Policy 2.0: Message List

Educators, how do you measure student learning?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:22:04 GMT

We know that measuring student learning is essential to recognizing and responding to teacher effectiveness. (Want to know more about why teacher effectiveness and measuring student learning are so important? Check out the Hope Street Group policy team report on reforming teacher evaluation.)

Of course, educators measure student learning in their classrooms every day, using a wide range of assessments and responding immediately to feedback. But not all measures of student learning are reliable and comparable enough to be used for teacher evaluation.

So educators, tell us, how do you measure student learning in your classroom? What lessons can be learned from your classroom practice and applied to teacher evaluation policy?

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Re: Q & A from Policy 2.0 Event: How much and how should student achievement matter in teacher evaluations?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:01:17 GMT

Brian makes a great point about balancing measures of student achievement, but I fundamentally disagree with his views on parental involvement. Teachers are accountable for what happens inside the classroom. While parents play a huge role in student success, we can't give up on kids with disengaged parents or hold them (and their teachers) to lower standards. The point of using education to expand the Opportunity Economy is to overcome those challenges, not use them as an excuse to lower expectations for some kids and their teachers.

Re: Students as coaches for teacher effectiveness

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:39:49 GMT

Thanks Karen, this is a great example of innovative work. The question of how to best manage classrooms is a fascinating one. I've seen great classrooms that run in a very student-driven, individualized way and classrooms that thrive on top-down, firm structure. Helping teachers figure out what works for them and their students is definitely important work.

Re: Ask questions about the Recommendations and the Report

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:09:22 GMT

This is a great point, Barbara. Recommendation 7 emphasizes the importance of tying evaluations back to meaningful professional development, and Recommendation 6 discusses the role of instructional leaders in helping teachers find places to improve.

What else needs to be done to ensure teachers have a chance to grow?

How has education been key to your personal success?

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:32:16 GMT

The Economic Opportunity Index shows us that education is a key driver of expected lifetime income. But success is more than a number. How has education has been an important part of your personal success story?

Your stories inform and enrich Hope Street Group's work, so please share them.

Re: Revised Recommendations

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:48:18 GMT

Thanks to everyone for your comments. We've tried to incorporate them into the report. We'll be circulating the completed draft soon.

Share Your Work!

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:04:50 GMT

Have you sent the report to your district or union officials? Did you write an Op-Ed? Looking for tips for meeting with your representatives?

Please share your work, tips, ideas and questions about promoting the report here.

Ask questions about the Recommendations and the Report

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:02:50 GMT

Have a question about the recommendations? Ask it here! You can also email me (catherine@hopestreetgroup.org) if you prefer.

Share a story about an important teacher.

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:08:29 GMT

Most of us can remember a teacher who helped shape our identity and expand our horizons. I can remember the thrill of discovery during science experiments in Ms. Anderson's second grade class at my neighborhood elementary school, and now I can appreciate the hard work behind the scenes that went on to make those moments possible. Honoring teachers and recognizing excellence is key to informing our policy work in Education. Please share a story about a teacher or other educator who touched your life.

Draft Recommendations

info@hopestreetgroup.org — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:40:49 GMT

***Thank you to everyone for your comments! Please check out the Revised Recommendations.***

Team,
Congratulations! Your discussions and work produced a set of more than 50 evidence-based recommendations. Many thanks especially to the Team Leaders for their work pulling these together.

Hope Street Group has worked to pull those 50+ recommendations into a set of, currently, nine. The recommendations we merged for each will form the basis of the discussion for each recommendation within the report. So while the final recommendations will be broad, the report will include the more specific ideas and discussions that led us there.

Now is the time to comment on the recommendations. For each recommendation, you will find a link to a document that contains the “feeder recommendations.” Are the recommendations worded clearly? Are they targeted and focused or too loosely defined? Are the recommendations reflective of the team's discussions? Are the recommendations comprehensive? Do they cover an appropriate scope of issues related to teacher evaluation?

Driver: Teacher evaluation should be a meaningful part of a successful effort to provide all children with the education they need to succeed in the Opportunity Economy.

1) Multiple objective measures of student achievement must be a major component of teacher evaluation. (Recommendation 1)

2) Clearly defined standards of quality instruction should be used to assess a teacher’s classroom performance. (Recommendation 2)

3) Teacher groups and unions should be included in developing and implementing teacher evaluation systems. (Recommendation 3)

4) Teacher evaluation systems must be continually refined to improve the quality of measures and standards and to ensure fairness. (Recommendation 4)

5) Teacher evaluation systems should reflect the importance of supportive administrators and a positive school environment to effective teaching. (Recommendation 5)

6) Components of teacher evaluation that rely on observation and discussion must be in the hands of administrators or peers who have sufficient expertise, training, and capacity. (Recommendation 6)

7) Teacher evaluation must be tied to meaningful outcomes, including improving teacher performance through targeted professional development and opportunities for growth, supporting students in ineffective classrooms, and licensure and tenure decisions. (Recommendation 7)

8) Information from teacher evaluations should be comparable across schools and districts, and should be used to address equity in the distribution of teaching talent. (Recommendation 8)

9) States should be engaged in collecting and analyzing data, setting minimum standards, ensuring equitable access to effective teaching, and building capacity to continue to improve teacher evaluation. (Recommendation 9)