Teacher Evaluation

The state of Ohio has a four-tiered rating system for evaluating teachers: Ineffective, Developing, Skilled, and Accomplished. School districts choose from two scoring systems to gather data that leads to the evaluation score. The first system weighs teacher performance from observations as half of the score, while the other half comes from student growth data as collected from standardized test scores. The alternative system takes some of the weight off of student growth and creates a new category comprised of subjective components such as portfolios, self-evaluations, and student surveys that is worth 15% of the total evaluation score. For either evaluation system, student growth data must be included in the score when assessing teachers. After receiving their evaluation score, all teachers must develop a personal growth plan. Teachers who score as Ineffective or Developing must have that plan supervised by an administrator, who will also closely monitor implementation of the plan.

The teacher evaluation system at The American School of Doha includes only two tiers: Approaching or Proficient. Teachers complete a Professional Growth and Collaboration plan each year with self-selected goals to achieve for personal professional development. These goals are reviewed by the administrators at the beginning of each year. There is a short check-in meeting mid-year, and then a final meeting at the end of the school year to discuss completion of the goals. Not completing a goal does not mean a lower evaluation if the teacher discusses reasons for not meeting the goals along with what he/she has learned. The evaluation system is not tied to any compensation or benefits. Teachers who score as Approaching must make a more detailed growth plan with guidance from an administrator. Administrators will also be present more often in their classes to assist with implementation of this plan.

As a teacher, I definitely do not feel comfortable using standardized test scores as part of my evaluation. Students can grow in many ways, and test scores should not be the only data collected to look for growth. As a new teacher, I expect administrators to be in my class more often to make sure I am meeting standards for classroom management and teaching required standards. I would like my administrators to evaluate me on my rapport with my students, how I interact with and teach my students, how well I make my students think deeply and challenge them to do their best work, and on the effectiveness of my lessons. I would also like to get feedback on things like my classroom management and classroom procedures. Sometimes it is helpful to have another pair of eyes to see things that I may miss while teaching. In the end, I hope my administrators are on my side and help me grow and learn professionally with helpful feedback and collaboration. I believe this is how teachers go from good to great.

Reference:

*Teacher Evaluations. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2018, from http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/Ohio-s-Teacher-Evaluation-System

*Sawchuk, S. (2017, August 30). Teacher Performance Evaluation: Definitions, Research, Models, and More. Retrieved March 19, 2018, from https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/teacher-performance-evaluation-issue-overview.html