An evaluation of evaluations

A new article from Education Next examines the design and performance of new teacher-evaluation systems in four districts “at the forefront of the effort to evaluate teachers meaningfully,” finding ratings assigned to teachers were sufficiently predictive of teachers’ future performance to be used by administrators for high-stakes decisions. Just a fifth of teachers in the study districts were evaluated based on student test scores; the other four-fifths, responsible for classes not covered by standardized tests, were evaluated based on classroom observation, achievement test gains for their entire school, scores from non-standardized tests chosen and administered by each teacher, and some form of “team spirit” rating. Classroom observations comprised between 50 and 75 percent of overall evaluation scores for teachers in non-tested grades and subjects. Based on its analysis, the report issues several recommendations. Teacher evaluations should include two to three annual classroom observations, with at least one conducted by a trained observer from outside the school; observations that make meaningful distinctions among teachers should carry at least as much weight as test-score gains in determining an overall score; and importantly, districts should adjust classroom-observation scores for background characteristics of students, which can substantially and unfairly influence an evaluation rating. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.