I sometimes think that good teaching is a bit like Potter Stewart’s description of hard-core pornography. The late Supreme Court justice said he wasn’t sure he could define it but he knew it when he saw it.
Most of us could probably describe a great teacher we had with adjectives that are hard to quantify: creative, motivating, innovative, passionate, tough but fair, funny, dedicated and interesting. But how do you gauge those qualities in an evaluation system for teachers?
Pennsylvania is moving toward replacing its antiquated system that deems teachers either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Under the state’s proposal, teachers would be rated distinguished, proficient, needs improvement or failing. State House Bill 1980, introduced by state Rep. Ryan Aument, R-41st, would put revised evaluations in place by the 2013-2014 school year.
Parkland School District is taking part in the pilot project for the new evaluations and School Board member Roberta Marcus said the assessment looks at different aspects of teaching to allow for more nuanced conclusions aimed at making all teachers better. “Our goal is how do we improve teacher effectiveness in the classroom?” she said.
That’s all to the good. But while half of a teacher’s rating would rely on classroom observations of such skills as preparedness, classroom management and interaction, the other half depends on students’ test scores.
The trouble with that is it’s difficult to isolate the cause of a student’s success or failure on a subject, according to Parkland School Board member Bob Bold. Suppose a third grade teacher gets a good evaluation because her students did well on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA.) What if much of their success was largely due to the excellent second grade teacher who had taught them the year before? “What happened in previous grades affects how kids test,” Bold said.
The new evaluations would also incorporate what’s called value-added models into teacher evaluations. Such models essentially look at a student’s past test scores to predict how he or she might score in the future. To the extent a student scores better than predicted, that’s considered “value-added” for which the teacher gets credit. If a student does worse than expected, it’s value-subtracted.
While that’s better than simply comparing test scores across the board, education experts such as John Ewing, president of the nonprofit group Math for America, see serious flaws in the value-added model.
An Economic Policy Institute report cites a study that found “across five large urban districts, among teachers who were ranked in the top 20 percent of effectiveness in the first year, fewer than a third were in that top group the next year, and another third moved all the way down to the bottom 40 percent.” So a third of effective teachers became ineffective in one year?
Meanwhile, the evaluations would create even more incentive for teachers to teach to the PSSA.
An area high school teacher told me he knows teachers whose students do well on standardized tests but the kids hate their classes because they are mind-numbingly boring and generate no discussion or critical thinking. Link job security to such assessments and “teachers will teach to the test because it’s the safest thing they can do,” he said.
“If you want your school system to be innovative and teach critical thought, the last thing you want to do is limit risk-taking,” he said.
A final thought: My older son has had teachers who changed the direction of his life – giving him a passion and a goal for his future. Where on the new evaluation form will that kind of priceless gift be noted?
Chuck
11:33 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Excellent article. More people need to read this and start talking.
Nancy Bonfanti
11:51 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
I like the article as well because finally they are revamping the evaluation process of teachers. I see the possible flaw that the previous year teacher could be partially responsible for a PSSA score but I do hope that this evaluation is not based solely on PSSA scoring. Being in the school system with my children for so long (18 years), you get to know the difference between good v. not so good teachers. Teachers should be evaluated on the children's performance on tests (before they scale them because everyone did poorly on them). I sometimes feel this scaling on tests allows teachers to make themselves look better than they actually are. Once class did so bad on the mid-terms, teacher took quarter one and two grades averaged them and ta-da, the new mid-term exam grade??? Why even go through exercise of giving the exam if this is how it is going to work? This class was not a class of slackers; this was an AP class! I don't know the answers but I can a see a change is required. Don't get me wrong, teachers really have my respect. I could not do it; especially dealing with parents. But, teachers also need to understand that they are held accountable to teach every child in their class. Children need to be accountable for their grades. Parents need to be accountable for their children. If all those criteria are met, I see the world being a happier, smarter place.
Amy
12:00 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Teachers, like most other professions, have to be held to a set of standards and be evaluated. They are teaching our children. I am surprised it took this long to start this...
GrowUpSaucon
12:10 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
I had a teacher in the 7th grade (I am now 45), who loved her job , loved the children and did a fabulous job. I am great friends with her to this day. How do you decide how to do teacher evaluations? Not sure. I can tell you, this teacher/friend of mine LOVED everything about her job-perhaps this played a key roll in why she did such a great job!
Emmaus 4 Life
12:17 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
What about all the "extra" teachers? Gym, art, music etc...how can their evaluations be tied to test scores?
Nancy Bonfanti
12:03 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
Not to belittle those courses but those are not core cirriculum. But, yes, they do test for gym theory...but not sure on the art and music. Good point though.
careless fills
12:21 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Good article and final question. I think the results from any rational rating system looking at thoughtful criteria would be congruent with the teachers who actually inspire children. Test scores can be part of that, but probably not weighted 50%, and maybe even quite a bit less. But I do think the key point of this rating system is that it is more than pass/fail since it includes 4 categories. Most rating systems I'm familiar with probably had as many as 10 categories, which might be the same as those in the pilot system, but also having + or - or subcategories within each.
But even just 4 categories can create incentives. Presumably, most will be "proficient". But starting from that point, you have something to shoot for, which is "distinguished". I think that you should have to re-earn that every year or two or three, because while it might be a life-time achievement to get there, you have to work to stay there. Besdies the rating, there might be some recognition, whether it's financial, or choice of assignments, or purely honarary or social.
careless fills
12:22 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
(continuation of my original 12:21 note)
On the other end of the performance scale, there's a category for improvement. Certainly that's a temporary category. If you fall down, you have time to get up. Perhaps there doesn't even need to be a finacial link, but there should be a limit to how long one can stay there. If there is a financial consequence, perhaps that would be you don't get a raise.
