial area of the teacher evaluation process is feedback. Feedback includes observations of strengths and weaknesses and suggestions for improvements made by the evaluator as it relates to the professional teaching standards, which is presented on the teacher evaluation rubric. Feedback allows the evaluators to provide timely praise or specific suggestions on how to improve student growth. This feedback is beneficial for the teacher because it can be used to help make improvements where needed.

Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. We discussed the components of teacher evaluation. Most often student achievement data and growth data are included in teacher evaluation with the use of standardized assessments, such as in NWEA or STAR. Sometimes student surveys can also play a role in the final effectiveness rating of a teacher. Professional growth goals are also important when it comes to teacher evaluation and are usually established based on areas of need. Lastly, we discuss how feedback plays a role in teacher evaluation. It gives the evaluator an opportunity to provide suggestions for improvement.

As we bring this lesson to a close, review your evaluation model offered by your school district. Which of these components are present? To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the additional resources section associated with this video. This is where you'll find links targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material.