State Oversight of District-Designed Teacher-Evaluation Systems

Posted on June 10, 2014 by coreeducation

In 2011, President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan provided states with flexibility from certain requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act. The flexibility process requires states to develop and implement new educator-evaluation systems to help identify effective teachers. While some Read more about State Oversight of District-Designed Teacher-Evaluation Systems[…]

Alternative Measures of Student Growth: What Can We Learn from Early Adopter Districts?

Posted on May 12, 2014 by coreeducation

School districts across the country are incorporating measures of student achievement growth in teacher evaluations—but that’s a challenge in grades and subjects that lack standardized state assessments. In response, some districts have turned to alternative measures of student growth–that is, measures that rely on something other than state assessments in reading and math in grades Read more about Alternative Measures of Student Growth: What Can We Learn from Early Adopter Districts?[…]

Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems

Posted on April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 by coreeducation

Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems is the latest policy brief from NASSP and NAESP. It is the product of two months of work from a committee of elementary, middle level, and high school principals from the across the country who are all experiencing different challenges and opportunities in conducting classroom observations, mentoring and Read more about Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]

Utilizing Evaluation to Support Teachers

Posted on March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 by coreeducation

A consensus has emerged: In either their state guidance or Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver applications, 42 states say the goal of teacher evaluations is to improve teaching practice or explicitly link the purpose of teacher evaluations to professional learning. Is your state achieving this important goal? Do teachers in your state receive Read more about Utilizing Evaluation to Support Teachers[…]

REL Northeast Explores SLO Implementation

Posted on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 by coreeducation

How are states defining and applying Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in their teacher evaluation systems? That is the question that a new report from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands answers. The report provides an overview of how states are using SLOs, based on a review of state education websites. SLOs are an alternative Read more about REL Northeast Explores SLO Implementation[…]

Florida releases value-added data despite objections

Posted on February 26, 2014September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Florida has joined New York and Ohio as states to publicly release value-added data on teachers’ performance, despite litigation from the Florida teachers’ union and opposition from such notable education heavyweights as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. What is most contentious is that 70% of teachers in Florida do Read more about Florida releases value-added data despite objections[…]

Evaluating Teachers More Strategically: Using Performance Results to Streamline Evaluation Systems

Posted on February 24, 2014 by coreeducation

According to a new issue brief by Taylor White of the Carnegie Foundation, many states and districts have begun to alter their original, one-size-fits-all evaluation processes to bring greater quality and efficiency to their evaluation systems. Evaluating Teachers More Strategically: Using Performance Results to Streamline Evaluation Systems explores differentiation strategies in nine districts, two charter Read more about Evaluating Teachers More Strategically: Using Performance Results to Streamline Evaluation Systems[…]

Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning

Posted on February 3, 2014 by coreeducation

A free DVD from the School Turnaround Learning Community provides resources for conducting professional development on using educator evaluation results to create and support a system of professional growth for teachers. The module contains three sessions, each including agendas, PowerPoint slides, facilitator’s notes, multimedia, sample materials, and handouts: Session 1: Overview of the connection between Read more about Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning[…]

Excellent Teachers for Each and Every Child

Posted on January 16, 2014 by coreeducation

A groundbreaking new policy guide provides state lawmakers and education advocates with a blueprint for practical changes to improve teaching quality in America — one of the most critical factors to support student success. The guide recommends research-based policies and state models that have been highly effective in developing and sustaining talented and diverse teaching Read more about Excellent Teachers for Each and Every Child[…]

Teacher Evaluation Policies Becoming Increasingly Rigorous

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013 by coreeducation

A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality indicates that by and large, teacher evaluations are becoming more stringent. The “State of the State” report is entitled, “Connect the Dots: Using evaluations of teacher effectiveness to inform policy and practice.” The report suggests that 35 states and DC require student achievement (often measured Read more about Teacher Evaluation Policies Becoming Increasingly Rigorous[…]

Promising results from new study of DC Impact Teacher Evaluations

Posted on November 12, 2013November 12, 2013 by coreeducation

Thomas S. Dee, of Stanford University, and James Wyckoff, of the University of Virginia, have sparked the debate on teacher evaluations with a new working paper which suggests that DCPS’ IMPACT teacher evaluations have proven effective to increase teacher performance and student test scores. IMPACT is the most radical of various teacher incentive plans tied Read more about Promising results from new study of DC Impact Teacher Evaluations[…]

Alternatives to State Assessments for Measuring Teachers’ Contributions to Student Achievement Growth

Posted on November 7, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Statistics show that an increasing number of school districts have adopted new teacher evaluation techniques. As opposed to what many have feared, districts have almost never used student test data alone to evaluate teachers. Even if they did, the typical measure of student growth—progress on state assessments from one school year to the next—usually covers Read more about Alternatives to State Assessments for Measuring Teachers’ Contributions to Student Achievement Growth[…]

K-12 Teacher Evaluation is Broader than a Test Score

Posted on October 30, 2013 by coreeducation

Teacher evaluation systems today are more refined and useful for improving teachers’ skills and connecting teachers to student achievement than past models, a new national report that examines states’ teacher evaluation policies by the National School Boards Association‘s (NSBA) Center for Public Education (CPE) finds. “Trends in Teacher Evaluation: How States are Measuring Teacher Performance,” Read more about K-12 Teacher Evaluation is Broader than a Test Score[…]

Keeping Continuous Growth at Teacher Evaluation’s Core

Posted on August 21, 2013August 21, 2013 by coreeducation

Is there a policy disconnect surrounding teacher evaluation? In a commentary published in Education Week, Stephen Fink, executive director of the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership, argues that how we use the new evaluation tools will determine whether we simply create the aura of accountability or actually help our teachers grow and improve Read more about Keeping Continuous Growth at Teacher Evaluation’s Core[…]

Beyond Buy-In: Options for Combining Teacher Support with Teacher Effectiveness

Posted on August 1, 2013 by coreeducation

Improving systems for supporting and evaluating teachers is an urgent priority in states and districts all across the country. To learn from this work and strengthen efforts moving forward, the Aspen Institute Education and Society Program has published several profiles of leading efforts in the field. Recently, the Aspen Institute released the next installment: a Read more about Beyond Buy-In: Options for Combining Teacher Support with Teacher Effectiveness[…]

Map Provides Context for Reforms of Teacher Evaluation Systems

Posted on July 4, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Since 2009, more than 35 states have made policy changes to their system of teacher evaluations. Many factors have driven the increase of teacher evaluation overhauls, including federal grant programs such as Race to the Top and the Teacher Incentive Fund, as well as the administration’s No Child Left Behind waivers. Recently, a network of Read more about Map Provides Context for Reforms of Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]