District LeaDer’s GuiDe

usinG evaLuation resuLts

in order to effectively support and improve teachers, districts may need

to rethink how they deliver professional development.

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.

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impLementinG evaLuation systems: LearninG from pioneerinG Districts

In an effort to help districts implement local educator evaluation systems in line with the requirements of SB10-191, the Colorado Legacy Foundation is providing a suite of resources to district and school leaders. CLF worked with three Colorado districts who recently revised their evaluation process. Although these districts implemented their new systems prior to passage of sB191, the process that each district went through is informative: Highlighting these districts and the lessons they learned along the way will help other districts leverage their success and avoid re-living their most difficult challenges.

three case studies provide the foundation for this work. District and school leaders can read the case studies to learn how different districts have approached similar goals. A series of District Leader’s Guides builds on the case studies and provides more direct and specific guidance to district leaders as they move forward with implementation.

Brighton Case Study - Brighton educators and administration agreed that their evaluation system was a “dog and pony show.” In 2009 they revised their system, with terrific buy-in from the union, to more meaningfully support teachers.

Eagle Case Study - Eagle has spent nearly a decade developing their evaluation system and aligning it to instruction, assessment, and professional development.

Harrison Case Study - In 2007, Harrison hired a new superintendent who instituted a new evaluation system along with rigorous instructional supports, interim assessments, and a pay-for-performance system.

District LeaDer’s GuiDe

Using Evaluation Results

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.

Who should use this Guide?

This guide is developed for district leaders who:

• Havereadpreparing your District to implement a new educator evaluation system, communicating effectively with stakeholders, selecting and using multiple measures to evaluate educators, Determining Levels of performance, training and selecting evaluators, and ensuring Data integrity and transparency.

• Haveestablishedadistrictevaluationimplementationteamwhichislookingforexamples,lessonslearnedandimplementationtipsfromColoradoschooldistricts;

• Arepreparedtoexplore,withthedistrictimplementationteamandtechnologyprofessionalsinthedistrict,thedatainfrastructureneededtoeffectivelyevaluateeducatorsandprovidethemwithtargetedsupport.

Using Evaluation Results

introductionTherearetwowayseducatorevaluationresults,oreffectivenessratings,maybeusedbyschoolanddistrictleaders:

1. Identify, support, and leverage educators based on their effectiveness ratings. Teachers and principals who are not yeteffectiveneedtimelyandtargetedprofessionaldevelopmentsotheycanimprove.Educatorswhoareeffectiveorhighlyeffectivealsoneedopportunitiestogrowasprofessionals.Forexample,schoolanddistrictleadersmaytapeffectiveandhighlyeffectiveteachersinnewways,suchasrecruitingthemtoserveasmentorormasterteachers.

2. Make employment decisions, enabling district leaders to recruit, reward, retain, or dismiss teachers based on effectiveness ratings.SB10-191requiresthatperformanceevaluationsbegintoinformtheattainmentofnon-probationarystatusin2013-14andthelossofnon-probationarystatusin2014-2015.Districtleadersshouldconsiderconsultingtworesourcesforguidanceonthisissue.First,section 3.03 (D) of SB10-191’s rules, passed bytheColoradoStateBoardofEducation,addresseshowteachers’probationaryandnon-probationarystatuscanbegainedorlostbasedonafinaleffectivenessrating.Second,theColoradoLegacyFoundationhasdevelopedasuite of resources on effective staffing practices. The resources are designed to offer district and school leaders guidanceonhowtoimplementSB10-191’smutualconsentprovisions.

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.

usinG effectiveness ratinGs to support and improve teachers

Inordertoeffectivelysupportandimproveteachers,districtsmayneedtorethinkhowtheydeliverprofessionaldevelopment.Teachersandprincipals,likestudents,shouldhavetimelyandtargetedsupportintheirmostcriticalareasofneedinordertoimprovetheirpractice.Thisrequiresadeliverymodelforprofessionaldevelopmentthatisdifferentfromtheapproachesmostcommonlyusedtoday.

Specifically,districtsshouldconsiderusingjob-embeddedprofessionaldevelopment(JEPD),definedas“teacherlearningthatisgroundedinday-to-dayteachingpracticeandisdesignedtoenhanceteachers’content-specificinstructionalpracticeswiththeintentofimprovingstudentlearning.”Itisprimarilyschoolorclassroombasedandisintegratedintotheworkday,consistingofteachersassessingandfindingsolutionsforauthenticandimmediateproblemsofpracticeaspartofacycleofcontinuousimprovement.”i The Brief Job-embedded professional Development: What it is, Who is responsible, and How to Get it Done WelldescribesvariousformatsofJEPDandprovidesguidancetoschool,districtandstateleadersonhowtomovetoamorejob-embeddedapproach.

InEagleCountySchools,teachersfocusonimprovingstudentachievementthroughacontinuouscycleofprofessionalcoachingandweekly,structuredclustergroupmeetings.Clustergroupsarenotteamordepartmentmeetings;rather,theyarepartofawell-directed,high-qualityandresearch-drivenprofessionaldevelopmentprogram.Whileeachgroup’scompositionisdeterminedattheschoollevel,thetopicscoveredhavebecomeincreasinglydistrict-drivenoverthelasttwoyears,dueinparttothedistrict’sfocusonlearningandapplyingtheprinciplesofformativeassessmentinclassrooms.

Thedistrictensurestheclustergroupsareeffectiveby:

• Followingaprotocolthatensuresconversationsarefocusedonstudentachievement

• Providingleadershipbybothmentorandmasterteachers,withfacilitationprovidedbyamasterteacher

• Workingwithsmallgroupsofteachers(fourtosixparticipants)

• Meetingforatleast70minutesaweek

Asanexample,ateachermightbringinasampleofstudentworktogetfeedbackfromotherteachers.Theteachercanidentifywhatthestudentstruggleswithandaskgroupmemberswhatotherinstructionalstrategiesheorsheshould consider using.

