Educator Evaluations

FOCUS OBSERVATIONS ON WHAT MATTERS MOST 

A research-based framework can provide educators and evaluators with shared language about effective teaching. There are several credible frameworks available (e.g. Marzano's Focused Teacher Model, Danielson, 5+ Dimensions, etc.), and each organizes teaching practice somewhat differently. The value of a framework is not the number of elements it contains, but whether it helps educators reflect, receive useful feedback, and identify a practical next step.

Trying to examine every element during every observation can make the process overwhelming. A district may instead identify a small number of high-leverage practices that align with its instructional priorities.

For example, a district using the Marzano framework might begin with:

• Student engagement: Are students attentive, participating, thinking, and interacting with the content?

• Rules and procedures: When engagement is low, are classroom expectations, routines, transitions, or participation structures supporting learning?

• Processing new content: When engagement is at least passive or better, Are students doing more than listening—such as discussing, summarizing, representing, or drawing conclusions?

• Use of questions: When engagement is at least passive or better, Are questions helping students explain their thinking, elaborate on ideas, and support responses with evidence?

The Marzano Focused Teacher Evaluation Model includes these practices within a broader research-based framework, but the framework does not require every element to be scored during every visit. Its purpose is to make evidence of teaching and student learning more visible and feedback more actionable.

MAKE OBSERVATIONS FREQUENT AND USEFUL

Shorter, more frequent visits can provide a fuller picture of teaching and learning while creating opportunities for timely feedback. Observations are most useful when educators know the focus, understand the evidence being collected, and have an opportunity to reflect with the observer. 

The goal is not to identify every possible weakness. It is to recognize effective practice and identify a focused opportunity for continued growth. 

EXTEND THE LEARNING ACROSS THE YEAR 

Once observation and feedback identify a meaningful area of focus, a Growth Plan or Student Learning Objective can provide structure for continued reflection. 

A Professional Growth Plan identifies an area of professional practice that an educator would like to strengthen. It connects a focused goal with specific actions, professional learning, support, evidence of progress, and opportunities for reflection. Growth Plans help move evaluation beyond a single rating by connecting feedback with learning and action.

A Student Learning Objective, or SLO, is a measurable, longer-term academic goal informed by available data and established by a teacher or teacher team for the students they serve. SLOs can be especially useful when locally selected assessments provide more timely and instructionally relevant information than annual state assessments.

Some states require one or the other, but either the Growth Plan or the SLO can be a meaningful addition to the annual process that allows for more self-reflection and self-goal setting.