Teacher evaluations: Is there really enough time for reliable classroom observations?

Not too long ago there was much emphasis to “invent” “teach outside the box.” Now people are being penalised for it. I wonder how much of the “teach outside the box” was a regional thing in Georgia. I know at the training program I attended, at the time, there was much of this sort of celebratory training. This was also when the money / credit spigot was open and people were buying things, houses, cars, and pretty much everyone accepted to the teaching program was placed / hired after they completed the program. The pendulum has a wide swing. A subtext, too, is that with the evaluation emphasis, practical matter to keep teaching method “conservative.” Isn’t it odd that the Bush era (Republican) seems liberal in comparison to the current era with the corporatist direction (Gates / Duncan) ramped up and activated. It’s like Gates/Duncan can be quite liberal invading and intruding into classrooms, but teachers must be the opposite in teaching.

Tibet is continuing to go through bad times. Lots of people self-immolating there to protest heavy hand of Chinese rule. I support the teachers in Seattle with their meagre objection to being turned into teach-to-the test drones. Maybe some of them came from the “Nirvana” rock band era. It is would be difficult.

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ummm…..the evaluations can be done by all of the administrators in the school. In other words, the principal and the AP’s all conduct observations. Most administrators cross observe teachers so as to reduce the opportunity for bias.

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it all depends on criteria and intended outcome.

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Time is and always has been the elephant in the living room. The only way to create enough time to do this is to create more administrative (AP) posts. These new AP’s would need the training to be proficient in the evaluation system. Administrative duties would need to be separated into sub-specialties, i.e. discipline vs evaluation/staff development, etc. in order to make sure the various responsibilities are properly covered. Just dumping new responsibilities on already overworked Aps will not get the desired results. Something will have to give. History tells us everything will be negatively effected. I lump Evaluation & Staff Development together since the evaluation results would clearly point to necessary areas for improvement.

I do not see this happening. It requires an expansion of the administration cadre, money better spent replenishing that lost to curriculum & instruction over the past decade. Serious discussions need be had but the sad history in this state of short-changing education (QBE has NEVER been fully funded, not once) coupled with the recent “austerity cuts” does not bode well for the latest quick fix. Education is not a business and cannot be run like one. Until our state leaders recognize this, we will always be viewed as part of the country’s educational dregs.

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“It make [sic] take a culture shift, but principals have to realize that their top priority, along with ensuring their school buildings are safe, is instruction. They must make time for these teacher observations,” says Susan Andrews, Georgia Department of Education deputy superintendent for Race To The Top implementation.

Yeah sure, and how & when exactly will the responsibilities currently handled by the administrative team be taken care of? Oh, I know, parent volunteers!

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Teaching is an art, not a list of activities that can be checked off. It is highly possible that teachers that are perceived as the best in a community and that get the most out of students will fare badly in this type of evaluation. You reap what you sow. What will your school look like without your best teachers? It could happen. And happen quickly!

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Completely excellent point that maybe a principals main job during the school year is working with students and parents per circumstances. This is the core of what a good caring principals does.

The teacher core is supposed to be decided on during the summer / down time when the principal and office staff still work, and then during the school year, once you have the best staff possible, turn them loose to do their thing. You’re not supposed to be coming in the middle of the year and interrupting class and teaching and telling teachers what to do. If there is no crisis and someone is not a right fit, you deal with it during the summer or after the school year ends. If a talented teach could have better post or fit, they should be accommodated. This maintains the talent integrity and morale of the teacher core. (corps?)

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A Teacher, 2 I think the central command Gates / Duncan could care less about having the best teachers. They just want to regulate income streams and get that money. The Neo-Cons / Neo-Liberals destroy a lot of things. Do you remember a decade or 15 years ago when the nice things started going away? I do. One of the thing that was taken away was music when Reagan changed the anti-trust laws that protected from centralised ownership of media. There were 1800 telephone companies in 1975 and today there is one wired internet provider, Comcast. BellSouth does not want to provide wired DSL and is rolling up services. Vint Cerf from Google recently made the exact same observation about phone companies circa 1975 compared with wired internet monopoly today. People! See it! Gates in an experienced corporatist / monopolist. Most of that stuff from Microsoft is because they went around and bought everything up, it is not because they did the work. He’s doing the same thing with education. Caution. Beware.

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Private Citizen
January 19th, 2013
10:54 am

You know, there is a word beginning with the letter “P” that describes people who think there is a conspiracy behind every door.

Wait for it…

Perceptive.

(thank you Woody Allen)

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@teacher & mom, Dr. Andrews was an elementary school teacher and principal before becoming a superintendent. She is well-acquainted with the demands of a rural principal–she worked in Harris County, a district of only 5,000 students, before she became superintendent in Muscogee County.

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Not long after parents are finally free to send their children to the school of their choice, people will marvel at the time and resources—now squandered prolonging monopoly control of K-12 education.

Except, of course, for Maureen and the teachers’ union cabal.

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@private citizen: “You’re not supposed to be coming in the middle of the year and interrupting class and teaching and telling teachers what to do. If there is no crisis and someone is not a right fit, you deal with it during the summer or after the school year ends” Really??

Most of us are in classrooms every day – some visits or for the full thirty minute observations, some visits are just walk-throughs to see how things are going, some visits are “official” walk-throughs for an announced purpose, some visits are to check on cronic behavior problems…but all are necessary and a vital part of the job.

If I am not in the classrooms daily, how would I know about a “crisis?” How would I know about the teacher who uses only outdated worksheets to “teach” content? How would I know about the teacher who spends her instructional time shopping on-line? How would I know about the wonderful things that happen in classrooms daily? How would I know who belongs on the “best staff possible?” How would I know about the needs of our school and our teachers?

You would really want me to leave a teacher who is ineffective in October in the classroom until May? You would prefer that a principal never be able to recognize a teacher for an outstanding instructional strategy? (After all, you can’t recognize what you have not seen!) You would prefer the teachers to never see the principal as an instructional asset to the school?

It is not about interrupting a class or telling a teacher what to do, it is about protecting and improving what I hold dear – the children, the teachers, and the instructional integrity of our school.

As for the time this takes, it is overwhelming. There are days when I don’t answer an email or read anything from the stack of papers on my desk until all the teachers are gone and it is just me and the custodians. Sometimes it is the quiet of Saturday morning before I can make heads or tails of what is on my desk. Most days I arrive in the dark and leave in the dark. But it is my job.

I just wish our legislators would reinstate the more than $10,000 that has been cut from my salary in the 4 years.

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crankee yankee. Currently the USA is at the top of every crummy list, all of this is well documented. With the central owned media talking at you, there’s no reason to cover it in the news. USA is the #1 in the world in:
1. higher ed debt (currently at one trillion dollars)
2. most people, per capita, in prisons and jails.
3. highest cost of health care, combined with limited distribution of services
4. top of list for income disparity between rich and poor.
5. social mobility. low percentage of movement in financial caste.

If you can make any sense of it, let me know. Nice bit of poetry, by the way. Here’s something on corporate ecosystems for your weekend: Alexandra Morton on the Corporation – https://soundcloud.com/gift-account/alexandra-morton-on-the-corporation

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Private Citizen
January 19th, 2013
12:05 pm

Since you didn’t get it the first time, I will point out that I was agreeing with you.

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crankee yankee, Many thank you’s. for real. I’m not trying to be obscure. Yes, and that was a fine bit of art, the timing, the pause. Well done.

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ElemPrincipal, I realise you likely have all manner of outside directorates you are supposed to follow, are required to do. My heart goes out to you and sincere wishes of “good luck” with your mission.

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PS When I think of my own elementary education, the teachers were what I would call “battle axes.” Trust me, they didn’t need any help in the classroom, they had it covered. We also had art class with messy painting activities for relief from the stern home room. This is at a government school. It was very consistent and the principal was in the office. That’s where you went when you (student) really messed up and it was a scary thing, although they were a nice person. One time I bloodied the neighbor kid’s nose because he was putting his fingers in the water fountain and I jabbed back with my elbow. It was a complete accident but I was the one accountable. This resulted in two whacks with the paddle and then it was done.

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I have never understood why teachers who have been rated as Proficient/Exemplary or the equivalent year after year need to keep being evaluated every year. It is a waste of everyone’s time. If you want to drop into my classroom, please do, at any time – principals SHOULD drop by occasionally, not to “evaluate” per se, but to get a feel for teaching styles, student interaction, etc. They should walk the halls, and be seen by staff and students. This can help build community. (Of course, this is supposing the principal is a good one, and not a disruptive presence… which leads to the whole, “Who evaluates the principals?” question – but that is a whole other can of worms…) This helps principals better understand their staff’s strengths and weaknesses, better place students, and deal with problems if they should arise.

