State Oversight of District-Designed Teacher-Evaluation Systems

Posted on June 10, 2014 by coreeducation

In 2011, President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan provided states with flexibility from certain requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act. The flexibility process requires states to develop and implement new educator-evaluation systems to help identify effective teachers. While some Read more about State Oversight of District-Designed Teacher-Evaluation Systems[…]

Alternative Measures of Student Growth: What Can We Learn from Early Adopter Districts?

Posted on May 12, 2014 by coreeducation

School districts across the country are incorporating measures of student achievement growth in teacher evaluations—but that’s a challenge in grades and subjects that lack standardized state assessments. In response, some districts have turned to alternative measures of student growth–that is, measures that rely on something other than state assessments in reading and math in grades Read more about Alternative Measures of Student Growth: What Can We Learn from Early Adopter Districts?[…]

REL Northeast Explores SLO Implementation

Posted on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 by coreeducation

How are states defining and applying Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in their teacher evaluation systems? That is the question that a new report from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands answers. The report provides an overview of how states are using SLOs, based on a review of state education websites. SLOs are an alternative Read more about REL Northeast Explores SLO Implementation[…]

Florida releases value-added data despite objections

Posted on February 26, 2014September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Florida has joined New York and Ohio as states to publicly release value-added data on teachers’ performance, despite litigation from the Florida teachers’ union and opposition from such notable education heavyweights as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. What is most contentious is that 70% of teachers in Florida do Read more about Florida releases value-added data despite objections[…]

Alternatives to State Assessments for Measuring Teachers’ Contributions to Student Achievement Growth

Posted on November 7, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Statistics show that an increasing number of school districts have adopted new teacher evaluation techniques. As opposed to what many have feared, districts have almost never used student test data alone to evaluate teachers. Even if they did, the typical measure of student growth—progress on state assessments from one school year to the next—usually covers Read more about Alternatives to State Assessments for Measuring Teachers’ Contributions to Student Achievement Growth[…]

The Place of Faithfulness in Education

Posted on September 29, 2013September 29, 2013 by coreeducation

Parker Palmer of the Center for Courage and Renewal is a well-known author and speaker in the field of education. He is worried about the current direction of education reform, which seeks to use more value-added measures to judge student, teacher, and school proficiency. Here are his thoughts: “We’re always being asked how effective is Read more about The Place of Faithfulness in Education[…]

Rating Early Elementary Teachers: Where’s the Data?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by coreeducation

A new report, “An Ocean of Unknowns”, from Laura Bornfreund at the New America Foundation describes the challenges involved with attempting to reform teacher evaluation systems to include student data for pre-k through grade 2 students. Following are portions from the executive summary of that report: What is the best way to use data to Read more about Rating Early Elementary Teachers: Where’s the Data?[…]

Does Value-Added Work Better in Elementary than Secondary Grades?

Posted on June 17, 2013 by coreeducation

Value-added methodology is being applied to the evaluation of teachers in tested grades and subjects, but the vast majority of the research on value-added measures focuses on elementary schools only. Secondary grades differ from elementary grades in ways that are meaningful for the validity and reliability of value-added measures for secondary teachers. In a new Read more about Does Value-Added Work Better in Elementary than Secondary Grades?[…]

Evaluation for Educators in Non-Tested Grades and Subjects

Posted on April 29, 2013April 29, 2013 by coreeducation

With news that 7 teachers in Florida, with the support of the National Education Association, are suing the Florida State Education Department, the issue of how to evaluate teachers is again making headlines. The teachers in Florida assert that their due process and equal protection rights are being violated because they were given evaluation scores Read more about Evaluation for Educators in Non-Tested Grades and Subjects[…]

Bill Gates on Teacher Evaluations

Posted on April 23, 2013 by coreeducation

Through the influence of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has provided money for many different educational studies in recent years, Bill Gates has become an influential name in education. It might be expected that Gates would support educational reforms more along the lines of the privatization-corporatization model as well as support reforms that Read more about Bill Gates on Teacher Evaluations[…]

Evaluating the new Teacher Evaluation Systems

Posted on April 17, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Data from states that have recently begun using teacher evaluations aligned with student performance suggest that the numbers can be deceiving. Very high percentages of teachers are receiving “effective” or higher scores on their teacher evaluations—above 97% in Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee. Depending on whom you talk to, this can mean a number of different Read more about Evaluating the new Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]

A Pragmatic Look at the Future of Teacher Evaluation Systems

Posted on April 2, 2013 by coreeducation

Michael Hansen of AEI Education, has penned a new report examining teacher evaluations systems. Hansen believes that, whether or not student test scores continue to be demanded as the gold standard for teacher evaluations, data analysis will be the crucial factor in the future of teacher evaluations. As more states and districts have moved to Read more about A Pragmatic Look at the Future of Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]

Value-Added Measures as a “screening test” on both teachers and their observers

Posted on December 17, 2012September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Economist Douglas Harris sees one clear priority for the Education Department: “Now that the election is over, the Obama Administration and policymakers nationally can return to governing. Of all the education-related decisions that have to be made, the future of teacher evaluation has to be front and center.” Within this large issue of teacher evaluations, Read more about Value-Added Measures as a “screening test” on both teachers and their observers[…]

Carnegie Foundation Launches Knowledge Network: What We Know About Value Added

Posted on October 25, 2012October 25, 2012 by coreeducation

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has assembled a panel of leading technical experts to work toward a consensus on what is and is not known about value-added measures for teacher evaluation. The Foundation selected individuals who have expertise in statistics and economics, without vested interests in particular value-added modeling strategies, and whose Read more about Carnegie Foundation Launches Knowledge Network: What We Know About Value Added[…]

The Debate Over Test-Based Measures of Teacher Effectiveness

Posted on September 28, 2012 by coreeducation

The teachers’ strike in Chicago has generated considerable interest in the use of test-based measures of teacher effectiveness in personnel decisions. For a clear discussion of the uses, value, and limitations of test-based measures check out the CADLER Conversation on the issue. The National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) has Read more about The Debate Over Test-Based Measures of Teacher Effectiveness[…]

Darling-Hammond on Value-Added Evaluation

Posted on March 21, 2012April 25, 2012 by coreeducation

Recently, Linda Darling-Hammond wrote a commentary piece about value-added evaluation methods for Education Week. Excerpts from her commentary are below: Everyone agrees that teacher evaluation in the United States needs an overhaul. Although successful systems exist, most districts are not using approaches that help teachers improve or remove those who cannot improve in a timely Read more about Darling-Hammond on Value-Added Evaluation[…]