Teacher Evaluations

Overview

In this blog I am going to discuss my notes on the Teaching Channel Video we watched in class. I will then talk about my clinical feedback process followed by an overview of the process at my school for evaluations. I plan on comparing two approaches and then proposing elements on which I think I should be judged as a teacher. 

Teaching Channel Video Review

In this video I was able to observe a formal evaluation process for a new teacher at a high school. This observation happens four times a year and involves a pre observation meeting, the actual observation and then a post observation meeting. I think that the new teacher in this video conducted herself very well, especially with all of the expectations given to her for this process. She was required to take extra time to meet with an evaluator and then go over her planned lesson and objectives. Overall, the new teacher was very well prepared and handled herself exceptionally well given the pressures of managing her classroom, the lesson and having an evaluator in the classroom. For the post observation lesson, the new teacher was given a chance to explain her decisions, be self reflective and she was very open to constructive criticism. 

Clinical Feedback Process 

For my clinical feedback process, I feel that it bordered between formal and informal. I taught the class for the whole day while my mentor teacher observed. If there was a certain lesson she was observing for standard requirements, we would talk about it during a free period or after school. My mentor teacher and I had a great relationship and had a very open communication relationship. It was really great for my good days and my bad days. For tape recorded feedback requirements we would tape record what we had already talked about earlier in the week. I never felt the pressure of worrying about my job with evaluations. It was nice to have someone sit in and watch me teach because I got used to having someone there. Being nervous gradually went away and I was able to watch myself on recordings more and more as time went by. When I first started my clinical I was extremely nervous and took every criticism personally because I thought I was constantly failing. This was not the case at all and that is why I valued my experience so much. The feedback was all meant to help me and to help me grow as a teacher. This became easier to do as time went by and I think my clinical experience was perfect! 

Comparing Evaluation Approaches 

When comparing the first formal approach with what I experienced at my clinical school, there is a huge difference to be noted. In Oregon, at the Santiam Elementary School where I did my student teaching, when they hire a new teacher that teacher meets with the principal a few times informally and the principal will pop in at a scheduled time to observe a new teacher. There are no pressures and there is not a fear of losing a job unless it's warranted. Santiam is very laid back and the staff rely on open communication and the open door policy. The principal holds staff meetings every week and she has built a personal relationship with each one of the teachers at this elementary school. According to my mentor teacher, everyone is comfortable going to her about anything and they are open to her popping in to observe when she has the chance. This approach compared to the first approach is what I would want when I start a full time job. I totally understand the need to be formal but I also think this can impact the students in a negative way. If there are too many pressures on a teacher to perform and to second guess themselves, then this will eventually impact that teachers style in teaching. I believe there are better ways to go about evaluating teachers that are not as strict but also allow the teacher to feel comfortable and open with their evaluator. 

Proposed Elements 

As a new teacher, I would hope to be judged on how well I communicate with my peers and superiors. I would hope that I could build a great relationship with my fellow staff to where I felt comfortable welcoming evaluations and observations. I am open to constructive criticism and know there are always areas for improvement when it comes to teaching. I would hope that in my future, my evaluations could be a little less formal so that whoever is observing me gets to see the real me. If I feel that my job is on the line or if I feel that I need to be stressed and worried, then I know that will come across in an observation. I want to come across as comfortable and confident to both my students and anyone observing me. I really think there are ways to achieve this evaluation process and Santiam Elementary School utilizes this process and it really works out great for them and the staff. I hope to work in an environment like that someday. 

High Stakes Assessments

For my student teaching placement, I taught at a title I school. This school district is located in the middle of nowhere in Oregon and has a very depressed community. While teaching there, I heard a lot of comments like “this is where all the bad kids are sent” and “don’t expect any help from parents, they don’t care.” It was hard to see. I taught second grade with my mentor teacher and it was an amazing learning experience for me. I soon realized though, that those comments above were true. A lot of the parents are not involved in their students school and home life. The impact is tremendous in the classroom. A lot of my students suffered from horrible at home experiences but this is just how it was. As teachers, my mentor and I reported and documented everything. Unfortunately, CPS had already investigated a lot of these cases but there was nowhere for these kids to go. No support and very limited resources. A lot of these students lived with grandparents or in foster homes because their parents were in jail, too young to care or addicted to drugs. These students all had a lot of stress in their young little lives.

In addition to this at home stress came the stress of performance in school. I was surprised to see that this school had a canned curriculum and focused a lot on assessments. These students are so young and the resources are so scarce that it was hard to force such pressure on these young kids. One of the major things I noticed about this curriculum is that everything fell to the teacher. The responsibility is huge and the expectations are extremely high. Yet there is not a lot of differentiation in the lessons being taught. This was very hard for me to see and I spent most of my time there trying to help the students by differentiation or by giving them alternate ways to finish assessments. Unfortunately in a school with limited resources, it’s hard for a teacher to find the time to do this when they are on their own. The only reason this worked out for my situation was because it was both my mentor and I doing this work together to try and help our students. The pressures for these students was unbearable to witness. Since the curriculum is canned, the students have to take the assessments when they are planned. This does not account for the students who miss school due to outside factors, or the students who need a little extra help. The students would break down or act out. If they did not complete these assessments then there are punishments. Recess taken, freeplay taken and calls home. Very stressful.

For the teacher, it’s just as stressful. You see your student struggling and there is not much you can do to help if you are on your own. There are expectations set by the school and the district that you have to comply with to keep your job and still be considered favorable as a teacher. The effects of these assessments on the students, teachers, school and district is nothing short of stressful for everyone. It’s very hard because this is an Elementary school where the students have so much going on outside of school. The standards are so high yet they just keep pushing the kids to the next level. Even if they do poorly. They just do not have the resources to help those students who get left behind. When the student is assessed and they need help, a lot of the parents in this community refuse to have their student get any “extra or special” help, due to the stigma. It’s a lose lose situation in this school district and it’s hard to see.

I compared my findings of my school where I did student teaching with the school where I live now. I live in the Bay Area in California and looked into the school district in Los Gatos and Campbell. High stakes assessments there are considered highly amongst the students, families, teachers, schools and districts as a positive. The high stakes in these districts help to enforce motivation and involvement from families and the school. High stakes assessments are viewed as an intervention tool. I think that this is where The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers comes into play. The districts that I looked into down here in California have the resources to make high stakes learning benefit the students and the schools. The students are able to get the help they need where they need it and the school has the resources to do this. This is the only situation where I think the high stakes can work. Teachers are valued highly and judging by the public records of compensation they are rewarded for their students performance. Not all school are like this but these two districts have phenomenal ratings and really utilize all they have to benefit their students. I really feel that these two districts value their teachers which prompts an amazing performance and less burnout. It’s incredibly sad to compare these districts with the one I did my student teaching at in Oregon. The teachers are burnt out, the students are stressed and don’t get the help they need and it just seems like a vicious cycle.

Works Cited

About. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2016, from http://www.parcconline.org/about

The Past, Present And Future Of High-Stakes Testing. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/22/377438689/the-past-present-and-future-of-high-stakes-testing