However, tthe “official” evaluations, which require reams of paperwork and hours of pre-planning, pre meetings, post meetings etc., are just draining for both teachers and principals.

In my opinion, new teachers should be evaluated two to three times a year, and the results used to help guide them towards effective teaching practices (if needed). Such evaluations should be done by different individuals, including the principal, AP and a mentor educator. After a few years’ satisfactory evaluations, this could be cut back to once a year. Then, at the five year mark, once every other year. At the 10 year mark, once every three years. Then principals could concentrate on helping mentor and monitor those educators who are either new, or need guidance. If a problem arises, a teacher moves grade levels, or a new principal arrives, then the schedule could increase for a few years, until the teacher or teachers have again proven effective.

Negative evaluations should require a second evaluation by an outside representative WHO HAS EXPERIENCE WITH THE TEACHER’S SUBJECT AREA in order to remove any suggestion of evaluator bias. If both evaluators agree there if a problem, then the teacher should be given assistance and support. If improvement does not occur, then steps should be taken to either move the teacher to a position where they might be more successful (a great high school teacher might stink in K-3) or to fire them.

It really does not seem like rocket science.

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Private Citizen – I’m not sure why you’re going off on ElemPrincipal, but your remarks are absolutely false when it comes to high performing schools and the principal being in the classroom.

As a principal, I am also frequently in the classroom. Not as a policeman to make sure everyone is on the right page of the company playbook, but as a leader. This is part of creating a culture where high expectations exist for all.

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Private Citizen… Please understand that I am not trying to goad you into an argument. I really want to know how you believe teacher quality can be determined if the principal never visits the classroom. I’ve seen folks with multiple degrees and wonderful interviewing skills who don’t know how to teach.

I asked you several questions that you did not address. What prevents a teacher from becoming a “worksheet queen” if no one ever visits the classroom? How would I know if a teacher is spending all of his/her time on Facebook or Retail Me Not, if I don’t visit the classroom.

And please don’t tell me that because I’ve picked the best staff during the summer that shouldn’t be a problem. I know of few principals who get to choose every teacher in their building. One constant theme on this blog is that administrators don’t get rid of bad teachers. How would we know who the bad teachers are if we aren’t in classrooms?

The picture you seem to have is that when I enter a classrom that all teaching/learning stops and that the only way a school can be an “absolutely top school” is for the administration to stay in the office. When I enter a classroom, it is rare for the teacher to stop teaching or for the students to stop what they are doing. I slip in, sit down, and watch.

And by the way…I will always be a teacher and I do teach a class in my school. My teachers say it is what makes me good at my job, because I never forget what it is like to be in the classroom.

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Pardon, I didn’t close the “bold” html tag.

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Yes, there is enough time for classroom observations.

No, there is not enough time for those observations to be meaningful.

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crankee-yankee
January 19th, 2013
11:58 am

egoistic twit

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Sorry…I guess our comments crossed paths in cyberspace

Private citizen…

do you really think we get to make ALL the hiring decisions? I came into a school with a full staff. I didn’t hire anyone in the building. If I had hired a bad teacher and I was the only one who suffered from leaving him/her in the classroom, that would be a different situation. But that is not the way it is. The students are the ones who suffer and I am not willing to allow that to happen.

In our school there are no department heads or lead teachers. I do have a leadership team and they tell me weekly about needs in our school.

You apparently have a lot of answers without really having the knowledge of what happens in an elementary school. You make a lot of assumptions based on your personal experience.

The teachers in my school do not lack for materials, however, if we did, do you really think it is a decision the principal makes? While I have do have some authority over my budget, I can only make it stretch so far. I do not know a single principal who holds money back for personal reasons while allowing their teachers/students to do without.

I have never ’scapegoated” a teacher for making their own materials. I applaud them for searching for new and creative ways to teach.

Sever logs, uh? Let’s see. If teachers are all professionals, and they are all doing what they are supposed to do, why would I look at server logs if I haven’t been out of my office? I did spend quite a bit of time with server logs recently, but only after I observed a teacher in her classroom and discovered that every time I walked by the room she was on her computer instead of teaching. Not sure how I would have known that if I was always in my office.

Are you really so intent on making me wrong that you don’t recognize your own statements? You are the one who said I should assemble the “best staff possible” during the summer. When I asked you how to do that without observing teachers, you came back with a rant about teacher awards and recognition.

I don’t know where you teach or if you really do teach, but I can tell you that the teachers in my building enjoy recognition for what they do. Notes of appreciation, a shout out in our newletter, a shared observation in a faculty meeting – I can’t give them the pay increase they deserve but can make the feel appreicated for the job they do.

As for the voyuer comment – yes, maybe I am. You see, I love the look on the face of a child who has just learned a new word and wants to share it. My soul is fed when I hear a student get the opportunity to explain share their thoughts about a book they have read with the rest of the class. I get excited when children work together to solve a complex math problem. There is nothing like the ooh and aahs of children doing science experiment. But I also look on a teacher’s face when she realizes that the student she has been working with suddenly “get it!” I relish the opportunity to celebrate the success of a well-planned lesson.

I have too much to do to continue this conversation, and it is more than obvious that you have never, and I pray will never, be in the position I am in. I wish you the best of luck.

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@ElemPrincipal- you are spot on. YOU SHOULD be in the classrooms. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Those kids need to know that you care about what they’re doing and those teachers who are teaching well need to know that YOU know what they’re doing and that you care about what goes on in those classrooms. Keep up the good work and don’t be discouraged by the paper pushers and the bubble fillers.

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I am always surprised at the unidimensional approach to so many problems in Education. Overlaying an increased amount of observation might be good. If that is accepted, for the sake of argument, why do we have to try and make it work within the existing personnel structure? Reassign personnel from the central office staff as observers. Rename one of the assistant principal positions to be something with observations. The problems facing education are going to require a many pronged attack. One thing, whatever it is, won’t solve the problems.

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ElemPrincipal, Don’t worry about “arguing.” That’s the last thing from my mind. You’re asking some really great questions.

I really want to know how you believe teacher quality can be determined if the principal never visits the classroom.

I’ve seen folks with multiple degrees and wonderful interviewing skills who don’t know how to teach.

On this whole “how to teach” things, there is a pattern going on of saying “this is not acceptable” however providing no example to follow. It is said that the evaluator will not once, not ever, pick up the marker and show how it is done. This is not very fair. Even right now (I say this quietly) Mr. Barge has an initiative on his website promising demonstration videos of good teaching, but guess what? There are none, only previews like movie trailers. Why not have a collection of 10 videos showing “good teaching” and “how it is done?” and then you can say (emphasis) “This is what I want.” That’s only fair. In my prior work environment – not education, if someone was not doing it right, you stepped in their and did it yourself, mentored. This is what makes the whole world go around, but in teaching and evaluating, there is this thing of the bosses who coldly step back and say “You’re not doing it right” but do not step in and make example. Well, that’s false and unethical. At the least, you should have some video showing some of this “good teaching” and then people have something to go on. As a teacher, I’ve had evaluators who basically represent like you are now, tell me good teaching is doing an “opening / introduction” and a “closing / wrap up” and all of this multi-methods hokum, supposed to have five different instructional strategies going on at once. At the same time I was being harassed and misdirected and told what to do with these simplistic formulas, I delivered very high results that were completely ignored by the same people getting into my business. So I do not have a real high concept of trust with the principal-core concept here in Georgia. I mean what are you about? If you want teaching done a certain way, you best have some video to show how it is done. Otherwise, you are practicing vacant intimidation – and there’s a lot of it. If you want results, well then look at the results. There is a real problem with principals being in teacher’s business for the wrong reasons is what I think. Much of it is completely unethical and the principal requires teacher to “play house” with the micromanaging, and the principal of evaluators invent problems where there are none because the evaluator wants to see the same thing everywhere. Well, it doesn’t work that way. Just like kids get the benefit of differentiation, teachers teach different ways. You should be concerned about results. And if you’re doing elementary ed., please, teach kids hand-writing!

I asked you several questions that you did not address.

ha. This sounds like a work review.

What prevents a teacher from becoming a “worksheet queen” if no one ever visits the classroom? I think there is nothing wrong with “worksheets” but you have to go over the work. Introduce the concept, do sample problems with the class, have kids do independent work while checking on them, and then go over the problems together. This works best either at the board or the good old time-honored overhead projector. Point is the teacher has to be on their feet active teaching their lesson and interacting with the kids. What more do you want? Some people do it with “Smart Boards” (I can’t stand them). Teacher should have the authority to teach. What more do you want? Who cares if the source materials is published work book, or from textbook, or “worksheets” are you call them? What is wrong with a “work sheet” with fractions or grammar? Where did you get the idea this is a bad thing? What do you suggest? Because if you have method, you need to be able to say or have a demonstration video. This is not some tacky competition between teacher and admin. and admin has the responsibility to define what they want. If you want something different, you must provide an example.

