Teachers and administrators in Jefferson City Public Schools, as well as school districts all over the state, are working with a new tool for teacher evaluations this school year.
In the JCPS District, a committee of educators examined all the alternatives in coming up with an evaluation system that reflected the district's priorities and was in line with what the state requires.
For this school year, the biggest emphasis is on three criteria.
1) One is what educators often call differentiated instruction. It's a concept that is quite simple. In fact, many of you have used it within your own family. You did it almost instinctively as a parent the day that it dawned on you that what worked fine with your first child doesn't seem to work with the second. Or the third.
So as a parent, you changed the methods of addressing it. You didn't have to change your expectations. The standards you held for the first child didn't disappear with the second. Same expectations. Different child. Different methods to guide him or her.
Classrooms are the same way. Although some teachers have tried to design a lesson that will enable 25-30 students to understand it and master it the very first time, in reality there isn't any such thing. So teachers must differentiate instruction because we are obligated to teach all children. As someone once said, "You really haven't taught it, until they've learned it."
2) Secondly, the evaluation tool calls for a measurement on how well each educator uses student assessment and data analysis. Just like differentiated instruction, it really isn't that complicated. In its simplest form, student assessment and data analysis is simply measuring how well each student does and adjusting the instruction so that he or can master the learning. It is not a "dumbing down" of what is done in the classroom, but rather a method of providing each teacher feedback so that, as a professional, he or she can more accurately diagnose what each child's learning needs are.
It's done in every profession. When something doesn't work, you examine the information available and make the wisest adjustment possible. You do the same thing to drive a vehicle. Your senses take in a continual flow of information and your brain makes adjustments in your driving. In the classroom, the teacher must have continual monitoring and adjusting to keep each child on the course towards academic achievement.
3) Finally, teachers must practice collaboration to meet student needs. When teachers work in teams of three to five individuals, or more, they can do a much better job of examining assessment data, creating lessons and units of instruction, and measuring student progress. The idea of collaborating to get better results is also something done in other professions. It has become a more common practice among educators in recent years because it makes better student learning opportunities.
So there you have it - three important areas of emphasis for this school year. There are certainly many other criteria that will be considered in the evaluation process, but those three will be a the forefront.
There are many facets of great teaching and as a school district, we always want to get better. We want each teacher to have valuable feedback so that he or she can improve as a professional. But even more important, we want to do the best we can for the sake of each child.
David Wilson, EdD, is the associate principal at Jefferson City High School. You may email him at [email protected].