1. It’s Time to Rethink Teacher Supervision and Evaluation Phi Delta Kappan 86 no 10 727-735 June 2005 Kim Marshall

2. Why the Supervision Process Often Misses the Mark  Principals observe and evaluate a tiny amount of teaching. The actual amount is about.3% of the time a teacher is actually engaged with students.  “Micro-observations” of individual lessons don’t carry much weight with most school districts. Districts usually prefer extremely thorough formal observations.

3. Why the Supervision Process Often Misses the Mark (cont’d)  The lessons that principals see are often atypical—a “performance” or a “nervous” reaction.  Most observations and evaluation sequences rarely focus on student learning.

4. Why the Supervision Process Often Misses the Mark (cont’d)  The supervision and evaluation process reinforce teacher isolation. Rarely are there “conversations.”  Observation instruments often get in the way. Most districts push for tools that make it possible to build cases against incompetent teachers.

5. Why the Supervision Process Often Misses the Mark (cont’d)  Observations fail to give teachers the needed feedback to enhance teaching and learning.  Most principals do not have observation and the monitoring of instruction as a top priority.

6. To become more effective, move…  From periodically observing teaching to continuously analyzing learning.  From occasional announced classroom visits to frequent unannounced visits.  From detailed scripting of single lessons to quick sampling of multiple lessons.

7.  From year-end judgments to continuous suggestions and redirection.  From comprehensive, written observations to focused, face-to-face feedback.  From guarded, inauthentic conversations to candid give and take. To become more effective, move…

8.  From employing rigid evaluation criteria to continuously looking at new ideas and practices.  From focusing on bad teachers to improving teaching in every classroom.  From cumbersome, time-consuming write-ups to streamlined rubrics. To become more effective, move

9. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Make sure the basics are in place:  Schedule common planning time where possible.  Have crystal-clear expectations for learning that are aligned with standards.  Common assessments written by staff.  Common rubrics for consistently scoring student writing.  Exemplars of student work.

10. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Develop a common language for what is happening in classrooms…SOTEL  S  Safety - students are physically and psychologically safe.  O  Objectives of curriculum are evident.  T  Teaching-learning experiences are skillfully orchestrated.  E  Engagement - students are involved.  L  Learning is assessed.

11. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Systematically visit all classrooms:  Very brief visits—in and out.  Walkthroughs (less than five minutes) with a particular item in mind.  Mini-observations (5-15 minutes) focusing on teaching and learning.  Full-period formal observations.

12. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Give teachers prompt, face-to-face feedback after every classroom visit:  E-mails or notes are OK, but personal feedback is preferable.  Feedback focuses on one or two specific points.  Follow-ups are most effective within 24 hours.

13. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Develop teacher teams:  Common unit plans and assessments  Common interim assessments  Report on student learning after each unit or quarter

14. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Once the principal has made “the shift,” teachers can work on feedback:  Peer coaching  Action research  Lesson study  Looking At Student Work  Teachers must be thinking constantly about whether students are learning and what can be done to get better results.

15. Link Supervision to Student Achievement and Learning  Use a rubric to evaluate teacher work:  Create domains  Include measures of student learning