How would I know if a teacher is spending all of his/her time on Facebook or Retail Me Not, if I don’t visit the classroom. That’s a whole different thing. I have trouble relating to. Easy enough by monitoring computer server. Just make it clear to staff. You should have an idea who is on their feet doing their teaching. If this is what you want, make it clear on the front end.

And please don’t tell me that because I’ve picked the best staff during the summer that shouldn’t be a problem. I know of few principals who get to choose every teacher in their building.

I guess I’ve worked where the principal. did, in fact, choose every teacher in their building.

One constant theme on this blog is that administrators don’t get rid of bad teachers. How would we know who the bad teachers are if we aren’t in classrooms?

Easy that. Look at results. You’re asking good questions. I appreciate your down to earth directness. I’m enjoying our conversation. I can now see that you are walking into a pre-existing environment and trying to make sense of it. Well, I guess you have to decide who is performing and who is not performing. If you tell someone that are not performing, you need to have solid information. For example, “your students are not learning how to do fractions” or “your students are not learning how to write a paragraph” or basic grammar or write a solid sentence. (elem. ed. curriculum is not my thing) (After I already had my career going, I once had a univ. dept. head tell me elementary ed is “where it’s at, invite me to it, I was honored) Point is elementary ed. is serious business where the kids get their foundation skills. I guess your job is to assure they are getting their foundation skills in – it sounds old fashioned – reading, writing, and arithmetic. Really, I am not an elementary education specialist and this is a specialised area. Surely, there is a way you know who is producing and who is not producing? That work sheet concern you have is a big deal in that it causes me concern that you do not have solid source materials to teach from. I think, if I were you, I would apply attention to having the tools for your staff, meaning books, workbooks – real curriculum supplies. I know this is a challenge as obviously the system you are in apparently does not have this well covered, but my belief is that solid curriculum materials is a big part of what makes for good results. For example, grades 1-6, is there is solid sequential system for teaching math and language skills, written and otherwise? (I’m not expecting you to answer specifically – it is rhetorical question).

The picture you seem to have is that when I enter a classrom that all teaching/learning stops and that the only way a school can be an “absolutely top school” is for the administration to stay in the office.

I agree there is no “one way” to do it. Maybe you have the caring chemistry to visit a classroom and support your teachers. Most admin. I have seen were positively dominated by the agenda of the central office, and this is not a good thing. I’ve had admin that were totally cool and appreciative of me, and other admin that were edgy and critical.

When I enter a classroom, it is rare for the teacher to stop teaching or for the students to stop what they are doing. Of course!

I slip in, sit down, and watch. This is kind of awkward. In my experience, a 5 minute visit is as productive as a 25 minute “observation.” I’ve seen where the head boss stops in and has to lock at their watch until they have sat in the chair long enough and can ethically sign off on the required observation time. I think it all has to do with “the vibe” of the visiting person. If a principal or admin genuinely wants to be in the classroom, that is one thing. “Doin’ time” is something else. i can see how you need to know what is going on in your building. Maybe it is a personality thing. They say some entertainers are really great people, and other ones you would not want to have over for dinner. I saw a production video of that “Gangam Style” Korean guy and he was just super nice and caring to the people around him. I also read an interview transcipt typed by the guy and he writes better English than practically anyone I have seen in the U.S. They guy must be very high caste or something, he’s no pop-artist from a village, that’s for sure. I think the main thing is vibe and intent when you are observing people. If there is a problem, be really direct in what is the remedy. If someone is working hard but not “teaching right” have some video that show what “teaching right” is, what a lesson in action looks like. For greater concerns of performance, take an interest in the quality, sequential and consistent nature of the curriculum supply materials in your building – what teachers are using to teach from.

-Good to visit with you.

And by the way…I will always be a teacher and I do teach a class in my school. My teachers say it is what makes me good at my job, because I never forget what it is like to be in the classroom.

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I am so glad I retired in November.

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typo correction: “I don’t really have “answers.” I have “expression.” Correct, elementary ed. is specialised and is not my area of work experience.”

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Some teachers are energetic whirlygigs who keep everyone happy and on their toes (now that I think about it, this same teacher I’m thinking of was taking pills to make for increased mood) and other teachers who really know content can be stoic but very solid on what they are doing. (come to think of it, this person was taking pills, too – antidepressants. I am referring to two of my subject area colleagues -I was the only one not taking pills. I went to my my doctor and asked for some and he wouldn’t do it. Ha!) teaching is hard work.

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Here’s reality – I must differentiate by level, learning style, product, etc for every student all the time.
I must provide the appropriate rigor for every student all the time.
All instruction must be relavant (what might be relavant to one may be unnecessary to another depending on level, learning style or product).
I must engage every student all the time.
I must use a variety of teaching methods (technology, texts, opportunities to show mastery (fancy way to say worksheet, writing, or something like that) flexible grouping (no more rows) for every lesson for every student all the time.
I must have all of this on a lesson plan form that would be clear to anyone who walked in the door and chose to look at it.
I must collaborate with my same grade/content teachers for two hours each week and with the other grade/same content teachers at least twice a month to plan it all – and report it.
I must pre-assess, formatively assess often during a unit (not quizzes), and summatively assess differentiating those assessments for students by level, learning style and product.
Then I must grade all of this.
Oh and I’m a special ed teacher, so I must provide accommodations for my students – but seamlessly, so no one knows they are special ed students (in team taught classes – resource classes are different), but their materials can’t look different and they can’t be singled out (I totally agree with this), so we must be skilled in being covert.
Those students will have goals and objectives in their IEP (individual education plan) that are just that, individual, and I must collect the data on their progress – that could mean that despite their grade level, their skill deficits may not be part of their current grade levels’ common core standards, so we have to find time to work on those gaps.
I will have a caseload of students that I must manage their entire educational experience (including mounds of paperwork) over and above the ones that I teach.
I must provide positive behavior support.
I must council those who are struggling.
I must provide intervention, remediation, or enrichment when necessary.
Then, If an administrator comes in to observe me and doesn’t “see” all of this, I might get a “needs development” mark then have to have a conversation and provide artifacts that show them I was doing whatever they thought I “needed development” in – the new TKES evaluation system.
I am in my building by 6:30 (sometimes earlier), and usually don’t leave before 5:00 then take several hours of work home with me each evening AND take classes, work, and do staff development in the summer.
I get about five hours of sleep and start all over again.
Oh, and yes, I haven’t had a raise in six years, and with all the furlough days and shortened school year and increase in the cost of everything, my pay has decreased dramatically too.
I’m tired, stressed, now have high blood pressure, and can no longer afford my gym, or vacations…I’ve been teacher of the year, national board certified, and am a master teacher, and for the first time EVER, I’m not sure I can do this anymore…

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@ Private Citizen:

Your mother just called to apologize for your boorish rambling. And honestly, I found it hard to forgive her: it’s after all her basement you’re incessantly posting from, as well as her Wi-Fi connection.

If evenyour own mother is tired of reading endlessly of your likes and dislikes … consider how the rest of us feel! Don’t force Maureen to intercede. Find another interest in life!

Or maybe even a job.

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Private Citizen posted, “Point is, your staff if supposed to be capable. For the well-being of classroom integrity, you leave them be and let them do their thing.”

First off, you clearly have never been a school administrator. It’s tedious for those of us who actually do the job to read the rants of those who are neither qualified to do it nor know much of anything about what it really entails.

Principals in district schools INHERIT their faculty–teachers who have been awarded tenure are extremely difficult to dislodge, and tenured teachers with political connections in small-town districts are far more powerful than any administrator. It would be wonderful if every teacher were capable. Reality is, a significant portion of them are not–student achievement outcomes underscore this fact.

ElemPrincipal’s comments are spot-on what an accomplished administrator would say. If every administrator in every public school in this country shared his (her?) sentiments and walked the walk, we would have capable teachers in every classroom.

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This will never be fully implemented lik every othe fad in education. My principal has never seen me teach and probably won’t. I also don’t think there is anyway at the High School level to make this equitable. if I teach subjects with an EOCT and others don’t, I should make more for having more kin in the game.

