Owning the Teacher Evaluation Process: 10 Practical Tips

Over the past month I had the privilege to present on this topic at a Deerfield College class and also to colleagues at Caruso Middle School.  The teacher evaluation process has a special place in my heart as I deeply value and believe in the impact of this process on teacher growth and the resulting impact on student growth and achievement.  Teacher evaluation is also the focus of my recently published dissertation.

The list that follows is specific to the evaluation process in Deerfield Public Schools District 109 although many of the themes are certainly universal.

1) Invite Your Evaluator!

When it comes to owning the evaluation process this step is a wise one.  Evaluators will still drop-in from time to time for informals but the more a teacher strategically invites the evaluator in, the better the chance is that the evaluator will see what the teacher hopes to highlight in their performance.  To further capitalize on this idea the teacher can even suggest or request that the evaluator focus on a specific component or components that are a strength of the lesson and/or is an area in need of further evidence.

2) Go Back to the Rubric

After written feedback is received from each and every observation the teacher would be wise to pull out the Danielson rubric and self-reflect on what has been shared.  The guiding question during the self-reflection process is “What differentiates the data point from other levels?”  If it is proficient then look to see what would make it excellent.  If it is excellent look to see what set it apart from proficient.

3) Contribute/Suggest/Question/Confirm

In the same way that we do not want our students to just sit and get, this same process does not serve the evaluation process well.  Collaboration between the teacher and evaluator is imperative to a worthwhile process.  Any caring and effective evaluator wants the teachers perspective.  The observations are living/working documents that should incorporate the input of the teacher before being considered final.

4) Proficient is Not a 4-Letter Word

We all need to remember that the Danielson rubric was not originally written to be an evaluation instrument; yet that is what it has become.  One of Charlotte Danielson’s oft quoted lines is “Excellence is a place you visit, not a place you live.”  Sure, it is easy to understand where she is coming from when you look at the rubric but the reality is that any highly driven and motivated teacher only wants to see excellent indicators emerge in their observations.

The truth is that so many proficient indicators are worthy of a round of applause if observed in the classroom, such as:

• 2b – Teacher conveys genuine enthusiasm for the content, and students demonstrate consistent commitment to its value.
• 3b – Teacher successfully engages all students in the discussion.
• 4c – Teacher’s efforts to engage families in the instructional program are frequent and successful.

Likewise, some excellent indicators are just now always practical or observable in all situations, such as:

• 2e – Both teacher and students use physical resources easily and skillfully, and students adjust the furniture to advance their learning.
• 3c – Instructional groups are productive and fully appropriate to the students or to the instructional purposes of the lesson. Students take the initiative to influence the formation or adjustment of instructional groups.
• 4b – Teacher’s system for maintaining information on student completion of assignments is fully effective. Students participate in maintaining the records.

5) PDF All!

This is something an evaluator can easily do for at any time.  It allows the teacher to view all of the observations together and is organized by component.  It can help focus future observations and/or the artifact file at the end of the year.  It is a reasonable request at any time should a teacher wish to see it.

6) What is My Rating?

It is perfectly acceptable for a teacher to ask an evaluator this question.  The evaluator may respond that they need to collect more data and that is a fair answer.  The teacher could also try to estimate the rating themselves (using the STEP final evaluation rating sheet) and have a follow-up conversation with their evaluator to see if both the teacher and the evaluator are on the same page.

7) Artifact File: Take Out the Mystery by Using Danielson Language

When completing the artifact file it is important that the teacher makes it clear to themselves and to the evaluator what the artifact should be rated.  By using the actual language out of the Danielson rubric to describe the artifact the teacher may even realize they could add something better.  In the end, the final determination is up to the evaluator but by engaging in this practice the likelihood of agreement is greatly increased.

8) Artifact File: Analyze What You Have and Where You Need to Go

If a teacher is lacking in a component – add more!  If a teacher is not satisfied that the data collected for a specific component represents their performance – add more!  When a teacher does an analysis of their own observations they can most intelligently complete their artifact file in a way that maximizes the limited number of pages they are able to include.

9) Embrace the Feedback: It’s All About the Students

Yes, we cannot underscore the importance of the rating for a teacher.  That being said, the most admirable of intents of the teacher evaluation process is to promote growth in teacher performance.  A teacher should always keep their ears and minds open to feedback for the sake of the students they serve.  By embracing feedback teachers can continue to improve and students will benefit at the highest levels as a result of the evaluation process.

10) Make the Process a Partnership

Teachers are on a team with their evaluator and if the process is viewed as a partnership there is much to gain.  Teachers should see this relationship as an opportunity for growth.  The teacher evaluation process is a fantastic reason for frequent professional conversations with a colleague on how to improve teaching practice and celebrate the successes that occur throughout the year.

Bonus Tips: 

• Start Collecting Artifacts Now!

• Evaluation Rating Can Parallel Standards Based Grading and Learning

• Evaluation Ratings are Not Personal Value Ratings

• Minimizing Subjectivity is the Goal

• Remediation Should Not Be Keeping You Up At Night