TEACH NOW M6U4A3: Teacher evaluation methods

There are many ways that teacher performance is evaluated by administration. This can look quite different between what happens at a private school versus what public schools require, but the end results are the same: a metric by which educators' effectiveness are evaluated.

In one school where I taught, fellow teachers and administrators floated through for observations on a drop-in basis. The results of the observation would be recorded, and the teachers agreed on the metrics by which they would be evaluated, but it lacked the formality that it seems many public schools use to evaluate teachers.

For example, in Ohio, teachers have two different potential metrics by which they can choose to be evaluated. One is a pure 50/50 split of "Teacher Performance to Standards" and "Student Growth Measures," and the other is a 50/35/15 split of those first two measurements, then an "Alternative Components" measurement for the last 15%.

The alternative components are quite interesting to me: they can include student surveys, teacher self-evaluations, peer review evaluations, student portfolios, and/or a district-determined component.


How I would like to be evaluated
In my first years teaching in a public school classroom, I would prefer to be evaluated by peer or administrator observation, and have a close relationship with a mentor who can help advise me as I seek to improve as a teacher.

The following is how I would like to be evaluated:

• I would like to meet with the examiner before my observation to discuss my lesson plan and the current classroom dynamics. I'd also like to point out some elements of my teaching that I would like to improve, such as summarizing lessons and classroom management.
• Furthermore, before the observation, I want to know from the examiner what they will be looking for in my classroom: what are the categories of teaching behaviors they are watching for.
• I would like to prepare my class for the observation but letting them know ahead of time why the teacher is in the back of the room.
• Ideally, I would like to schedule two classes to be observed. This will give the person evaluating my teaching to see a wider range of lesson plans, and allows for the events that throw off our learning (hello, fire drills) and generally gives a better idea of what happens in my classroom.
• I would like for the observer to elicit feedback from students after the class as well, to ensure that what he or she has observed is the same thing that students have observed. If there is a problem, for example, the students might be able to help the examiner know if this is a chronic or occasional problem with my teaching.
• I look forward to the meeting, discussing what the examiner has observed, and in what ways I can improve my teaching.
• Three weeks, and then six weeks following the observation and subsequent feedback, I would like for an examiner to come and re-evaluate my work. Have I changed the weaker parts of my teaching, and how else might I continue to improve?
• Furthermore, I would like to know how my students' performances stack up versus similar students within our school and at other schools. Are they showing their learning on par with their peers, or are there things I can improve about my teaching that would bring those scores up? 

Resources

"Teacher Evaluations" (2015) Ohio Department of Education. Retrieved from http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/Ohio-s-Teacher-Evaluation-System

"New Teacher Survival Guide: The Formal Observation" (u.d.) TeachingChannel. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/preparing-for-formal-observations