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Keep writing Private Citizen. I don’t often agree but it is much more fun to disagree with someone who is articulate.
The last principal I worked for was a poor teacher and a failed football coach so they made him a principal in a school with a lot of smart teachers figuring all he had to do was show up and the school would run itself. Within six months just about everyone, faculty, students, cooks, staff hated going to work. Guess what his evaluations of faculty looked like? At the end of the year seventeen of us asked for and received transfers. What we are seeing in schools are a lot of administrators but very few leaders.

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1000th verse – same as the first…. but how can you really ealuate teachers… EVERY other profession in the world is evaluated and rated through somenormalized process and every one has variables and unique factors that have to be considered – and yet we manage to have evaluations and they work pretty consistently.

Only teachers for some reason continue to think theirs is the only profession on the planet that is just completely impossible to use evaluations based upon a number of fcotrs including student achievement. “But evaluate the parents, evaluate the makeup of my class, evaluate….. ” blah blah blah. And yet NONE of them have ever sugested a way they believe would actually be fair. Wonder why…. This is a load of manure – each student comes out of the previous rae with data about their testing and proficiencies. Every student has information in their file about disipline issues and disabilities. Each student can be measured against their previous year’s performance – and where necessary – when some deficiency is scored – individual circumstances can be considered. This IS NOT rocket science…. only teachers try to make it look that way. Okay – thevast majority of techers – many really would like something in place bcause it might actually give them grounds to inally get some of the dead weight out of schools. Hate to break it to you but there are just way too many bad teachers in our systems, insulated by purely longevity based tenure, whosimply shouldn’t be there. Even the teachers know this. Why won’t the teachers groups finally come up with their own suggestion for evaluations? (cricket noises)

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@ Private Citizen:
I really had no intention of posting again today, but I have to address some of the points you made.

On hiring the right people: In an interview a well-read person could tell you about educational theory, learning theory, lesson planning, behavior management, what they would do in any imaginable situation and still walk in the classroom and be a total and complete failure. Have you ever interviewed a newly graduated education major? I’ll tell you now that you can talk all you want, make elaborate charts, design a wonderful plan for classroom management, but until you are in the classroom with children, you really don’t know what you will do.

I could talk to you all day about analyzing basketball games. We can discuss the stats on every player and I can tell you how to defend against them. I can draw you a plan book that will take care of every team you will face. But considering that I am a 5′2″ woman, I will promise you that I cannot do the job of playing basketball.

So, all the schools you have ever worked in were start up schools? That is the ONLY way I can imagine that a principal was able to hire everyone in the building. You have demonstrated your lack of true knowledge with this statement.

In reference to resources and materials: “This is kind of a puzzle. No one in the building has input on their official source materials. This way is definitely not a part of top performance, or it will be rare” I am not sure I understand what you are trying to say here. Of course the folks in the building have input on official source materials. Our faculty has great input on what is purchased with our money. Actually, because we are a high-poverty school, it is requirement that teachers, parents, and other stakeholders be a part of the budget process. So, it is a collaborative effort to decide how the money is spent.

On worksheets: You have missed the whole point. Worksheets are not teachers. Certainly they can be used to reinforce, practice, sometimes even to assess learning, but they are not teachers. You said the only way to learn math is to practice it. I agree, but if you give me the worksheet without teaching me, I can practice it incorrectly a bazillion times. I will give you some leeway since you are not an elementary teacher. The term “Worksheet Queen” often refers to the teacher who sits in his/her desk while students work on worksheets. They are sometimes graded and handed back, but rarely are they reviewed or used to provide feedback to students. And I will defend to my dying day that underlining nouns and circling verbs on a worksheet is not how to teach grammar skills.

On best staff possible: Perhaps you need to work on reading comprehension and attention to detail. I never mentioned teacher awards – or “social currency.” YOU said principals should use the summer to put together the “best staff possible” and then live with it. I asked how you can do this without classroom observation. YOU came back with a rant about teacher awards. When I called this to your attention, YOU continued to tell me why I shouldn’t use teacher awards.

Appreciating teachers: You demean my methods but say you want to be told “good job.” mmm..how is a note of thanks any different than “good job?” Furthermore, there are things so much more important that high test scores. If you are in an affluent area, some kids are going to make good teachers scores because of teachers; some in spite of teachers.

I happen to be in an area of extreme poverty. I tell a teacher “good job” when he/she has made progress in teaching child to read and I also give thanks to the teacher who made sure a child had a coat to wear Friday morning in the cold. We are not producing widgits, we are educating children. There are many things every day that need to be recognized to keep my teachers coming back the next day.

Hopeless and Dazed and Confused give a clear picture of what is causing heart-ache for teachers. I do everything I can to keep my teachers from reaching this point. It is my job to make their job easier.

Now, I have a book to read.

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This is an interesting thread. I agree with Maureen’s original point that what one child likes and responds to may not be the next child’s cup of tea. I remember feeling like we hit the jackpot with my son’s third grade teacher (best year of his elementary career, hands down) and then being shocked when I realized the other parents couldn’t stand her (for many reasons – too much homework, she talked with too much of a Southern accent, you name it and those parents complained about it). We liked everything about her and my child adored her and thrived in her class. This was in one of the “top” APS schools and the principal didn’t do any classroom observations that I am aware of. My son is now in a private school and the principal does teach one of his classes and is regularly on the scene. I like that. I teach preschool ( I used to be an elementary teacher but this schedule works better for me now that I have children of my own) and this year our director informed us that we would be videotaped and that the results would be shared in staff meetings. Ugh. She is more than welcome to come in and observe us any time she wants to, but she never does. Instead we get to watch ourselves on a video while the whole staff picks it apart. I find that very obnoxious.

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I was really annoyed by GTEP because it never helped me work on what I need. Sure, I was satisfactory my first seven years, and from what I have seen so far, I will receive a proficient evaluation this year. Here is where I stand very bothered by TKES (and I’ll break it down by the three components):

Observations – unlike Dr. Henson suggested earlier, only administrators are being allowed to do the observations. In past years, because I had met my 3 years, my department chair was allowed to do one of the observations which has helped ease the burden from administration. She is no longer allowed to. On top of this, one of the 30-minute observations is supposed to be announced. Not in DeKalb, though. We have a waiver and have 2 unannounced 30-minute observations. Administrators also cannot turn off their other duties to do these observations – so the school is still functioning so they get distracted (just ask my department chair about her last 10-minute walkthrough).

Student surveys – I think this is the component that scares me the most. We were given a schedule of when and where to drop off one of our classes so that they could do our random selection survey. We were told the process takes about 20 minutes. I was given a time slot 10 minutes before the end of class, so I asked one of the assistant principals if they would be writing passes for my students. I was told not to worry, because the students were usually done in 3 or 4 minutes. Sure enough, I dropped my kids off at the lab, and went to a nearby teacher’s room (she was on planning that period) and despite the about 4 minutes late the kids were getting dropped off by the time I was able to cut my lesson short for this, they were all exiting the room when the bell rung. How did they have time to receive the instructions and really evaluate me?

Test scores: Like I said in a previous blog, I am fine with the SLO method – pre-test/post-test (although I wish there were one in the middle). I think the post test should count as a portion of the students’ grades, however. I am, as most regulars know here, a teacher in an EOCT course. I asked the state DOE about how growth can be demonstrated between unrelated courses and content and here is part of the reply I received in email last month, “As you know, there are many concepts and skills that are embedded in all social studies classes, which provide a common link across courses. As with US History and Economics, the social studies content between grade levels changes as well, though similar underlying skills and processes are utilized.” The problem is (and I have to go based on the test questions released by the state) we don’t test social studies skills – we test content and factoids on the US History and Economics End of Course Tests. Again, how do we show growth? US History teachers are really expected to show 3 years worth of growth because the last time most of their children were tested in any social studies course was the 8th grade CRCT for Georgia Studies.

It seems to me that we have gone from one very flawed system in the form of GTEP to one very flawed system in the form of TKES.

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I am a 23 year veteran teacher at a high school with 95 teachers, 1 principal, 3 assistant principals, and a CTAE director. We have typically about 1400 students.

Only one of these administrative types has more that 6 years in the class room, this assistant principal has 25 years in elementary classroom setting, not always relevant to what goes on in a high school. I know personally 3 of the others from their teaching years; each was very open in their desire to “get out of the classroom” as soon as possible.

When I get observed for my annual performance evaluation, it is near comic what happens.

The little evaluation form’s descriptive blurbs are sterile in comparison to the many events taking place in that 10 minute visit to one class compared to the entire semester or year.

Our administrators really spend most of their time with about 1% of the students who are chronic behavior problems and the associated gripe/threat sessions with the parents of this very small number of students.

