In this publication we summarize the findings of a group of state leaders, district officials, school leaders and teachers and external experts as they examine the early results from two sample evaluation systems. Overall the group found that observation ratings do not align with student outcomes, and teachers who do not improve student achievement often receive a rating of “Effective.”
The group’s recommendations to improve the evaluation systems include: 1) Improving systems to monitor and analyze data, such as correlations across ratings, and producing data tools for districts; 2) Building school leader capacity as instructional leaders by integrating talent management into principal evaluations and developing advanced rater certification procedures; and 3) Engaging stakeholders through continuous feedback loops to improve evaluation and support systems.
Following this publication, we created two additional briefs, Support for Growth: How States Can Improve the Quality of Post-Observation Feedback and Making High-Quality Teacher Evaluation Manageable, which explore what States and districts can do to ensure that their educator evaluation and support systems are both high-quality and manageable.
