The next pilot program that I want to discuss is something
that two principals are doing to help them help teachers with more detailed,
effective feedback on their teaching.
The 2012-2013 school year is the first year in which the Penn-Trafford
School District is using a new teacher evaluation model. The model was
developed a by a committee of teachers and administrators. This model (approved
by PDE this Spring) is based on the work of Charlotte Danielson. Coincidentally, all school districts in the
State will be required to use a Danielson-based evaluation system starting next
year; so we are ahead of the curve by starting this year. The evaluation system itself is very thorough
and offers 22 different components on which a principal can offer feedback to a
teacher regarding their classroom practice.
The pilot program will explore whether a program called “iobservation”
can assist the principals and teachers in this new evaluation process. Iobservation will allow principals to use their
IPads to do formal and informal observations of teachers. By having the new evaluation tool on their IPads,
we hope that feedback to teachers will be immediate and thorough. By placing
the evaluation tool in an electronic format, the feedback can be almost
instantaneous as the principal can send their comments to the teacher’s
iobservation account as they are observing the class.
The most exciting aspect of iobservation for me is the fact
that there are videos that correspond to each component of the Danielson model.
This offers one more professional training opportunity for our staff. These
short “teaching tutorials” can be electronically attached to comments that the
principals make to help the teachers as they reflect on their lesson. For example, if a principal is observing a
lesson and the teacher is engaging the students in a class discussion, the
principal can make comments concerning the lesson and also attach a video on
class discussion to give the teacher more ideas (or reinforce what the teachers
are already doing) on the topic of “classroom discussion”. In evaluating this pilot program, we are
looking for two things: first, does iobservation increase the efficiency of
using our new evaluation tool, and second, does it assist the teachers in
reflecting on their classroom practice.
We have two principals that are going to use this tool with some of their
teachers this year and I look forward to evaluating the system to determine
whether it something that will benefit the entire school district.
The 2012-2013 state budget is accompanied by a new educator evaluation system. Pennsylvania will join at least 22 states in using student achievement to evaluate educators.
ReplyDeleteThe current system only allows for two ratings, satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and provides no meaningful feedback in areas where an educator could improve. The number of possible ratings will be expanded to four: distinguished, proficient, needs improvement and failing.
The new evaluation method, to be implemented in the 2013-14 school year, will include multiple measures of student achievement, such as the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, the Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment System, graduation and promotion rates, as well as elective data to be determined at the local level.
The majority of school districts in Pennsylvania are being made to jump through hoops because of Philadelphia and to a lesser extent Pittsburgh, since Philadelphia is ten times larger than Pittsburgh. Take a look at the failing schools eligible for vouchers. Not one is from Westmoreland County, yet our political reps blindly follow their leaders in trying to solve problems in our two largest cities, and inflicting the costs on all of us. They call these things unfunded mandates, and we are all feeling the pain. What is it that they are trying to fix in our local school districts, and how much is it going to cost? Or doesn't cost matter? Harrisburg can make all the vows they want about not raising taxes, but every time they pass on a rule to local schools, they are, in fact, raising taxes.
DeleteNot sure its all a Harrisburg problem. Penn Trafford got an increase of $1.23 million more taxpayer money this year: $760,000 from Harrisburg in this years state budget, and $470,000 increase in local taxes compliments of the school board. The state money varios every year, the local tax increase is a forever.
DeleteIt's about time the state quits throwing money at failing districts and thereby rewarding poor school performance with more state money. I'd like to see the state have a formula of determining the total number of students in PA and the total amount of school taxes collected. Compute the amount of tax dollars collected per student. Return HALF that amount to each district. The other half goes to REWARD distructs which perform and beyond via a rating performance (NOT teaching to a test where districts and teachers already know the test questions). The state should reward POSITVE achievement instead of Negative results.
ReplyDeleteHokapig, you seem to have all the answers. You remind me of someone I was once married to.
ReplyDeleteI hope Inglese is one of the principals- he could use all the help he can get to being a better principal.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say?? It's a gift... But what do I know, I went to Norwin....
ReplyDelete