I don’t see the proposed evaluation scheme as anything more than more wasteful spending of scarce Georgia Tax dollars which could be better spent on activities/resources that directly impact the student in the classroom. Whether it be more teachers, more relevant teacher professional development, better classroom technology, or instructional materials such as books or supplies. Spending the money in these areas would impact student achievement more than a check-list program of evaluation.

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It all boils down to money. Since we are in such a terrible economic position, the state decided to jump on the money train and do whatever it takes to get funding for our schools. As a middle school teacher (and part of the pilot program last year), I can say that the new evaluation system is greatly flawed. Here is why. 1.) When admin comes to evaluate us, if they don’t “see” a specific standard of the 10 that they are looking for, all we have to do is show proof that we have done it. For example, if they are looking for differentiation techniques, we can print off a test that we give to our regular kids, then print the test that we use for our SPED kids. Easy as pie. 2.) Admins don’t have time to look through all of the “proof”, so as long as it looks useful, they will sign off on it. 3.) Students take a survey about their teachers. Ha! Thinking back to when I was a middle schooler, I would have said terrible things about my teachers, even if they were great. If I thought I could get them in trouble or fired, I would have done it.

Those are just a few things that show that this system is flawed. I’m not sure why people are so concerned with great teachers. It doesn’t matter how well we teach, we are forced BY THE STATE to pass 98% of them, even if they aren’t capable of doing the next grade curriculum. Yes, I work hard to be an effective teacher; I love my students and put in many extra hours each week to ensure that I’m helping my kids. With that said, even if I sat behind my desk and gave worksheets every day, I am unfortunately forced to pass the kid who just turned 16 and is sitting in my 8th grade classroom. He can’t read or do basic math, but he is going to high school next year because of his age. RTI is a joke because it isn’t followed up with at home. I can say that I am being an adult mentor to this kid, but when he flat out refuses to do homework or study for tests, I can’t do anything about that.

Money has taken over education. We are puppets of the state and have to do whatever they force us to do.

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Within the evaluation there are four rankings for teachers. Is there a certain percentage level for each ranking principals must document?

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And then what? Half of teachers leave now in the first five years? Salaries have fallen far below competitive due to furloughs and freezes, with no new money on the horizon. Teaching time lost increases the frustration of trying to teach tougher standrds to more students. Benefits have virtually disappeared and there is little support from the public. Does anyone believe that these new evaluations will improve instruction other than the zealots who abandoned the classroom as soon as they could to work in the state department or central offices.

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I came way late to this discussion and am too tired to wade in. I will say this: at the secondary level, having administrators evaluate teachers is a joke. Won’t work. Teaching cannot be standardized to the point that a person unfamiliar with content can evaluate teaching.

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The problem is principals make up stuff if your not in the right clique in thier school. Half the stuff is total nonsense. Like what posters on your wall. You don’t write lesson plans they way they would and most of them were bad teachers. The evalution is a joke. Why be in a job were raises don’t come and no respect as a professional.

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“That’s why I regard promises of objective teacher evaluations with skepticism. Can teaching be reduced to a checklist of good and bad practices?”

ANSWER: NO
Just a continuation of the well documented NWO mind control agenda. This is what was going on in the former Soviet Union.

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@GTAlumna, did you go to teacher first with your concerns, or go straight over her head?

And if you did, what happened?

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“…she is formerly requesting…” perhaps you meant formally?

I just “proved” you have poor grammar skills.

Beverly Fraud makes a good point, did you ever approach any of the teachers you had a problem with? If that isn’t your first step, your complaint will not be taken very seriously and you will a develop a reputation as a complainer, deservedly or not.

You may want to reread Maureen’s opening piece where she observed in her own kids’ interactions with teachers and the very real differences in how they responded to the teaching styles. Perhaps your & your friend’s kids were a poor match to that teacher. That does not mean she is a poor teacher and if you make accusations without laying the groundwork, you will be relegated to complainer status.

That said, if she is a poor teacher, by not approaching the situation through the school’s accepted methods, you may have helped create a situation where it will take longer for the principal to address the situation. Every good administrator I have ever worked with expects a parent to contact the teacher first, they will not take immediate action if you have not done this.

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Teacher “evaluations” should start when hiring them. Are they in the top 20% of their class? If given a test in their subject matter, do they register a “full mastery” or do they barely squeak by? On their Praxis test, are they at the lower end? Of course, for a lot of Georgia counties, they have to hire “bottom of the barrel” teachers because those are the only ones who will agree to teach in the war zones. Then the system turns around and blames all of their achievement issues on the teachers!

Tell you what, ADMINISTRATORS, you hire top of the line teachers and see if your test scores go up. I can guarantee you they will NOT. You had better look at the basics first (attendance, social promotion, ad nauseum).

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ElemPrincipal, to continue our dialogue,

So, all the schools you have ever worked in were start up schools?

I worked in one of those schools where they did the NCLB nuclear option and seembled the staff anew from scratch.

Our faculty has great input on what is purchased with our money.

I think we’re talking about two different things. I am refering to linear development of knowledge through grade level based on textbooks and publishers, not ancillary materials and in-building spending money.

On worksheets: You have missed the whole point. Worksheets are not teachers.

So you’re really talking about active teaching method, not worksheets? We seem to be in agreement on this.

YOU came back with a rant about teacher awards.

Corrent. That is my opinion. In my prior work experience, top level people did not award each other. It’s a distraction. Professional’s time and dignity should be respected. That’s my opinion and I do not care for “award culture” as part of operations. That’s no distinction. Awards are great if they are substantial. In my experience, in-school teacher awards are more about the appointed. Frankly, you seem pretty comfortable throwing around that kind of authority. In my own experience, there has been zero teacher award culture and no one – at all – would want this, quite the opposite. I think you should realise there is more than one type operational structure out there in the world. A kid might like a big blue ribbon on their project. This is not what motivates adults. And besides, when I delivered real-world high results in the school house due to my own hard work, there was certainly no reward. I don’t know what the awards are for. In the situation you describe, they’re not for me.

Appreciating teachers: You demean my methods

You should be a little bigger than that. I’m not out to get you, but I do intend to share my own perspective based on my own experience.

Furthermore, there are things so much more important that high test scores.

First thought: Not if you’re trying to get into medical school.

I happen to be in an area of extreme poverty.

I love areas of extreme poverty and it is where I am most comfortable teaching.

I tell a teacher “good job” when he/she has made progress in teaching child to read and I also give thanks to the teacher who made sure a child had a coat to wear Friday morning in the cold.

That’s some excellent real-politik example of things. They say the love is in the details. Maybe my experience of award culture is different than what you practice in your building. You seem like a genuine person. Some head administrators have so much outside pressure on them that even if they start out as genuine, they get forced in being in conflict with themselves and be hypocrite. I sure hope you never have to deal with that level of outside interference. School districts in Georgia are inconsistent. Some are quality run, others it is like the main office are animals poking people with sharp sticks, and that’s before the real tune it up and displace a bunch of people so they can perpetuate their paranoid central office power. It sounds crazy, but I am not over stating it. If you work in a district where the main office does not seduce, place, and then malign people like “Suprise!” be thankful. I think the district I worked in basically fed off of outside talent. They need it to be able to survive, and then they subvert people. I’ve seen, like, ten good people run off in the area I am in, seen it done in government university, too. It is like the crooks come in and take over a dept. and screw everybody over. For many people in Georgia, this is what “education career” has turned into. Maybe I see too much. I should be writing scholarship on labor management and organization.

We are not producing widgits, we are educating children. There are many things every day that need to be recognized to keep my teachers coming back the next day.

You make it sounds like conditions go up and down. Whatever happened to consistency? I once did some contract work for a guy who mentored me in the process. He was the top person in his field and had done renovations on the state capitol building (this was not in Georgia). After I got the contract to do work for him, he told me the one thing he wanted was “consistent.” I had never heard this before. He was not messing around, either. He was a design consultant and he knew what he wanted.`

It is my job to make their job easier.

Not personal, but from reading this thread, I think your mission should be focused on the child / parent support side of things, and teacher should be capable to work with independence. Sort of like on a big contracting job, the skilled workers are doing the work and the big boss is hanging out with the client. This is my idea of a good crew. I’ve done a lot of crew chiefing. I recall a couple of job sites with absolutely top level people, 4 people on a crew and each of them were A-call talent and could perform several roles. About the only thing being said was “How’s every little thing today?” (with a smile). Point is, we had it covered.

