Educator Evaluation Workshop: Gathering Evidence, Conducting Observations & Providing Feedback MSSAA Summer Institu

1. Educator Evaluation Workshop:Gathering Evidence, Conducting Observations & Providing Feedback MSSAA Summer Institute July 26, 2012

2. Agenda • The Role of Evidence in the 5-Step Cycle • Three types of evidence • Roles & responsibilities • Artifacts of Practice • Observations & Feedback • Tips & Strategies • Resources

3. Intended Outcomes At the end of this session, participants will be able to: • Define “evidence of practice” and understand the role of artifacts, observations, and feedback in the 5-Step Cycle • Understand the value of frequent, unannounced observations with targeted feedback • Identify tools and processes for gathering and organizing evidence that will make evidence collection and feedback more doable in their schools.

4. Continuous Learning Every educator is an active participant in the evaluation process Every educator & evaluator collects evidence and assesses progress Collaboration and Continuous Learning are the focus Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. “I was evaluated today…” sound familiar? Evaluation  Observations

6. Multiple sources of evidence inform the Performance Rating Three categories of evidence must be collected for each educator: • Multiple measures of student learning, growth and achievement • Judgments based on observations and artifacts of professional practice • Additional evidence relevant to standards • student/staff feedback (2013-2014)

7. Multiple sources of evidence inform the performance rating Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. What does this look like?

9. Implementation Responsibility • Educator Responsibilities: • Documenting action steps completed. • Collecting, organizing and submitting evidence to demonstrate progress toward professional practice and student learning goals. • Evaluator Responsibilities: • Observing practice on a regular basis and providing targeted feedback on performance • Making resources and supports available. • Identification of common artifacts/evidence.

10. Products of Practice: Artifacts

11. It starts with the Educator Plan… Student Learning Goal: In order to ensure mathematical literacy in each of the three content areas for 8th grade geometry (8.G), I will incorporate at least one essay question into each unit assessment that requires elaboration of mathematical reasoning so that 80% or more of my ELL students demonstrate proficiency on essay questions on the end of the year 8th grade geometry assessment.

12. Importance of Strategically Collecting Artifacts • Artifacts should be a sample that demonstrates educator performance and impact • Aligned with educator goals, the Model System Teacher Rubric or school goals • Number of artifacts to collect varies by educator • Artifacts can provide evidence of more than one Standard-Indicator • An annotated summary of Grade 5 unit assessment results can include evidence of practice related to I.C. (Analysis), IV.A.1 (Reflective Practice), and IV.C (Collaboration).

13. Lessons from Early Adopters: Collecting Evidence • Quality not quantity • Guidelines and exemplars will help • Prioritize based on focus areas Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

14. Products of Practice: Observations & Feedback

15. Observations • The regulations require a minimum of one unannounced observation. • The Model System recommends short, frequent unannounced observations for all educators, as well as at least one announced observation for non-PTS educators and struggling educators.

16. Why short, frequent observations? • More opportunities to see patterns of practice • Flexibility in scheduling • Promotes ongoing conversation around teaching and learning • Facilitates observations beyond the classroom • Is 5-15 minutes enough?

17. Observation and Feedback School-level Administrator Rubric (I-D-2): Typically makes at least two unannounced visits to classrooms each day and provides targeted, constructive feedback to all educators. Acknowledges effective practice and provides redirection and support for those whose practice is less than proficient. Superintendent Rubric (I-D-2): Typically makes at least three unannounced visits to each school to observe principal practice every year and provides targeted, constructive feedback to all administrators. Acknowledges effective practice and provides redirection and support for those whose practice is less than proficient. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Principles of high quality observations • Frequent • Focused • Inside/Outside the Classroom • Useful & Timely Feedback The rubric is not an evaluation tool, but a guide to help identify trends and patterns of practice over time.

19. Feedback • “[O]bservers must learn how to capture classroom events in literal notes, and to talk productively with the teacher about it afterward in a way that is evidence-based and productively points toward actionable improvement.” –John Saphier

20. Principles of Good Feedback • Verbal as well as written • Focused on a few key areas • Based on evidence • Tied to Standards of effective practice • Offers reinforcement for areas of effective practice • Facilitates self-reflection on areas of practice that need refinement and guides the teacher in thinking beyond the lesson observed Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

21. Tips & Strategies

22. PLAN • COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS • ORGANIZE

23. 1. PLAN • The more concrete the Educator Plan, the easier it is to identify and collect artifacts • Identify common artifacts all or most educators will be expected to collect (unit assessments, parent-teacher logs, etc.) • Share examples of high-quality, valuable evidence during faculty or team meetings • Demonstrate example artifacts that provide evidence of more than one Standard-Indicator

24. 2. Communicate Expectations OR

25. 2. Communicate Expectations • Artifacts should be a sample that demonstrates educator performance and impact • Submitted evidence should be tied to educator goals, Standards or Indicators, or school goals • Provide everyone with a clear idea of how and when to share products of practice • Email? Paper? Online cloud?

26. 3. ORGANIZE • Calendar observations • Adopt a process for organizing artifacts and observation notes by Standard/Indicator and/or goals • Paper-based, email-driven, or online repository • Sample tools for evidence collection and organization

27. Sample Tools for Evidence Collection and Organization Included in your packet

29. Next Steps – Suggestions for Principals • Read “Strategies and Suggestions for Observations” (p. 39 of the School-Level Planning & Implementation Guide) • Identify options for collecting and organizing evidence at your school and establish a protocol for all educators • Work with your administrative team to set a calendar for observations and evaluations based on the distribution of educators by plan type at your school Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

30. Resources Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

31. School-Level Planning & Implementation Guide Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

32. ESE Evaluation Resources • What’s coming? • Summer 2012 • Guidance on District-Determined Measures • Training Modules with facilitator guides, PowerPoint presentations, and participant handouts • List of approved vendors • Updated website with new Resources section • Newsletter Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

33. ESE Evaluation Resources • What’s coming? • Fall/Winter 2012 • Solicit and review feedback on Model System; update • Research & develop student and staff feedback instruments • Collect and disseminate best practices • Collect and vet assessments to build a repository of district measures • Internal collaboration to support cross-initiative alignment • EX: Support for use of rubric for teachers of ELLs aligned to RETELL initiative Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

34. For More Information and Resources: 34 Visit the ESE educator evaluation website: www.doe.mass.edu/edeval Contact ESE with questions and suggestions: EducatorEvaluation@doe.mass.edu Presenter: Claire Abbott – cabbott@doe.mass.edu Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education