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Distinguishing Supervision from Evaluation

Distinguishing Supervision from Evaluation. PSSC Webinar 2/25/13 Dr. Jim Nolan Penn State Hermanowicz Professor of Education. Part 1- Why Should You Care?. Why should anyone care about developing a common language for talking about supervision and evaluation?

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Distinguishing Supervision from Evaluation

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  1. Distinguishing Supervision from Evaluation PSSC Webinar 2/25/13 Dr. Jim Nolan Penn State Hermanowicz Professor of Education

  2. Part 1- Why Should You Care? • Why should anyone care about developing a common language for talking about supervision and evaluation? • Isn’t it just a matter of semantics that only academics care about?

  3. Reason to Care 1 • Education is a low consensus field of study • We don’t always (often?) agree on definitions • People in other fields have common definitions • Consider Education: • Whole language; • Cooperative learning; • Teacher effectiveness; • Professional learning community • In Contrast to Physics • Velocity/Acceleration • Mass/Weight

  4. Reason to Care 2 • Most teachers and even some administrators do not make any distinction between the two • The unintended result is that they see “observation”“supervision”- and “evaluation” as synonymous terms.

  5. Reason to Care 3 • The distinction is not just theoretical. It is very practical • The distinction between supervision and evaluation has real implications for the behavior of both the supervisor and teacher • When the distinction is not clear, teachers treat everything as evaluation • McGreal called this “ common law evaluation”

  6. Part 2- 7 Dimensions That Shape the Differences Between E & S • Purpose • Rationale • Scope • Nature of the Relationship • Knowledge and Expertise • Standardization/ Differentiation • Teacher Perspective

  7. Comparing the Purposes of Supervision and Evaluation • Evaluation • An organizational function designed to assess and make judgmentsabout the quality of teacher performance/competence and identify areas for growth • Think PSSA/Foresight • Supervision • An organizational function designed to enhance/promote teacher learning and growth and, as a consequence, improve student learning. • Think Daily Instruction

  8. Rationale for Evaluation • Evaluation fulfills the state’s obligation to protect children/adolescents from being harmed since they are required to attend school.

  9. Rationale for Supervision • Teaching is a complex activity that requires lifelong learning and can be better understood by two professionals or more working together .

  10. The Scope of Evaluation • Evaluation is global and comprehensive in scope. • Non-instructional duties • Instructional responsibilities (total picture)

  11. The Scope of Supervision • Supervision can and should be narrow in scope. • Focusing on one specific aspect of classroom teaching • Promotes in-depth learning

  12. Nature of the Relationship in Evaluation • In evaluation the relationship is hierarchical and distant. • The evaluator must make objective (as possible) judgments about the teacher’s performance.

  13. Nature of the Relationship in Supervision • In supervision the goal is for the relationship to be collegial with both partners contributing expertise to the process.

  14. Whose Knowledge Counts in Evaluation? • In evaluation, the evaluator has more expertise. By law, only certificated personnel can do evaluations. This implies special expertise. • The evaluator is assumed to have more knowledge

  15. Whose Knowledge Counts in Supervision? • In supervision, expertise is shared. Both partners bring different but equally important knowledge and skills to the process. • Learning is enhanced when both partners contribute

  16. Differentiation in Evaluation??A Definite No No • In evaluation the assessment process must be standardized and due process oriented. • Everyone in the same job category must be evaluated by the same criteria using the same process.

  17. Differentiation in Supervision!A Must • In supervision the learning process should be personalized and differentiated to fit the needs of the teacher.

  18. The Teacher Perspective on Evaluation • In evaluation, teachers see the evaluator as a drama critic. • Need to put their best foot forward. • No “Opening Nights”

  19. The Teacher Perspective on Supervision • In supervision, teachers are free to experiment with new strategies • Non-judgmental support from the supervisor enhances risk taking

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