The New Educator Evaluation System Self-Assessment & Goal Proposal Cindy Socha-Director of Curriculum April, 2012

5 Step Evaluation Cycle Every educator is an active participant in an evaluation Process promotes collaboration and continuous learning Foundation for the Model This graphic illustrates the 5-Step Cycle: it is the foundation of the educator evaluation framework. Every teacher and administrator participates in a 5-step evaluation process. 1st: The cycle begins with the educator who is being evaluated – the teacher, guidance counselor, department head, principal or central office administrator – engaging in a self-assessment process, analyzing both past student learning and his/her own professional practice. 2nd: With his/her supervisor, the educator analyzes data from the self-assessment and develops at least two goals. The goals are translated into plans for the coming year with key actions and benchmarks for progress. For many educators, the goals will be team goals, e.g., a third grade team, or the U.S. History teachers at a high school. In fact, the regulations require educators and their evaluators to consider team-, department- or grade-level goals. The plans range in intensity and are determined based on the educator’s prior level of performance, how new they are to their role, and, in one case, their rating on impact on student learning. 3rd: The plan is implemented and evidence is collected. 4th: The cycle moves forward with formative assessment or formative evaluation. 5th: The cycle concludes with summative evaluation. And then the cycle starts all over again because it is a cycle of continuous improvement where evidence from the summative evaluation becomes data to use for self-assessment. For most experienced educators whose performance is rated as proficient or exemplary – the majority of educators – the cycle is a two-year cycle with a formative evaluation, typically of progress toward goals, at the end of the first year. For educators new to their role or experienced educators who are struggling, the 5-step cycle takes one year or less. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 2

Self-Assessment The first step of the Educator Evaluation cycle is self-assessment and goal proposal. The key actions are for educators to analyze student data, reflect on their performance, and propose 2 goals.

Self-Assessment a minimum of one individual or team professional practice goal to improve the educator’s professional practice tied to one or more statewide Standards and Indicators and any additional local performance standards, and a minimum of one individual or team student learning goal to improve the learning, growth and achievement of the students under the educator’s responsibility.

“specified improvement in student learning, growth, and achievement” Two Types of Goals Student Learning Goals: “specified improvement in student learning, growth, and achievement” Professional Practice Goals: “educator practice as measured in relation to performance standards and indicators (rubrics)”

Measurable goals “Clear, measurable goals are at the center of the mystery of a school’s success, mediocrity or failure.” S. J. Rosenholz Clear measurable goals are the second component of the SMART goals process.

SMART goals Specific/Strategic: Targets student population Measurable: Identifies evidence/data Action Oriented: Identifies outcomes, “who” is doing “what” Rigorous, Realistic, and Results-Focused: students will increase scores by 10% Timed and Tracked: Timelines clearly defined SMART stands for. . .

Why does SMART work? Focused Short & Long Term Aligned Results-oriented

Why SMART Goals? Goals are something that you want to achieve in the future SMART goals assist in “getting focused” on what to focus efforts toward SMART goals help define exactly what the “future state” looks like and how it will be measured The Test: If all you did was spend time on the identified SMART goals, the time would be well-spent

How To Write SMART Goals Identify the “big, hairy audacious, critical-few” goals that need to be worked on (The Most Important Ones!) Consult the data! What are the greatest areas in need of improvement? Dig deep and get specific

What Gets Measured Gets Done When you measure progress, you have a powerful influence on student achievement stay on track, reach your target dates, experience the excitement of achievement . . . . . .which spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.

Goal Alignment

Goals That are Not SMART  Teachers will meet together to plan units. Students will increase their attendance rates. Teachers will use the District’s pacing guides in math. Teachers will utilize benchmark testing results.

Examples of SMART Goals The percentage of all special needs students scoring in the Proficient category on the Math MCAS test will increase by 10% from the last MCAS Math test.   Using the President’s Challenge Physical Fitness program components, all students will increase their physical fitness, with 85% of the students performing at or above the 50th percentile on all five components. By June 2013, 90% of first grade students will score at low risk in oral reading fluency as evidenced by the DIBELS Assessment.

Examples of SMART Goals Solicit updates and new material for the team website from grade level colleagues on the first Friday of each month; publish this new material by the following Friday. Each time material is published, review the Website for material that is out-of-date and delete or archive that material. Increase automaticity of addition and subtraction math facts by 10% within the first half of the school year.

SMART or Not? 100% of students will advance a reading level as measured by reading comprehension scores. Is this goal Specific, Measureable, Action‐ oriented, Realistic/Results oriented and Time‐ bound ?

SMART Goal Revision 100% of grade eight team’s students will advance 1‐2 reading levels by the end of the first semester, as measured by the reading comprehension scores on DRA‐2, so that by the end of the 2011‐2012 school year all students have advanced 2 or more reading levels in reading comprehension.

SMART or Not? The grade four team will create reading comprehension formative assessments and analyze formative data.

SMART Goal Revision Beginning in September, the grade four team will create monthly, reading comprehension formative assessments so that 100% of the teachers are using the assessments monthly, and analyzing the resulting formative data to inform instruction based on the student outcomes.

What is your plan to implement SMART goal setting in your classroom? "People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It's as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale   "People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It's as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale   "People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It's as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale   What is your plan to implement SMART goal setting in your classroom? "A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Abraham Lincoln