Growth, Not Gotcha: Evaluating and Supporting Beginning Teachers

1. Growth, Not Gotcha: Evaluating and Supporting Beginning Teachers INTC 8th Annual Induction and Mentoring Conference February 26, 2013 Liam GoldrickDirector of Policy Dalia Zabala Associate Director of Policy

2. when we focus on teachers, our students succeed

3. New Teacher Center • Focuses on improving student achievement by accelerating the effectiveness of new teachers and school leaders • Founded in 1998 as part of University of California, Santa Cruz • Became an independent non-profit in 2009 • Policy & program work in Illinois began in 2005

4. Outcomes Participants will explore… • The developmental needs of new teachers • The relationship & alignment between induction and evaluation • The utilization of coaches/mentors/evaluators • The development and leveraging of teacher leadership • The role and responsiveness of state policy

5. New Teachers The Changing Face of the Teaching Force Richard Ingersoll and Lisa Merrill http://www.gse.upenn.edu/review/feature/ingersol

6. New Teachers (continued) Ellen Moir, 1990 http://newteachercenter.org/blog/phases-first-year-teaching

7. New Teachers and Teacher Evaluation • Evaluation systems do not sufficiently prioritize teacher development • Evaluation is often the sole means of feedback on teachers’ performance • States are demanding greater accountability but flagging on their commitment to develop and support new teachers • 43 states require annual teacher evaluations • Only 11 require induction/mentoring for all 1st & 2nd year teachers

8. The Illinois Context 2010 Performance evaluation reform act (PERA) • Requires annual evaluation of teachers and principals • 4 performance categories • Districts have two options: • Develop their own system • Use all or portions of a state-designed model Performance evaluation advisory council (peac) • Provides input from educators to ISBE • Monitors PERA • Developed rules for districts developing their own system

9. The Illinois Context (continued) Teacher Induction in Illinois • 2002 – state established a teacher induction mandate, “provided that funding is made available” • 2006-07 – State grant program for induction • Illinois RTT grant – includes induction funding in 35 participating RTT districts • 2008 – Illinois Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Beginning Teacher Induction Programs • 2010 – Illinois Induction Program Continuum

10. Illinois Education Leaders Concerns from Illinois education leaders • The connection between teacher evaluation and induction is rarely considered or made. • The needs of new teachers are not systematically factored into the design of evaluation systems. • Illinois has not made induction a central component of a statewide educator effectiveness system. • Most district leaders think of induction as separate from evaluation.

11. Illinois Education Leaders (continued) Issues that emerged • New teachers should be held to the same teaching standards as experienced teachers • Distinguishing between feedback • from formal observations vs. • feedback that is formative in nature • Districts can align the induction and evaluation by using the Danielson Framework • Limitations in the number of educators receiving evaluator certification training

12. What Evidence Suggests about Evaluation Evaluation must be integrated with other processes that support growth • Opportunities for ongoing conversations • Multiple observations per year • Multiple observers • Pre- and Post-observation conferences • Trained evaluators • Actionable feedback • Frequent Informal observations/formative assessment of new teachers

13. What Evidence Suggests about Induction Impact of induction • The greatest improvement in instructional practice takes place in the early years in the classroom • Comprehensive induction programs • accelerate the effectiveness of beginning teachers • produces greater student learning gains • have a positive impact on new teacher retention

14. What Evidence Suggests about Induction (continued) Key elements of Induction that improve practice • Multi-year program • Well trained mentors • Mentors who are released from classroom duties • Formative assessment aligned to evaluation • Time for beginning teachers to work with mentors • Common planning time with other teachers • Ongoing communication and support from school leaders • Reduced teaching load • Recognition of the steep and unique learning curve of beginning teachers

15. Aligning Evaluation and Induction Aligning evaluation and induction • Have one set of expectations/standards for both induction and evaluation • Use results from evaluation to • Plan professional development for an individual teacher • Identify training opportunities for a group of teachers • Develop individualized learning plans • Inform mentoring and coaching

16. Models of Evaluation Systems that Support New Teachers Hillsborough County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Pleasanton Unified School District • Duration of induction support • Support providers vs. evaluators • Program embedded in a support system • Number of observations per year • Post-observation conference • Expectations for new teachers • Training and support for evaluators and mentors • Release time for mentors/coaches

17. Models of Evaluation Systems that Support New Teachers (continued) Alignment between Evaluation and Induction

18. Models of Evaluation Systems that Support New Teachers (continued) Challenges and lessons learned • Credibility and buy-in from veteran teachers • Communication between evaluators and mentors • Including all stakeholders • Integrating new members • Maintaining support for the program

19. Recommended Priorities • Design a comprehensive educator effectiveness system that encompasses both evaluation and robust instructional feedback and support. For new teachers, this system must include induction support aligned with PERA’s evaluation requirements. • Encourage and enable teacher leaders to serve as teacher mentors and as peer evaluators. Instructional improvement is a collective responsibility and is too critical and time intensive an endeavor to leave solely to school administrators.

20. Recommendations for State Policy Makers Aligning induction with Evaluation • The Governor and the Illinois General Assembly should require districts to provide induction and mentoring support to all beginning teachers and provide dedicated state funding • State policymakers should formalize requirements for the frequency/regularity of instructional feedback to new teachers. • PEAC should recommend that ISBE establish clear expectations for the evaluation and support of new • ISBE should communicate and model the relationship between teacher induction and teacher evaluation within a broader system of educator effectiveness.

21. Recommendations for State Policy Makers (continued) Involving Teachers in peer observation and evaluation • The state should encourage the utilization of existing teacher leaders (instructional coaches, mentors, National Board certified teachers) as peer observers and evaluators. • ISBE and PEAC should ensure that evaluators are effectively trained not only in observing teaching, but also in conducting purposeful coaching conversations.

22. Recommendations for PERA Implementers Aligning induction with evaluation systems • Every Illinois school district should operate a standards-based teacher induction program and align it with their PERA-mandated evaluation system. • School districts should pay special consideration to design elements that help align teacher evaluation and induction. • School districts should clarify the relationship between formative and summative assessment—and the purpose of classroom observations associated with each. • School superintendents and principals should schedule regular meetings between evaluators and mentors.

23. Recommendations for PERA Implementers (continued) Involving teachers in peer observation and evaluation • School districts should consider utilizing teacher leaders as classroom observers within PERA evaluation systems.

24. The best way to improve student learning is to strengthen the instructional practices of teachers through job-embedded professional development and instructional support

25. Thank you For More Information Liam GoldrickDirector of Policy lgoldrick@newteachercenter.org Dalia Zabala Associate Director of Policy dzabala@newteachercenter.org www.newteachercenter.org