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When I first began teaching, I was evaluated under the TPAI. Lately, I have been evaluated using CLASS KEYS. But I feel that a good administrator can tell very quickly (through a few “Poppins” and hallway listenings) who the good teachers are. And there are processes in place to remove the teachers who are not doing a good job, so I feel that the DOE is “chasing its tail” in making the evaluation process more and more complicated and time-consuming. Now I know that teacher evaluations will always be a part of an educator’s life, but I also feel that it’s the administrators’ job to do the evaluation. Oh, and I also firmly believe that an administrator should teach at least one class in his/her subject area.

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In a different thread, Truth in Moderation posts an interesting excerpt from a science fiction story,

““However, the important modern work started with Berger in the late 1920’s. He found that the brain emits a definite pulse of activity, which was then known as the ‘Berger rhythm.’

“Since then, Berger’s work has been very much refined. We now know that the brain actually produces a number of clearly defined electrical rhythms. These rhythms have been used in medical diagnosis of brain injury. Walter, in England, has even developed a machine that will show whether or not people will get along with each other, by analysis of their wave patterns.”[157]
______________________________

My take-away from this is that maybe administrators are one group of brain-wave-patterns and many teachers are of a different group of brain-wave-patterns. The evaluation requirement / method may have little to do with how many teacher brain-wave-pattern people work in the field. These will be the one’s who leave the profession due to discomfort, dis-ease, with evaluation intrusion / methods, or else will stay in the field but be forced to find a different venue to do their work.

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Lee, In a market environment, quality wins. No one spends time on “customer survey.” If I was a parent and a school gave me a survey to fill out, I’d find a different school due to that they’re mismanaging resources and do not know what they are doing. What you’re describing is called pandering.

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question posted, “Within the evaluation there are four rankings for teachers. Is there a certain percentage level for each ranking principals must document?”

No–there are no quotas established by GaDOE.

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Administrator evaluations are superficial, political, and inaccurate.

Different teachers have different teaching styles. They should not all be evaluated against the same fixed instrument.

Standardized tests are not authentic assessments and a poor measure of what kids actually know. They are not designed to measuer teacher effectiveness.

Standardized tests only measure rote memorization, and not actual learning.

Translation: “Shut up, go away and leave me alone. Give me my annual step raises. Stop trying to figure out whether or not I am doing a good job because there is no fair way for you to do that.”

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E-P, you ought to see the movie, “Shaolin Soccer” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxGQ9i8HD_M

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Translation: “Shut up, go away and leave me alone. Give me my annual step raises. Stop trying to figure out whether or not I am doing a good job because there is no fair way for you to do that.”

@Already, what about this translation: The Gates instrument (not the official name I know) states specifically that there should be outside observers to counter administrative bias. We aren’t going to do that, but in spite of the numerous cases of documented administrative retaliation, we want teachers to blindly trust our integrity.

So maybe an alternative and equally valid translation is “We don’t trust how this instrument is being used. We don’t trust that they have decided to ignore what few protections have been put in place for its misuse.”

Now read that above and consider that this instrument could be used to downgrade a teacher if she merely gently, quietly reminded a student to get back to work!

@Already, would you want a manager in any other profession “downgraded” for reminding someone to get back to work?

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GT Alumna posted, “[E]ven though my daughter got all A’s/B’s with even these poor teachers, I knew she had gaps in knowledge.”

This is the essence of why we now have high-stakes accountability testing in public schools. Teacher grading cannot be trusted across the board to reflect that students have in fact been taught the state curriculum standards AND have learned them. While many teachers have integrity, skill, expertise, and talent, not all of them do. The combination of teacher evaluation, if implemented appropriately, and state testing, would enable administrators to determine which teachers truly are effective. It moves effective teaching out of the realm of personal opinion, popularity, and politics, and into the arena of evidence-based decision making.

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Beverly Fraud posted, “it seems administrators often won’t do the right thing until they are faced with being shamed into doing so.”

BINGO. You win the prize for most accurate statement of the blog thread.

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@Dr. Henson, thank you. As much as I think teachers are getting a raw deal (or should that be capital D in Georgia LOL) some really are lacking in certain skills. As are the administrators who supervise them, sad to say.

But if you’re in the right sorority or fraternity…

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@Tony at 10;06. Great comments. Thanks for the common sense approach.

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“I do not hire any teacher who cannot bring to me a track record of student achievement, with preference to those who have produced such in high-need schools and classrooms. All of our paraprofessionals hold at minimum a bachelor’s degree.”

So you must work for Dekalb County School System.

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bootney farnsworth wins the runner-up prize: “they [admin types] do fear bad press, and consequences.”

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what I want to know is simple:

can you effectively teach?

can you reach kids and impart on them the basic knowledge they need for your subject? I don’t care about your class standing, your publications, your personal brand (a up and coming issue for another day), your race/gender/religion/orientation/favorite team/ect.

working in higher ed, I’ve seen so many Ph.D.s with all the letters and awards in the world who have the teaching skills of a rotting corpse that I can’t count them.

I’ve also seen instructors working with honors students who boast of their achievements. you’ve got honors students, try not to achieve.

the one who really impress me are the ones who take kids who have been so badly served by the public school experience they are functionally illiterate, and get Cs out of them. THATs teaching.

teachers know who can teach, and who can’t. but nobody talks to us

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Lee pointed out businesses do customer service evaluations. true. he did not mention most people who fill those things out are angry people with a bone to worry. and that most businesses ignore all but the very few who can document their issue.

so the surveys and input is flawed from the jump. and everyone knows it.

so sure, factor in parent evaluations. but on the same criteria – we get to ignore the nuts and everyone understands the input was poisoned from the jump

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Re: Performance Standard 10: Communication
Specifically:
Rubric: Proficient is the expected level of performance.
The teacher communicates effectively and consistently with students, parents or guardians, district and school personnel, and other stakeholders in ways that enhance student learning

And what of the teacher that reaches that standard by informing, in the most ethical and professional of manner school district officials that systemic cheating is occurring?

And is rewarded for meeting that rubric by having their contract non-renewed?

Again, where is protection from administrative retaliation, especially considering school systems aren’t willing to invest in the integrity of the process by hiring outside observers to adjust for bias?

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“I’m still reluctant to install a trigger mechanism until we build in a protection level. being a horses butt is annoying, but doesn’t mean they are bad at their job”

@bootney, that’s why I propose a really high number…say 70%.

The ombudsman idea you put forth is also another way of addressing the issue. (Why do I get the feeling school systems would sign off on that one if it were a PAGE or GAE person LOL)

The key is, whether it’s a trigger clause, or an ombudsman, neither are being addressed by either the General Assembly, or those who love to offer platitudes to teachers, such as PAGE and GAE.

And to think there are people here who really believe GAE and PAGE are these “powerful” teacher unions are out there protecting teachers.

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FYI – Coursera enrolment is open for “E-learning and Digital Cultures”

https://www.coursera.org/course/edc

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Dr. Monica Henson
January 20th, 2013
12:00 pm

There may not be any set quotas from GaDOE but individuals have already begun to skunk up the works. I know of an administrator who said point blank they were not going to give any Exemplary ratings, period. PC & BF are correct in wanting to see some type of protection mechanism in place as the instrument can too easily be misused.

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From Hong Kong movie, “A Better Tomorrow,” “there’s no manager here” “there’s no boss here” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KogUyPjHMrM#t=34m46s

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10:10 has a legitimate point about national activities of unions and collecting money and such. It is a puzzle that Georgia teachers can not have professional solidarity and protections with the “upstairs management” union political culture. There are three teacher “professional organizations” in Georgia (I’ve paid money / membership to all three) but teacher is told one is required for purpose of included liability insurance. It is really a scam. Having 3 “professional organizations” is another way of breaking up worker solidarity. Meanwhile, teachers just sort of have to “take it” on dictates. I contend there is a really serious thing going on with worker displacement and moving workers (teachers and admin) around with much frequency, but that is really a different subject from this thread. I would love to see some scholarship on which districts move people around a lot and which do not, comparing this data with student performance.

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“The TPAI issue confirmed for me the reasons why I majored in English and went through alternative certification, rather than wasting my degree on an education major–the public education industrial complex was corrupt, even then…”

So Dr. Henson you can understand why teachers are reflexively distrustful even as there is a need to address the incompetent ones among them?

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And then there was the parent, ex Vietnam vet crazy as a bird who came and huffed and puffed at the office and then went across the street to a pay phone and called in a bomb threat, but everybody knew who they were, and their kids were actually pretty keen / good people / so everybody just rolled with it and didn’t make a big deal out of it.

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” It is a puzzle that Georgia teachers can not have professional solidarity and protections with the “upstairs management” union political culture.”

