Spotlight on Teacher Evaluation
Communicator
September 2014, Volume 38, Issue 1
Teacher evaluation is poised to be a hot topic once again this year, as states and districts tweak evaluation systems or implement new ones entirely. Evaluating teachers—from conducting observations to holding pre- and post-conferences to implementing coaching—is a large part of a principal’s job. Review these teacher evaluation to-dos from top Principal articles.
Select your tools; Delegate wisely. In “Building Teacher Capacity,” Arkansas principal Maribel Childress offers a snapshot of how she and her staff navigate evaluations. She offers the tools that work for her, and suggestions for delegating evaluation tasks to assistant principals to manage time well.
Juggle multiple measures of teacher performance. In “Managing Multiple Measures,” Charles DePascale explores the purpose of and practical applications for using multiple measures in assessments.
Understand growth models. The U.S. Department of Education uses five different academic growth models to calculate schools’ annual yearly progress. Raymond Yeagley’s “Understanding Academic Growth Models” is a primer on these models, and examines how student progress calculated with them correlates to teacher performance.
Review best principal practices. In “Time-saving Teacher Evaluation Solutions,” National Distinguished Principals share their teacher evaluation tactics, from delegating tasks to integrating evaluations with professional development.
Consider teachers’ evaluation “wish list.” In “Revamping Teacher Evaluation,” Mandy Zatynski examines how principals can strengthen the evaluation process to support teachers. She offers five evaluation tactics teachers appreciate.
—
Copyright © 2014. National Association of Elementary School Principals. No part of the articles in NAESP magazines, newsletters, or website may be reproduced in any medium without the permission of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. For more information, view NAESP’s reprint policy