Getting teacher evaluation right
In Los Angeles, where I teach seventh-grade math, our current teacher evaluation system is undeniably broken. Initially designed to be a robust observation protocol and rubric, our system has degenerated into a 10-minute checklist. A well-intentioned but often overspent administrator comes into my room, fills out the requisite paperwork and signs on the dotted line. The actual outcomes of my students—both tangibles (test scores, GPAs, future college attendance rates) and intangibles (increased love of learning, increased desire to achieve)—are never factored in.
Kyle Hunsberger
How could a 10-minute checklist capture the progress of Maria, who began her seventh-grade year shy and unsure of herself, but finished not only achieving at high levels but with the confidence to apply to one of the city’s top magnet schools, and later travel the world with the People to People Ambassador Program?How could it capture Daniel’s progress? Daniel didn’t achieve high test-scores by the end of the year, but he did