Friday, November 30, 2012

Evaluating Teachers of Non-Tested Subjects in the Age of Value-Add — Whole Child Education

Evaluating Teachers of Non-Tested Subjects in the Age of Value-Add — Whole Child Education:

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David Snyder

Evaluating Teachers of Non-Tested Subjects in the Age of Value-Add

With many U.S. states overhauling their teacher evaluation systems and introducing student test scores as a factor, how can schools ensure fair evaluation of teachers of non-tested subjects like art and physical education? One of the first states to begin implementing evaluation reform was Tennessee and, back in February, Education Week's Teaching Now blog noted the efforts of arts teachers in Memphis to devisealternative evaluation criteria based on portfolios, work that went on to be lauded by Arne Duncan. Absent alternative criteria, such teachers would be evaluated in part on a schoolwide value-added score unrelated to their subject specifically.
Curious how this effort was unfolding, I took a look at Teacher Evaluation in Tennessee: A Report on Year 1 Implementation (PDF), issued by the Tennessee Department of Education in July. Echoing the Teaching Nowpost, it states: "teachers in subjects and grades that do not yield an individual value-added score consistently 

APPR: It’s All About the Students

ASCD Whole Child Bloggers at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 1 day ago
As states across the nation develop APPR models to measure the classroom teacher's efficacy, they often don't think about the school librarians, technology folks, and other educators who complete the learning experience.

Education: A System for Sorting or for Learning?

We believe that each child deserves the right to learn, grow, and develop to their full potential in a safe and supportive environment. But what about the teachers? Do we not expect teachers to be provided the same considerations we demand for our students?

Play Well With Others ... Be Active Against Bullying

Kristen Pekarek at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
Learn about a new antibullying initiative and find resources and information on bullying prevention.

Evaluating Teachers on the Hidden Curriculum

Paula Mirk at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
Teachers should be evaluated on the atmosphere they create in their classrooms and the degree of trust they have established with their students and also be accountable for helping students make connections between real life and the content areas through ethics.

Five Levers to Improve Student Learning

ASCD Whole Child Bloggers at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
Which strategies or innovations are likely to have the greatest effect on student learning? Most education innovations and policies can be placed in one of five categories, some of which provide more powerful leverage than others.

What’s Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: One Size Fits All

James H. Stronge at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
In the last installment of this series, author and researcher James Stronge offer an analysis of three contemporary teacher evaluation practices within a problem/solution framework. Today's problem: one-size-fits-all evaluation.

Free Webinar: Critical Strategies for Empowering 21st Century Teachers with Coaching and Capacity Building

Klea Scharberg at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
Join ASCD Faculty member Andrew Miller for an exciting, free webinar to learn critical strategies for empowering teachers with coaching and capacity building.

What’s Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation

James H. Stronge at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
In a new series of blog posts, author and researcher James Stronge offer an analysis of three contemporary teacher evaluation practices within a problem/solution framework. Today's problem: Does observation equal evaluation?

Play Well With Others ... Be Active Against Bullying

Kristen Pekarek at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 3 days ago
Learn about a new anti-bullying initiative and find resources and information on bullying prevention.

Evaluating Teachers on the Hidden Curriculum

Paula Mirk at The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education - 4 days ago
Teachers should be evaluated on the atmosphere they create in their classrooms and the degree of trust they have established with their students and also be accountable for helping students make connections between "real life" and the content areas through ethics.