tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post3873517291873469858..comments2024-03-08T00:17:09.224-08:00Comments on The Daily Grind: Evaluations that MatterMr. McNamarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03062641578010808106noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-4879182276593438722009-01-05T17:36:00.000-08:002009-01-05T17:36:00.000-08:00Joe, all excellent points. Our first meeting seem...Joe, all excellent points. Our first meeting seemed to lean heavily towards principals and very veteran teachers.Mr. McNamarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03062641578010808106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-45830136812557550732009-01-05T14:34:00.000-08:002009-01-05T14:34:00.000-08:00Happy New Year, Mr. M.Congratulations on being ask...Happy New Year, Mr. M.<BR/><BR/>Congratulations on being asked to join the teacher evaluation committee--I guess. Quite a responsibility to take on. Both your twenty questions and your musings on how you would like to be "evaluated" are interesting and thought-provoking. I would like to suggest, however, that although they may make good pre-committee activities for you, they are not going to be much help in creating a committee policy because they are not arising from discussion within the committee. I have had some experience with these things and have discovered that although you may assume that everyone understands the job of an evaluation committee, in reality the understandings are as different as the individual members. It is usually a good idea to begin your work with an examination of your assumptions. "What assumptions are you/I/we bringing to this committee--about our responsibilities, about the word evaluation, about what the administration wants, about the benefits for student learning and for teacher working conditions?" The discussion that follows some writing in response to such questions, can help bring the group into harmony and to construct a more complex but workable version of the job.<BR/><BR/>It can also be valuable to recognize that attitudes the evaluators bring to the task can greatly influence their evaluation of the teacher. In preparing teachers to grade the NY State ELA Regents exam, I have done an exercise where I divide my colleagues into two groups and give each group the same paper to read and evaluate. The first group is instructed to find all the problems the student has with writing, list them and then assign a grade based on the rubric. The second group is asked to find all the things the student knows how to do in writing, list them and assign a grade. Over the years, the two groups have consistently been two grades apart on a 6 point grading rubric. This generally leads to a very productive discussion of what we value in the student writing we will e-valu-ate.<BR/><BR/>What I am saying is that you should be working as a committee to examine your assumptions and expose your biases. From there you should seek input from the interested parties (administration, parents, teachers, students) before you work together to craft an assessment vehicle that accomplishes the concensus goals. and finally, you should practice together before bringing you approach to the big game.<BR/><BR/>As I said, congratulations--I guess.<BR/><BR/>JoeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com