Quality Evaluation Systems, Critical for Continuous Improvement

Districts across Kansas are experiencing a dramatic shift in how they monitor and guide improvements.  In the past two months We have worked with over 500 educators ranging from teachers to school board members that are making critical decisions about how they will evaluate their teachers and principals.  Evaluation of teachers and building leaders is an essential component to improving instruction and leadership with your district.  KSDE has communicated that March 1 is the date by which districts need to indicate what they are going to do to evaluate their teachers and building leaders.  We believe that districts need to thoroughly vet their evaluation system options to find the system that fits their needs. The following are some critical questions that districts must considered as the look at their options:

• Is your personnel evaluation system formative in nature, does it promote and foster improvement in instruction and leadership? 
• Does your approach to evaluation align with your district's values, vision, and goals?
• Does your system clarify observable behaviors and/or practices that articulate differences between high and low performance?
• Are the evaluated behaviors strongly correlated with high levels of student learning and achievement?
• Is there a research base behind your evaluation system and process?
• Does your system articulate a continuum of professional growth, and provide a structure for teacher and leader reflection and collaboration?
• Do your current processes, policies, and practices align with the purposes of the evaluation system you are considering? 

Districts must engage representatives from all the stakeholder groups during the process of selecting an instrument, this provides insight into how the evaluation system fits with the current culture of your system.

Read more about questions to consider when selecting an evaluation system:

Evaluation System Questions