Redefining Accountability to Treat Educators like the Professionals they Are

Posted on May 3, 2017April 29, 2017 by coreeducation

The Behavioral Science and Policy Association recently published Reimagining Accountability in K–12 Education. This paper reviews the extensive behavioral science literature that shows outcome-based accountability, commonly used in education, is only one of multiple forms of accountability that should be considered for new accountability structures. Author Brian Gill recently commented on the paper in the Read more about Redefining Accountability to Treat Educators like the Professionals they Are[…]

Running in Place: How New Teacher Evaluations Fail to Live Up to Promises

Posted on February 6, 2017January 30, 2017 by coreeducation

National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a non-partisan research and policy organization dedicated to ensuring every classroom has a high quality teacher, has released a new report on the effects of recent reforms of state teacher evaluation policies on teacher effectiveness ratings. The report examines teacher evaluation policies in the 30 states that require objective Read more about Running in Place: How New Teacher Evaluations Fail to Live Up to Promises[…]

The Teacher Evaluation Revamp, In Hindsight

Posted on February 3, 2017January 27, 2017 by coreeducation

Chad Aldeman of Bellwether Partners recently provided a reflection on teacher evaluation reform during the Obama presidency in Education Next. Excerpts of his insightful piece appear below: When President Obama took office in 2009, his administration quickly seized on teacher evaluations as an important public-policy problem. Today, much of his legacy on K-12 education rests Read more about The Teacher Evaluation Revamp, In Hindsight[…]

Teachers’ Response to Feedback is Influenced by Perceptions of Usefulness

Posted on December 12, 2016December 9, 2016 by coreeducation

A new study finds that the usefulness of teacher evaluation feedback and the credibility of the evaluator are important characteristics in how teachers perceive and respond to evaluations. The Regional Educational Laboratory Central study looked at teachers’ perceptions of feedback from evaluators and identified characteristics of feedback that may influence their use of that feedback. Read more about Teachers’ Response to Feedback is Influenced by Perceptions of Usefulness[…]

Choosing the Best Teacher Observation Instrument

Posted on December 9, 2016December 2, 2016 by coreeducation

Many states and districts are adopting commercially available teacher observation instruments for the professional practice component of their evaluation systems. A report by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Mid-Atlantic provides new evidence to help educators choose among five widely used “off-the shelf” teacher observation instruments and decide how much weight to attach to scores on different Read more about Choosing the Best Teacher Observation Instrument[…]

What does ESSA say about teacher evaluation?

Posted on December 7, 2016December 2, 2016 by coreeducation

When the U.S. Department of Education granted states waivers to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), those waivers came with conditions. The waivers required states to adopt teacher evaluations that, among other requirements, were based in part on student performance data. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ends these federal requirements for teacher evaluations. Read more about What does ESSA say about teacher evaluation?[…]

Evaluation of Performance Measures for Teachers and Principals

Posted on December 2, 2016November 22, 2016 by coreeducation

According to a report from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), three performance measures used for evaluating teachers and principals provided some information to distinguish educator performance and led to increased feedback. The study examined the first year implementation of a set of three performance measures: observations of teachers’ classroom practices; Read more about Evaluation of Performance Measures for Teachers and Principals[…]

SREB Launches Insights Interactive Data

Posted on October 20, 2016October 15, 2016 by coreeducation

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has released SREB Insights, an interactive data tool to help policymakers compare and understand state trends, policies, and recommended actions for reaching college- and career-readiness standards. SREB Insights features analysis around the alignment of state standards to college admission requirements, benchmarking of professional learning opportunities to help schools implement Read more about SREB Launches Insights Interactive Data[…]

Teacher Leaders: A Key Link between Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development

Posted on August 2, 2016July 31, 2016 by coreeducation

Anna Duncan, writing for New America, explores the power of teacher leaders to transform the debate around teacher evaluation and place the emphasis more squarely on professional development. Excerpts from the article appear below: That teacher leadership systems have to serve as a key link between teacher evaluation and professional learning becomes evident in a Read more about Teacher Leaders: A Key Link between Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development[…]

Validity of Observation Ratings in Teacher Evaluations

Posted on July 8, 2016July 1, 2016 by coreeducation

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) released a new study recently on the validity of evaluation ratings using an instrument adapted from a well-known teacher observation tool, the Danielson Framework for Teaching. The findings of the study, by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West, support the use of a single summative rating to evaluate teachers, but Read more about Validity of Observation Ratings in Teacher Evaluations[…]

Re-Thinking Teacher Evaluation

Posted on July 6, 2016September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Charlotte Danielson is author of a number of books including Framework for Teaching, first published in 1996. She has consulted with state departments of education across the United States, as well as ministries of education abroad. She recently offered her view on how to improve current systems of teacher evaluation: The idea of tracking teacher Read more about Re-Thinking Teacher Evaluation[…]

What do teachers actually think about new teacher evaluations?

Posted on June 28, 2016June 27, 2016 by coreeducation

EdCentral recently reviewed what two recent surveys of teachers revealed about their opinions of new teacher evaluation systems. Excerpts from their article appear below: What do we actually know about teachers’ perceptions of their evaluation process? Two new reports offer insights into this question. In May, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) released a report Read more about What do teachers actually think about new teacher evaluations?[…]

The Evidence on Non-Cognitive Skills from California’s CORE Districts

Posted on June 8, 2016March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Previously, this blog introduced readers to the work of California’s CORE Districts. Now preliminary evidence is out, and we are able to look more closely at the use of self-report surveys of non-cognitive skills as a potential element of school accountability systems. Analysis of data from the CORE field test indicates that the scales used Read more about The Evidence on Non-Cognitive Skills from California’s CORE Districts[…]

Grading the Graders: A Report on Teacher Evaluation Reform in Education

Posted on May 20, 2016May 20, 2016 by coreeducation

A recent report from Thomas Toch at Georgetown University analyzes the national teacher-evaluation reform movement and finds that it has been far more beneficial than its many critics would suggest. In a growing number of states and school districts, new, more meaningful evaluation systems have focused principals’ attention on instruction, prompted valuable discussions in schools Read more about Grading the Graders: A Report on Teacher Evaluation Reform in Education[…]

Teacher Evaluation and Support Systems: A Roadmap for Improvement

Posted on April 28, 2016April 23, 2016 by coreeducation

The goal of every teacher evaluation system should be strengthening teacher practice to improve student learning. As states assume more autonomy under the Every Student Succeeds Act, they have a significant opportunity to make progress toward this essential goal by taking stock of their evaluation and support systems and refining them for the better. Teacher Read more about Teacher Evaluation and Support Systems: A Roadmap for Improvement[…]