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.

GuidinG Questions

Questions for tHe District impLementation team are:

• Howwilldistrictsprovidesupporttoprobationaryteachers?

• Howwilleducatorevaluationresultsbelinkedtoprofessional learning?

• Whatresourceswillbeusedtoprovidejob-embeddedprofessionaldevelopment?

• Howwillcommonplanningtimeforteachersbebuiltintotheschedulesotheycancollaborativelyreflectupon effective instructional strategies?

• Howwillopportunitiesforteacherstoobserveothereffectiveteachersbeprovided?

• Howwillprofessionallearningcommunitiesbeusedtohelpteachersimproveinstruction?

• Whatresources,includingtimeandpersonnel,willbededicatedtoeducatorimprovement?

• Howwillteacherevaluationresultsbeusedtodetermineadvancementinsystemswithmultiplecareerpathways(suchasmentorandmasterteachers)?

• Whatmechanismwillbeestablishedtogeteducators’viewsontheevaluationsystemandprofessionallearningactivities,andhowwilltheirfeedbackbeusedforimprovementstothesystem?

• Howwilladistrictdeterminewhichprofessionallearningopportunitieshavethebestoutcomesintermsofstudentgrowth,andhowwillitimplementthem?

• Whateffectiveremediationstrategieswillbeprovided?Howwilladistrictknowtheyaresuccessful?

• Howwilldismissalsbehandled?

• Howwillindividualteacherstrengthsandskillsbeleveragedtoinformthedevelopmentofotherteachers?

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Provide extensive training, supervision and professional learning opportunities to district staff. Asuperintendentinoneofthepioneeringdistrictsconductedtrainingsinsystemsthinking,developingactionplans,conductingclassroomwalk-throughs,curriculumalignment,demonstrationsoflearning(formativeassessments)andmultipleresponsestrategies.Districtstaffthentrainedschool-basedstaffandsupportedimplementation.

• Identify effective, research-based instructional strategies and train principals and teachers in their use.Apioneeringdistricttrainedteachersindifferentiatedinstruction,usingformativeassessmentstoimproveinstruction,interventionstrategiesandcollaborativelearning.

• Encourage educators’ reflections as an important aspect of improving their practice. Research suggests thataskingeducatorstoreflectontheirpracticeimprovesself-directedlearning.Reflectioncantakeanumberofforms,includingdebriefinglessonsinapeergroup,journalingindividually,orparticipatinginfeedbackconversationsafterobservations.

• Undertake multiple educator evaluations to provide more feedback that leads to more instructional improvement. One pioneering district conducted eightshortspotobservationsforteachersduringtheacademicyear.Evaluationcriteriawerealignedtothequalitystandardsrubricsandprovidedquickfeedbackonobservedinstructionalpractices.

• Consider a multi-tiered coaching system. One district usedmentorteachers,masterteachersandprincipalsin different coaching and evaluation roles.

• Use professional learning communities (PLCs) to improve instructional practice.AllpioneerdistrictsusedPLCstoanalyzedata,reviewstudentwork,orlearn new instructional strategies.

• Use evaluation results to improve instructional practice and leadership.Dismissingineffectiveteacherswillmakesomedifferenceinstudentachievement.Improvinginstructionalpracticewillmakethemostdifference.

• Be willing to conduct second evaluations by another evaluator if there is a dispute in an educator’s rating. Inonedistrict,iftherewasadisagreementwithaprincipal’sratingthenadistrictofficeindividualorteamconductedasecondobservation.

• Be willing to dismiss ineffective teachers. One pioneeringdistrictfoundthatthenumberoflegalsuitsdiminishedafterthevalidityoftheratingswasupheldin previous cases.

pioneerinG Districts suGGesteD tHe foLLoWinG impLementation tips:

implementation tips

Undertake multiple educator

evaluations to provide more

feedback that leads to more

instructional improvement.

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.

Author:JaneArmstrong,JMArmstrongandAssociates

Research Support and Editing:HeatherChikoore,ColoradoLegacyFoundation

Research Support for the Case Studies:UlccaHansen,ColoradoLegacyFoundationandKristenDavidson,UniversityofColoradoatBoulder

Centralofficestaff,schoolboardmembers,principals,teachers,parentsandcommunitymembersparticipatedininterviewsthatinformedthedevelopmentofthisguide.Brighton,EagleandHarrisonSchoolDistrictsopenedtheirdoorstoresearcherstodescribewhattheyweredoing,howtheyweredoingit,thechallengestheyfacedandlessonstheylearned.Intervieweeswerebothgraciousandcandidintheirinterviews.Withoutthem,thisknowledgecouldnotbecapturedandshared.

i AndrewCroft,JaneG.Coggshall,MeganDolan,ElizabethPowers.Job-Embedded Professional Development: What it is, Who Is Responsible, and How to Get It Done Well.NationalComprehensiveCenterforTeacherQuality,Mid-AtlanticComprehensiveCenter,NationalStaffDevelopmentCouncil.April2010.

acknoWledGements

Therearetwoprimaryusesofeducatorevaluationresults.Oneistouseevaluationresultstoguideprofessionallearning,andtheotheristoplaceteachersinaratingsystemthataffectstheiremployment.Pioneeringdistrictsplacedmoreemphasisonprofessionallearningthandismissingteachersbecausedistrictleadersknewthatteachersneededtoimprovetheirinstructionalpracticestoultimatelyimprovestudentachievement.

conclusion

© Copyright 2012 Colorado Legacy Foundation. All rights reserved.