Transcript Document
Continuous Improvement of
Evaluation: Fifth Year With the
Framework for Teaching
Washoe County School District
Reno, NV
Laura Dancer, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
[email protected]
Virginia Doran, Executive Director, Washoe Education Association
[email protected]
Lynn Sawyer, Director of Professional Development
[email protected]
Neil Schott, Principal, Rollan Melton Elementary School
[email protected]
About Washoe County Schools
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88 schools K-12
3,750 teachers
58,909 students
138 site administrators
Encompasses entire county (1 of 17)
Average of 500 new teachers each year
Purposes of Performance Assessment
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Quality assurance
Professional learning
Continuous growth
Fulfill the law
Where We Began
• System had been in place for at least a
decade
• Bureaucratic checklist
• Just get through it, growth optional
• The “dog and pony” show
• System lent itself to “drive-by” observations
The Task Force
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WEA appointees (all three levels)
HR & Student Support Services
WCEAA admin appointees (all three levels)
Board of Trustees representative
Task force worked from 1997-2001
Task Force Consensus of Where
We Were Going
• Self assessment and goal-setting
• Growth in specific areas
• Increased interaction between teacher and
evaluator
• Inclusion of artifacts, “natural harvest”
Task Force Processes
• Surveyed entire district to confirm
areas/issues regarding evaluation process
• Identified and scrutinized appraisal models
from other districts
Teachers’ Perspective
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First years of teaching/effects of evaluation
Self-directed professional growth
Shared locus of control
System only as good as the users
Four Domains of Teaching with 23 components and 68 Elements
Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
Domain 3: Instruction
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Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and
Pedagogy
Demonstrating Knowledge of Students
Selecting Instructional Goals
Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
Designing Coherent Instruction
Assessing Student Learning
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Communicating Clearly and Accurately
Using Questioning and Discussion
Techniques
Engaging Students in Learning
Providing Feedback to Students
Demonstrating Flexibility and
Responsiveness
Using Student Assessment Data
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
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Creating an Environment of Respect and
Rapport
Establishing a Culture for Learning
Managing Classroom Procedures
Managing Student Behavior
Organizing Physical Space
Reflecting on Teaching
Maintaining Accurate Records
Communicating with Families
Contributing to the School and District
Growing and Developing Professionally
Showing Professionalism
Key Features
• Used teacher performance standards
• Provided fairly detailed descriptions of
actual performance criteria
• Complied with requirements of state law
Key Features, continued…
• Encompassed the effectiveness factors from
existing system
• Comprehensive overview of the
“knowledge base on teaching”
• Well researched
• Correlated to other professional teaching
standards
Essential Factors
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Rubrics/specific expectations and feedback
Self-assessment leads to growth
Portfolios and artifacts
Conversations about learning goals
Essential Factors, continued…
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Fosters reflection on practice
Self-assessment & self-directed inquiry
Comprehensive and specific
Defensible definition of the “knowledge base on
teaching”
• Instruments and procedures that provide evidence
of teaching and increased objectivity
• Built upon end goal of student achievement
• Foundation for improvement plan, if needed
Process Steps
• Teacher completes “self evaluation”
• 30 minute year long goal setting with
evaluator, 2-3 goals per domain
• Pre-observation meeting, observation, postobservation meeting
• Teacher/Admin discuss final appraisal
Professional Growth Options for Satisfactory
Post-Probationary Teachers
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Action research
Mentoring a new teacher
Peer coaching
National Board Certification process
Self-directed professional growth
Lead teacher for student intern
Customizing and Maximizing
the Framework
• Over 100 teacher applicant interviews based on 4 domains
• UNR College of Ed using framework with student interns &
admin candidates
• WCSD mentors/mentees
• Workshops on domains piloted
• Counselors, nurses, librarians, occupational and physical
therapists
• Special education teachers being developed
• Principals being developed
Other Information Available
• www.washoe.k12.nv.us
• Framework for all licensed employee
groups
• Procedures manual for administrators
• Professional development courses for each
domain
• Continuing to refine content & process
Results
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Increase in collegial conversation
Improved staff development decisions
Data in useable form
Common, specific language about
expectations
• Process done with teachers, not to them
• Improved performance
Continued Challenges
• Time
• Professional development
– Administration
– Teachers
– Specialists
Field test findings
• Teachers reported feedback increased their
awareness of areas for improvement
• Increased meaningful dialogue between the
teacher and evaluator concerning teaching.
Continuous feedback
• Currently surveying all teachers and
principals regarding perceptions and
attitudes of evaluation system.
• Exit survey