Well when teachers make a conscious choice to join organizations that, by their very definition serve administrative interests…

Isn’t that not unlike a group of chickens rejecting PETA as “too radical” then joining the Truett Cathy Chicken Empowerment Group and then acting surprised when no one will protect them from being skewered and served up on a bun?

Seriously…what are teachers thinking?

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crankee-yankee, I am a public school employee myself, so if all of them are worthless moochers, then I’d be one too.

Of course I mean some of the adults, not all of them, but it’s impossible to argue that there’s a percentage of people employed in the public schools who have no business being there. In some districts, that percentage is significantly higher than others. Teachers, however, refuse to police their own and fight to the death any attempt to dispel the myth that all teachers are excellent, which becomes even more unbelievable in the face of annual student achievement reports. The Chicago Public Schools debacle was a classic example: the highest paid teachers in the nation produce the worst collective student outcomes in math and reading, yet they fought with a strike the effort to tie student achievement to their teacher evaluation system.

The continual howling by teachers that any effort to evaluate them is impossible, unfair, their work cannot be judged or quantified, etc., is both ridiculous and a significant reason why the general public doesn’t value teachers the same way they value physicians, scientists, engineers, and other professionals that teachers constantly compare themselves to in the incessant demand for higher pay and more prestige.

Public school systems in this country are designed to be sorting mechanisms based on ZIP codes and birthdates, and much of what happens in a public school has no basis in what is good for children. This includes the hiring and retention of people, including administrators, who are unable or unwilling to behave in a manner that above all upholds the best interests of the children they are charged with serving. Many school districts are run by boards of education that treat the schools like jobs programs for adults rather than as places of learning for children.

Nowhere is this mentality more evident than in the American public high school, although the accountability movement has shone a spotlight on the dropout problem to such a degree that the general public is now aware that 1 out of every 3 high school students in this country probably won’t graduate on time, if at all. Many people have gone into high school teaching because of love of a subject, not love of kids; the desire for an “easy” job with lots of time off compared to corporate employment; the belief that teaching is so easy that anyone can do it; they can’t get employed successfully doing anything else, and they or their family know someone on the school board; they want to coach sports; the list of reasons goes on and on. The reasons why many people seek to leave the classroom and go into school administration is equally convoluted and many times has nothing to do with the desire to improve the lives of children and more to do with earning more money and other factors. We continue to cope in Georgia with the result of the “Hey, you can win football games–we’ll put you in charge of the high school” mentaility, although that crowd is nearing retirement age. I’m sure many of them will be back as 49%ers, though, to continue “gorging at the public trough.” They are the people responsible for allowing an annual influx of a percentage of teachers that are incapable and ineffective, granting them annual evaluations of “satisfactory” because they are too damn sorry to get into their classrooms and really look at what they do, enabling them to “earn” tenure and effectively hold hostage for 27 more years multiple generations of children whose time is wasted in their classrooms.

TKES/LKES and the resulting whirlwind of negative reaction is a microcosm of the larger problems facing public schools: how do we evaluate teachers effective in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms? and how do we hold administrators accountable for evaluating teachers competently and fairly? I agree 100% with all of the posters who decry the unethical behavior of administrators who abuse teacher evaluation instruments and processes. I call for boards of education and charter boards to start making this an issue at the superintendent/director level, which is the only practical way to start getting the problem addressed by the people who have the authority to deal with is–superintendents and principals. I disagree, however, that any time any teacher is “marked down,” it can automatically be attributed to an evil/vengeful administrator.

The evidence is clear, for those who care to read the research; the vast majority of teachers in this country, and Georgia is no exception, are rated “satisfactory” or “proficient,” regardless of the actual level of skill & expertise they possess, and regardless of how well their students perform academically.

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Do we still have the STAR teacher award in Georgia?

If so, there’s your indicator of what good teaching is about.

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Yes, Indigo, we still have the STAR teacher/student awards in Georgia. I was selected STAR teacher for one of our county’s high schools in 2004, by a student who had me in 7th grade. He went on to become our system’s STAR student (and me, STAR teacher). It didn’t help when a new administrator – who didn’t even have her certification as such when she started – was instructed to reduce payroll and got rid of me, the only teacher with a Specialist’s degree and lots of experience. Being a STAR teacher didn’t do anything to help me.

Though I will say that, in my entire career, that’s the only real evaluation I’ve cared anything about. Even my last two, which led to my non-renewal (and decision to retire)…and here’s the weirdest part of all. In both of those, I had “satisfactory” ratings in my in-class observations. It was the GTDRI in which I came up short on one subjective measure, which was the only thing they COULD score me badly on. It was enough to do me in.

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And I want to add this to the body of thought about any kind of evaluation system for teachers: If it can be used as anything other than a way to help improve teacher performance (or, in the final analysis, to show that a teacher really shouldn’t be in the classroom), then any evaluation system is fatally flawed. If it can be used politically to remove teachers who cost too much or who don’t necessarily jive with administrators, then it shouldn’t be used at all.

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I’ve always thought a third party should observe teachers.

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ColonelJack

So, the Georgia school system fired a STAR teacher.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what you would expect from Georgia’s extremely substandard school administrators.

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Dr. MH

I’ve seen poor teachers in every one of the buildings I have taught in. Most of them were burnt out vs. incapable at the start of their careers. Some administrators are better than others at addressing the situation. The better ones dot their i’s, cross their t’s and are in a position to remove the teacher if there is no improvement. The failures at removal that I have seen are due to incomplete work by the administrator. But BF’s point as to where we as teachers have the power to police ourselves is spot on. If there was a peer review board, I am confident we would have less incompetence in our ranks.

A peer review board may also have helped CJ in his situation. But the paternalistic atmosphere that permeates this state does not allow for the worker bees to have any say in policing themselves.

AlreadySheared – I see BF as saying exactly what you bemoan does not happen. My take is BF is willing to see how the new evaluation instrument works if it is used in the fashion it was developed, I am as well. But the ONE THING that could possibly keep personal bias out of the evaluation, outside evaluators, is disregarded simply because it would cost more money. Doing it right will always take second place to doing it cheap so long as the current workplace philosophies remain in place. So there is nothing truly new, a pig is still a pig no matter what how much make-up you put on it.

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@ElemPrin … No offense taken. I knew where you were going with that response, and I agree with what you say.

But the fact that this young student, who had more than a dozen other teachers just in his high school years alone from which to choose, went back to 7th grade and selected me is why I consider this the best evaluation I ever received, and the only one I put any credence to at all.

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Colonel Jack – I agree! I was a middle school teacher, as well. The endorsement of a student 6 years later certainly ranks at the top of my list, too.

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Jerry, have you been a school principal? (I’m not being snotty, just curious.) lt’s not a matter of insufficient time given “all the other duties.” It’s a matter of priorities and delegating “other duties” when possible and advisable. Instructional leadership is, after ensuring safety, the single most important responsibility of a school principal. I’ve been a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and I can assure you that there is plenty of time if you make classroom observation your top priority after ensuring safety.

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Dr. Henson,
I think my comments over the last two days make it very clear that I believe instructional leadership is a top priority. However, to say that there is “plenty of time” misrepresents the time that is spent outside the school day taking care of other duties and responsibilities.

We all know that a broken toilet, an upset parent, an out-of-control student, a state report, or one of a thousand other things, can take us away from our planned agenda for the day. Sure, some things can be delegated, but there are some things that must be generated from the principal’s desk. So we spend many hours before and after the school day doing paperwork, answering emails, writing reports, making phone calls, and inspecting our buildings.

Of course, the observations are not the part of the TKES that is taking our time. The electronic platform from the DOE is consistently inconsistent! Spending an hour or more writing up an evaluation only to have it disappear, is what is consuming me!

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crankee-yankee

January 20th, 2013
8:43 pm

It sounds like you have reason to be skeptical. Doesn’t sound like your administration has been able to implement the process with fidelity. Is your system not using the electronic platform?

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ElemPrincipal, I hear you on the time factor. I do feel that as administrators we know going in that we will not work 40-hour weeks. When I say there is “plenty of time,” I’m not trying to imply that we are all sitting around with loads of free time on our planners. I generally work a 70- to 80-hour work now that I am at the superintendent level, and as a principal I routinely worked 60- to 70-hour weeks. I’m not complaining, because I love what I do and am compensated fairly for it–but it’s a truly time-consuming job.

I am of the firm conviction, however, that if we put the important ahead of the simply urgent (understanding that at times we cannot avoid the urgent, depending on the circumstances), if we put the same priority on those evaluations and conferences that we put on meetings with the superintendent and other similar pulls on our time, we are able to devote sufficient time to the process to ensure that it gets done well.

