Gates Foundation report supports why DISD should include student surveys in annual teacher evaluations
Mike Miles is proposing that DISD students participate in reviews of their teachers (Sonya Herbert/DMN)
This column yesterday outlined some reforms Mike Miles is rolling out in Year Two of his tenure. One of those is the superintendent’s plans for changing how the district evaluates teachers.
The most interesting part of his proposal is the role student surveys would play in the evaluation. Miles wants the observation of students to count for 15 percent of an educator’s annual review.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation discovered that student surveys are the most consistent indicator of good teaching. The foundation did an extensive look into what makes for an effective teacher. Dallas, in fact, was one of the districts the foundation studied in its MET Project.
The results, which you can read about at this link, show that student surveys, classroom observations and student achievement gains are the best ways to assess good teaching. But here’s what the report said about student surveys:
“..the MET project finds student surveys produce more consistent results than classroom observations or achievement gain measures.”
I am not sure how student surveys would work at lower grades. But students see their teachers more than any one, including the principal, so it does make sense to include their appraisals. And here is