Good evening Stapleton Community,
Continuing on with my series “Role of…” I want to spend some time writing about how teachers are evaluated by administrators. While I am a secondary (middle school/high school) principal - most of what I will be sharing with you aligns with what elementary principals do (with a few minor exceptions).
Teacher evaluations come in multiple forms. What I will be focusing on today are: the walk-through, informal, and formal evaluation processes.
A walk through is more or less exactly as it sounds. A principal or building administrator will “walk-through” a classroom as it is in session. (Could be in the room for one minute or five.) The reasoning behind the walk-throughs can vary based on the goals of the evaluator. During a walk-through principals look for things such as: student engagement, teacher location within their room, lessons being conducted, potential safety issues in the classroom, classroom management, student behaviors, and sometimes even classroom decorations!
Believe it or not there are actually studies that have been conducted that speak to the effectiveness of a teacher and the ability of students in that room solely based on the types of decorations that an instructor has. If you care about that sort of thing you can read about it here: https://www.middleweb.com/47987/what-research-tells-us-about-classroom-decor/
At the completion of a walk-through many administrators will typically leave the classroom and not interact with students or a teacher. Some may acknowledge the teacher with verbal feedback or leave a quick note behind that details what they experienced during the walk-through. This will vary based on the administrator's personality and what is being done in the classroom. The last thing I want to do as a principal is interrupt the learning process as it is taking place. It is important that teachers and students alike know that I will come into the classroom consistently because their learning is ultimately my responsibility.
The informal evaluation is quite similar to a walk-through, however, there should always be some form of written feedback given during informal feedback. Informal visits tend to be longer than walk-throughs (10-15 min). Feedback from the principal is crucial for the growth and development of teachers.
As you may all know there will always be teachers with varying degrees of experience within a school building. Newer teachers typically need a lot more feedback than experienced teachers, but all educators deserve quality feedback often. Once again - how informal feedback is given can differ based on the administrator and the district.
I will share with you how I conduct my informal feedback. I use a system that I was taught during my certified administrator training graduate courses.
First, I take a piece of paper and divide it into four sections.
One section is labeled with a “checkmark”, one with a “plus sign”, one with a “question mark”, and the last I leave blank for general comments that don't necessarily fit within the other three sections.
The check mark signifies elements of teaching that should always be present, such as: students on task, what type of work is being accomplished - listening to lecture, writing notes, working collaboratively within a group, taking an assessment, etc. I always note in my checkmark section these items so I can show the teacher I can see what they are doing.
The plus sign area are items I want to highlight as something being done extraordinarily well, such as: using the students name when addressing them, asking students to provide follow up commentary on an answer, having students explain their thought process, praising students for adhering to expectations, giving kudos to students for a job well done - basically things that encourage positive behaviors and skill development from our learners.
The question mark area is where I might pose a question to a teacher to think about for future consideration. Something I might ask a teacher during an informal evaluation is: How did you decide to design this lesson? How does this lesson tie into a real world application for our students? What can I do as a principal to ensure you are fully prepared to teach in your classroom? Are there materials you need for a future lesson that you do not have access to? How would you redirect a student who is uncooperative or off task? Where did you find the inspiration to teach this content? Etc.
The last section is blank for me to write notes or give praise to teachers for trying a new lesson, incorporating elements of our school’s continuous improvement plan, or for utilizing something we may have worked on in professional development. I might ask them to self-reflect, or if I am feeling particularly funny I might draw something silly just to make them smile or laugh. Having someone in your room and watching you work can be stressful. I want my teachers to know I am on their side. Very few jobs in the world ask you to work with someone looking over your shoulder like teaching does.
Lastly, we have the formal evaluation for teachers. Every state is a little different with how they conduct formal evaluations. In the state of Nebraska, teachers who have taught in a district for three years or less MUST be formally evaluated by an administrator twice per year. Once in the fall and once in the spring. Teachers who have been in the district four years or more typically only get formally evaluated once per year. As mentioned previously, teachers can be evaluated multiple times using a multitude of methods, but the formal process is unique.
The formal evaluation process starts with a message from the administrator to the teacher letting them know that they are going to be evaluated on a given date and time. Teachers must submit lesson plans for the exact lesson that will be observed.
I will write about lesson plans in a future “Role of.”
Once the date and time is established the evaluator will be in the classroom for the entirety of the class period (in our case 50 min).
During this time the evaluator will use a rubric (grading system) that is developed by the district and accepted by the school board to evaluate the effectiveness of the teacher. Our current rubric has me examine over 30 items that a teacher will be evaluated on. Some of the items rate teachers on the things in their classroom, but others look at the teacher and their contribution within the entire school and the community.
The evaluation takes into account how they build relationships with students, parents, community members and the general public. It also considers their professional development and willingness to grow within the profession. Teachers are always learners first. There are so many ways to teach effectively and connect with others that our educators must be willing to seek out areas to improve - just as we ask of our students.
After the formal evaluation is written, a meeting is scheduled between the rating administrator and teacher to talk through the entire evaluation. During this meeting, oftentimes future goals are discussed, action plans for growth are initiated and any concerns from both parties are addressed and corrected if needed.
The teacher is given an opportunity to write a response if they choose and then that response, along with their evaluation, is stored in their personnel file. As mentioned previously, depending on the year a teacher will have one or two formal evaluations within their personnel file per year of service in the district.
All of the elements of the evaluation process are critical for maintaining high standards for both the teacher and the principal. Teachers who are given consistent and worthwhile feedback become better educators. It is imperative for school administrators to utilize the walk-through, informal and formal evaluation processes for accountability, stability within the educational trade, and to promote trust among members of the community that the student population is receiving the highest quality educational experience possible.