Those who advocate getting rid of assistant principals have, simply stated, no clue what’s involved in administering a school.

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ElemPrincipal
January 20th, 2013
9:05 pm

I have not seen any evidence of an electronic platform, only paper.

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“Is there really enough time for reliable classroom observations?”

Yes.

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Thank you, Lee, for your observations. That is what I was trying to say earlier. I’m not asking for parents to have a survey or a seat at the table, but I think all parents would like to know when teachers are being evaluated so that any parent can provide input (with back-up detail) to be included in the evaluation.

And to others on this blog, not all of us parents with complaints are insane; some of us actually have valid points to make. Additionally, our input is not always negative. For instance, I have two positive tidbits I wouldn’t mind sharing with the elementary school and high school regarding two of their teachers. IMHO, I think any evaluation which doesn’t include the whole picture (360 degrees) is just window dressing.

Parents do talk to each other… and often. We also review Rate My Teacher sites for other insight. We discuss administrators too. So next time your asking for us to open our checkbooks (again), just remember we are not just rapidly emptying wallets. Some of us have a brain and we’re not afraid to use it.

That said, I want to also address the concept of favoritism. As I alluded to in my previous post, I suspect the two teachers I complained about were protected by the administration due to favoritism. If personal bias can have a role in this evaluation, I don’t think we’ll ever get to the point where ineffective teachers are shown the door.

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@ Bootney,
I am seeing it. I just don’t think it will ever change. It is happening everywhere. Like I said before, others felt the same way I did but lived in fear of complaining lest it impacted their kids. Bottom line, it did impact their kids. Their deluding themselves into thinking we’re better off b/c of where we live. A bad teacher changes the trajectory of each and every student. A bad administrator does even more damage. I gather my own evidence and they brush it aside.

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GT Alumna posted, “A bad teacher changes the trajectory of each and every student. A bad administrator does even more damage.”

Very well said, and very sadly true. This is part of my mission in life: to highlight these two facts and do whatever I can in my own (charter) school, which is fast becoming a district itself, to show that it doesn’t have to be that way. Remove the politics, remove the good old boy system, and focus like a laser on what’s best for kids.

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Colonel Jack is right. APS officials in the past have even gone so far to say that even if it can be verified that a principal falsified information on an evaluation, it still cannot be appealed.

Until you deal with the issue of administrative retaliation, systemically speaking you really don’t have integrity in the process, (even if you do have those who approach the exercise with integrity)

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Beverly … it can even be worse than that. My last “evaluation” contains changes made after I signed the form and it was filed. I know this because I have my copy of the original, and a copy from my personnel folder, and they’re not the same. The principal added negative information without my knowledge or approval (or signature) and went so far as to change the day I signed a form to another, later date. But that meant nothing, apparently.

I know I sound bitter. I’m sorry to come across that way.

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“And to others on this blog, not all of us parents with complaints are insane; some of us actually have valid points to make.”

Of course you do GT Alumna, but by logical definition if you involve all parents in evaluating teachers, you are exposing teachers to be evaluated by the incompetent and insane

Like they aren’t dealing with enough of those types in the education bureaucracy to begin with…

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Also, Jerry, I take serious issue with your characterization of TKES/LKES as “the system being shoved down your throats (which, by definition, means it will fail).”

The system is well-grounded in the research (I did my doctoral work in teacher supervision and evaluation) and is, in my opinion, an excellent tool. I share the concern of many teachers who post about incompetent and unscrupulous administrators who will misuse the system. Nevertheless, that’s going to happen regardless of what instrument is in place–it’s not a result of the instrument itself.

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Much of the problem with observations of teachers is that the higher you rise in the educational establishment of most counties, the further you get from anyone who has made any effort to keep current in educational practices. Instead they use idiosyncratic memories of their own experiences as the sole guide. When approached about basic science equipment teachers were told instead we would get new spelling books with just word lists, no exercises or meanings, because the administrator “had such warm memories of cuddling into her mother’s lap to study the new spelling words.” Unfortunately most of the current students lacked any such caring person or nurturing environment so the books went home and back with spines unbroken.
When I was among the first computer literate educators around, I was charged with helping create a computer magnet school curriculum. We were teaching students to use tools like databases, spreadsheets, or even word processing in research. After a powershift in Dekalb County the principal was bumped by an administrator who mistrusted computers but was seeking a refuge; perfect choice to head a computer magnet. I was observed teaching artificial intelligence programming to a class. Each student had used LOGO to design a unique project using math and logic to create an animated display. I was moving among them as they eagerly worked, needing advice or suggestions to try to solve problems. I was very happy that even the “slower” students were fully engaged and caring about error proofing their creation. The administrator’s review said I had no control over my students because each one was doing something different. I was encouraged to have them en masse write a line of code as dictated by me. I protested that this removed them from any intellectual growth and was told keeping them orderly was of more importance. The same administrator wanted all kids with a finger over their lips at all times when not answering a teacher’s question, even on the playground!

Would we put people in charge of a hospital if they had no knowledge about caring for people? Yet we do similar in education with coaches, then let these people sit in judgement over true educators.
The other problem with observations are their inflexibility. I had experience working with some colleagues who should never have been in a classroom. One openly said she disliked children, but she was always given rave reviews by her sorority sister administrator.
Others taught to the observation. They had a planned lesson all ready. It had been designed to hit every point on the checklist and had been practiced with students. On each question all hands went up and the called upon student always knew the answer. The trick was all were ordered to raise their hand and the ones who knew the answer closed their fists so only there were called upon to answer.
The real heroes are the ones who teach the “slow” students not in special ed. I was a teacher of the gifted, but also handled a computerized reading assistance lab for juniors who barely read. Surprise, surprise, they got bored taking tests they could not read nor comprehend and just played with the answer sheets. Even though they might make years progress in one quarter with a teacher, the teacher is a failure because of low test scores. That the scores have risen is irrelevant if they are not “on grade level”.
You are correct that is is potentially dangerous to your career to venture outside the accepted box of practices sent down unchanged from the past.

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@Dr. Henson … you said: The system is well-grounded in the research (I did my doctoral work in teacher supervision and evaluation) and is, in my opinion, an excellent tool. I share the concern of many teachers who post about incompetent and unscrupulous administrators who will misuse the system. Nevertheless, that’s going to happen regardless of what instrument is in place–it’s not a result of the instrument itself.”

If this is so, why bother? Why introduce a new instrument if it is already conceded that it will not be used properly and that it will be used for purposes other than its original design? Why even have the bloody thing in the first place?

I stand firmly with BeTeachin … teachers should be observed by other teachers, especially those who at least understand what’s supposed to be going on in the classrooms. I’d add that there should be a review of those observations with an administrator, but the administrator shouldn’t necessarily conduct them.

BeTeachin is right … many, perhaps most, administrators became such because they couldn’t hack it in the classroom, or because they found themselves unhappy in the classroom, or because they realized that the REAL money to be made wasn’t in the classroom. (Not all administrators fit that description, certainly.) The best principal I ever worked under told me after a faculty meeting that she regretted leaving the classroom and would like to go back to just teaching, but she couldn’t afford the pay cut she’d have to take.

Good grief.

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Colonel Jack, the answer to your question about why use the new system is not just that it’s an improvement over the old ones. The improvements include the stipulation that the evaluators are to look at the whole of the evidence; teachers have ample opportunity to provide artifacts, student work, etc; and it is tied in small part to student achievement outcomes. Teachers have the opportunity, and administrators have the obligation, to include an explanation of the student outcomes are not in the range to be expected. It’s entirely possible that a teacher can be doing an excellent job with a class filled with kids who started out reading far below grade level, for example, and by spring they are still not reading at grade level, but they’ve made substantial progress. The system does not indicate that the teacher is to be rated low in this kind of instance, but that the value the teacher added is to be taken into account.

Most importantly, this system is creating a dialogue that really needs to be conducted: what is it about teacher evaluation systems that have NOT been successful in the past? The answers are becoming clear, and they don’t point toward teachers, kids, or parents. It all comes back to leadership.

Colonel Jack avowed that “teachers should be observed by other teachers, especially those who at least understand what’s supposed to be going on in the classrooms. I’d add that there should be a review of those observations with an administrator, but the administrator shouldn’t necessarily conduct them.”

I completely agree, and I can assure you that the good folks in the Teacher and Leader Effectiveness division at GaDOE are actively seeking feedback from the districts and charters piloting the TKES and LKES launch, and they are hearing this sentiment from us as well. Heck, I’ll bet they are even following this thread on Maureen’s blog.

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[...] Building a better teacher evaluation system won’t help anyone if it depends on time and resources that aren’t realistic.  [...]

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