"Failing" speaks for itself, but that category exists today, and speaks for itself, and with the system proposed, there's a place for those who need improvement but who are can be salvaged before "failing".
Finally, using test results for rankings can have other benefits. Too often today teachers naturally often want the best and least disruptive students. But using a value added method, those who are behind have much more room for improvement, and if that additional increment can be captured by a teacher after others haven't, they should and would be recognized for doing so. Then, maybe more teachers would want to develop the skills to handle those kids!
Nancy Bonfanti
12:10 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
Aren't there models that can be used...I'm wondering if the State has such a model. If they require the schools to get to a certain level to continue to fund it, then why can't they help them get to that level with the right teachers in place. And yes, "Grow Up Saucon" is right...the actual teacher's love of the job means a "disguinished" evaluation for that teacher. It would be obvious in the kids test scores and if students can be part of the evaluation it would show there as well. I love the idea of students having some say. After all, they have to sit there. Yes, some students have issues with a specific teacher but that one anomoly could be disregarded if there are no similar negative feedback. I think that type of feedback would have to be limited to middle and high school levels though. At K-4, I'm not sure a child can provide that feedback.
GrowUpSaucon
12:53 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
We need to start with great leadership ( superintendent and school board) -they should need better qualifications and they should need to be re-evaluated often.
I Am Knowledge
2:32 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
The School Board is reevaluted every 4 years when they come up for election.... it's far easier to get rid of a bad school board member (or a good one) then it is to get rid of a bad teacher.... must be a union shill... anytime you bring up holding teachers accountable, they yell "What about administrators and school board". They never think they are accountable for anything.
Carol
1:05 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Students should be a part of the evaluation system.
Allison Brink
2:45 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Absolutely!! When I was in college, we evaluated our teachers at the end the term. Students of all ages should have a voice as well. Evaluations could be made age-appropriate for the students. Also, in the lower grades, I believe parents should be allowed to evaluate their child's teacher.
Nancy Bonfanti
1:17 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
I like it!!! There were some teachers I would have loved to recommend be fired and there were others I would have liked to have been given a dozen roses at the end of the school year.
Emmaus 4 Life
4:34 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Parents evaluating teachers? That's a horrible idea!! I've recently heard about a parent who posted their kids' report card comments on social media site. How do yo think that makes parents of other children feel when their child doesn't receive the same glowing remarks? Do you think that teacher would be evaluated fairly by all parents? I don't think so!!
Allison Brink
7:00 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
You will always have the student or parent who may not like the teacher for some reason - whether valid or not. The questions on the evaluation would have to formulated to try to get the truest answers. Like any evaluation - whether by parents or students - sole outliers are evaluated differently.
I am not aware of this story. Did this teacher give only one student glowing remarks? Was this a favorite student? If the teacher favors one student - maybe that is something that needs to be addressed with that teacher. Do all the parents in the class share on social media sites? Are they all friends? Would all the parents in the class get jealous? My guess is that some of the parents who know their children aren't doing well, would not expect glowing remarks. Parents who have children who have C's, D's or below would not expect their children to receive glowing remarks. I found that all my children's teachers (my kids are hs and beyond) were pretty fair in their comments to students.
GrowUpSaucon
5:45 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
It's not so easy to get rid of the school board. They run both parties....
I Am Knowledge
11:50 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
It's really easy... you run.
Jonathan Gerard
9:54 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
A good teacher is, among other things, someone who wants to be a better teacher.
Here is a non-threatening, nurturing, way to evaluate teachers:
1. Every year have teachers randomly sorted into groups of 6.
2. At the start of each term, have each teacher share with his or her group 3 goals for professional growth--describing to the others: no improvement, partial improvement, and ideal improvement.
3. During the term, each teacher would be observed several times by the other members of the group--individually or as a team.
4. At the end of each term, teachers, sitting in a circle, would hear feedback from other members of their team.
5. All would grow from the process, from the feedback, which, intentionally, is supportive rather than competitive or threatening.
6. Anyone consistently deemed to be below professional standards by the group and the dept. chair or principal would be helped out in an appropriate way.
7. Every term each teacher would choose his or her own new growth goals to pursue. Every term, for life.
Jonathan Gerard
9:54 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Examples:
My own first three goals might be: to learn every child's name by the first week, to move more effectively around the room while I teach, and to learn something new about my subject matter either from a book, a journal, a conference, or vacation travel. My second term goals might be: to develop enrichment projects for motivated students, to work more informally with students at an extra-curricular activity, and to develop more effective homework assignments.
I Am Knowledge
11:51 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
What? You don't do all this already?
Salisbury Resident
11:11 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
This conversation, similar to abortion, will never be resolved.
mike schlicher
1:08 am on Monday, February 6, 2012
I am not a teacher nor do I have any children but what I see is that children need to learn a lot more communication skills both with other children as well as with adults respect is something earned and learnedand then children can pick up things from there .People go w/the premise that most kids dont get it well we are all wrong they do.Ask them a sports question or one about a car and so on if it interest them then they will listen and particapate.They can read the same things that we do with people telling them that they cant do things.I base these facts on a article I read where its called the McDONALDS mentality everything done reall fast and quick slow things down they will get it ,ONE CONCERNED ADULT LOOKING IN FROM THE OUTSIDE