ERIC Number: ED570894
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Mar
Pages: 23
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Beyond Ratings: Re-Envisioning State Teacher Evaluation Systems as Tools for Professional Growth
Connally, Kaylan; Tooley, Melissa
New America
To date, most of the public narrative and pushback on new teacher evaluation systems has centered around their use for high-stakes personnel decisions such as pay, promotion, and dismissal, but these systems were always intended to promote and support improvements for all teachers--not just the superstars or laggards. Why is teacher development still missing from the public narrative on--and most teachers' daily experience of--evaluation? Building from the National Council on Teacher Quality's recent finding that 31 states require evaluation to inform teacher development, the authors examine these states' efforts to help local education agencies (LEAs) make good on that policy. The authors identify three key strategies--including two-way communication, data-driven support, and ongoing monitoring--that states must employ in order to move further towards this goal. This report provides insights into what states are currently doing to help LEAs connect evaluation and support, and explores the work of four--Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, and Tennessee--in depth to share promising practices and lessons learned. Based on this research, the report makes several recommendations for how states can use evaluation systems to better support teacher growth--whether through policy requirements that encourage accurate, frequent feedback or through the communication, support, and monitoring of these policies. Though the authors acknowledge that states' spheres of influence and capacity will vary, they encourage states to select and tailor those recommendations that are likely to have the highest impact for their context. Includes a list of interviews conducted. Contains notes.
Descriptors: Faculty Development, State Standards, Teacher Evaluation, State Policy, Government Role, Organizational Communication, School Support, Progress Monitoring, Accountability, Profiles, State Action, State School District Relationship, Teacher Improvement, State Programs
New America. 740 15th Street NW Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-986-2700; Fax: 202-986-3696; Web site: http://www.newamerica.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Authoring Institution: New America
Identifiers - Location: Louisiana; Colorado; Tennessee; Delaware
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A