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School Culture and Instructional Program
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| School Culture and Instructional Program
Posted by Evelyn Edwards-Fenn, 2/26/04 at 5:38:58 PM.
A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining school culture and instructional programs conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
Below is the Executive Summary of a Teacher Evaluation System for a fictitious School District in New Jersey. It was written in May 2004 as a partial requirement for my Masters in Educational Leadership, and reflects my views concerning staff assessment and professional growth.
Executive Summary
This document contains the philosophy and procedures of the Stellar School District's Teacher Performance Assessment System. This system:
- reflects the mission, vision and beliefs embedded within the school disctrict's culture;
- promotes and encourages professional development for teachers;
- provides a growth model for all teachers encouraging reflection, and assumes that one treatment does not fit all needs; and
- provides reliable and valid judgments for the purpose of accountability.
We believe this system is innovative and that it simultaneously satisfies both the need for accountability and the desire of both teachers and administrators for meaningful professional growth.
Characteristics
- both formative and summative assessment processes;
- four distinct career paths to meet the developing needs of all teachers;
- self-directed professional growth for teachers;
- clear criteria and standards, supporting the division's mission and beliefs;
- clear procedures for the evaluation of performance;
- training for both teachers and administrators;
- authentic celebration of both student and teacher growth;
- mentoring and peer coaching;
- consistent with New Jersey Standards for Required Professional Development.
These elements, taken together, permit reliable and valid judgments to be made regarding teacher performance.
Purpose
The purposes for which teacher evaluation will be used are as follows:
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Accountability: to assure that evaluation considers effectiveness in the classroom and within the school.
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Professional Growth: to provide a focus for professional growth in areas which have the greatest capacity for facilitating improved student performance.
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Cohesive School Structure: to increase and focus the dialogue within schools on the goal of improved services to students.
The Comprehensive Framework for Teacher Evaluation and Professional Growth was designed to meet the purposes stated above and to provide an evaluation process which requires the examination of:
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what students need to know and be able to do;
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what the teacher has been doing to effect this learning;
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the degree of student success in achieving those objectives; and
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the implications for continuing employment and future professional growth.
Beliefs and Principles
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Each teacher should possess a repertoire of teaching strategies. The content, purposes of instruction, and needs of students should drive the selection and implementation of appropriate strategies.
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Effectiveness of teaching behavior must be assessed in light of student, school, and school system characteristics, needs, and organizational structures; student performance; and long-term as well as short-term instructional effectiveness.
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Multiple sources of data are essential for the development of a complete picture of teaching performance.
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The evaluation process must accommodate the needs of novice educators as well as the differing needs of experienced educators.
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The evaluation process must be understood by all teachers and evaluators.
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There must be a direct link between evaluation results and planned professional growth.
Professional Development
Stellar School District feels that the real test of whether professional development is successful, is the degree to which teachers and other educators come to know more about their subjects, their students, and their practice, and to make better, more informed use of what they know. We believe that there is a strong link between a teacher's professional development experience and a change in the classroom that ultimately translates into improved student learning and performance.
Stellar School District feels that professional development can no longer be viewed as an event that occurs on a particular day of the school year; rather, it must become part of the daily work life of educators. Teachers, administrators, and other school system employees need time to work in groups, conduct action research, participate in seminars, coach one another, plan lessons together, and meet for other purposes.
Teachers are expected to understand emerging standards - such as those in math and science - and views of learning, and to change their roles and practices accordingly. Teachers who were prepared for their profession several years ago may not be prepared for these new practices and roles. In working toward change, teachers need to be continually supported with professional development. Teaching is a complex task, and substantial time will be required for teachers and other educators to test out new ideas, assess their effects, adjust their strategies and approaches, and assess again in an effort to reach all students and make learning meaningful.
Stellar School District feels that effective professional development:
- is ongoing;
- includes training, practice, and feedback; opportunities for individual reflection and group inquiry into practice; and coaching by peers and/or mentors;
- is school-based and embedded in teacher work;
- is collaborative, providing opportunities for teachers to interact with peers;
- focuses on student learning which should, in part, guide assessment of its effectiveness;
- encourages and supports school-based and teacher initiatives;
- is rooted in the knowledge base for teaching;
- incorporates constructivist approaches to teaching and learning;
- recognizes teachers as professionals and adult learners;
- provides adequate time and follow-up support; and
- is accessible and inclusive.
Stellar School District Mission Statement
Our mission in partnership with the community is to provide a safe nurturing environment that challenges each child to maximize their potential. Our students will acquire skills and knowledge which will enable them to become independent, respectful, responsible citizens who strive for personal excellence and embrace learning as fundamental to successfully adapt to the ever-changing, technologically driven global community.
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