Performance Management for Teachers

1. Establish a performance management system that is fair, differentiated, and high-quality.

2. Ensure that teacher evaluators are properly trained.

3. Link teacher evals to prof. development, mentorship, and other educator talent management areas.


1. Establish a performance management system that is fair, differentiated, and high-quality.

Why It Is Important
  • A fair evaluation system enables teacher buy-in and meaningful growth, and increases teacher morale.
  • Differentiated evaluations that engage the teacher, evaluator, and other stakeholder groups have the potential to facilitate professional development instead of merely complying with a requirement.
  • A high-quality teacher performance management system will allow for genuine differences in teachers’ performance to be identified and for teachers to be rewarded or remediated accordingly. Discerning genuine differences in teacher quality also will allow for the equitable distribution of teachers to be considered in a more meaningful way than if qualifications alone are used.

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Define or identify performance standards against which teacher practice will be measured.
  • Establish a common description and understanding of teacher practice to help make evaluations fair and reliable.
  • Ensure that teachers know the measures against which they are going to be evaluated. Note that under HB 153, these include quality of instructional practices, communication and professionalism, parent and student satisfaction, and student academic growth.
  • Consider the Standards for Ohio Educators (including the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession; the Ohio Standards for Principals; and the Ohio Standards for Professional Development) as standards defined or adapted in the LEA.

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Require goal setting with respect to performance.
  • Provide teachers with the guidelines, expectations, timelines, and purpose for evaluations that conform to OTES.
  • Assist teachers in goal setting that is consistent with school and LEA SIP, CIP, mission, and goals and allows for collaboration and Teacher-Based Teams.
  • As required in Ohio’s Individual Professional Development Plan, ensure that goal setting and professional development are aligned.

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Use multiple data sources when evaluating teacher performance including portfolios, multiple observations, and professional goal setting.
  • Review the components of OTES (Ohio Department of Education, 2011a).
  • Include multiple data sources such as observing classroom activities and videos of lessons; reviewing artifacts of teaching practice (lesson plans, etc.); analyzing student work, teacher portfolios, teacher self-reports, student ratings, and/or value added measures.
  • For elementary school teachers or other teachers who teach multiple subjects, observe different subject areas to identify subject-specific strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Include formal observations (HB 153 requires at least two observations of at least 30 minutes each) as well as more informal classroom walk-throughs.
  • Use multiple observations by multiple raters in the evaluation.

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Use valid and reliable evaluation tools.
  • As required in HB 153, differentiate between beginning and experienced teachers to ensure that all levels benefit formatively from the evaluation process.
  • Use resources or guidance to support evaluations, such as agreement on what good teaching is (e.g., Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession [Ohio Department of Education, 2010d], other research-based observation criteria).
  • Determine if each component of the tool or rubric carries the same weight.
  • If using value-added student achievement data, consider whether the state’s testing system is valid for this purpose.

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Include preobservation and post-observation meetings when conducting an observation.
  • Include preobservation meetings to provide evaluators with valuable context.
  • Share rubrics with teachers prior to the observation to help familiarize them with the expectations for them.
  • Review what “counts” as evidence for a performance standard to make the process fairer and reduce controversies later in the evaluation process.
  • Include post-observation meetings to provide teachers with feedback.

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Provide timely feedback and appropriate next steps.
  • Require both oral and written feedback to help teachers improve their practice.
  • Require that feedback be clear, specific, aligned with teaching standards, and linked to professional development.
  • Require that recommendations be planned and written collaboratively with evaluator(s) and teachers.
  • Require that feedback provide the teacher with constructive suggestions for improving teaching and learning.
  • Require that written feedback provide a starting point and structure for later discussion.
  • Require that formative feedback be provided frequently.

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Use student assessment data when evaluating teacher performance.
  • Ensure that the student assessment data use complies with the specific requirements in Ohio based on HB 153 passed by the 129th Ohio General Assembly
  • Ensure that a system is in place that can measure the student growth of teachers who teach subjects in which there is no annual state test.

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Work with the teachers union to ensure that the system is generally supported and takes into account teachers' ideas and concerns.
  • Agree on the number and type of evaluations, the evaluation rubric or tool, who will participate, and for what purpose the evaluations will be used.
  • Involve teachers in the design process so they understand and agree that it is fair.
  • Periodically gauge teacher perceptions and concerns so that revisions can be made accordingly.

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Require evaluators and teachers to discuss the summative evaluation and overall effectiveness rating.
  • Require feedback to ensure teachers are aware of the justification for summative evaluation ratings.
  • Require two-way conversations to increase teacher investment in the process.

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2. Ensure that teacher evaluators are properly trained.

Why It Is Important
  • Evaluator training reduces the likelihood that “gut-level” decisions will be made and improves the ability of evaluators to effectively communicate feedback.
  • Training the evaluators is essential if the evaluation tools are to be used properly and consistently.
  • Effective evaluator training increases the likelihood that teachers will grow and develop as a result of the process.
  • Evaluator training ensures that adequate time and resources will be made available so that the evaluation process will go smoothly.

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Conduct audits to ensure inter-rater reliability.
  • Monitor the performance of teacher evaluators by checking for inter-rater agreement, and hold evaluators accountable for conducting good evaluations.
  • Monitor evaluators’ stringency or leniency over time to avoid “rater drift.”

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3. Link teacher evals to prof. development, mentorship, and other educator talent management areas.

Why It Is Important
  • Linking with mentors, individual professional development plans, training, and coaching ensures that the evaluation will result in meaningful growth.
  • Linking with an induction program (which also may include evaluation or observation rubrics or tools) ensures that there is coherence and not contradiction between the two policy areas.
  • Linking with recruitment and hiring allows candidates to self-screen out of the system if they do not think they will be able to meet the performance standards.
  • Linking teacher evaluation to educator talent management areas provides teachers with a clear, consistent message about effective practice.
  • Aligning performance management systems with guidelines for tenure and promotion increases teacher buy-in for these processes.

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Last Modified: 9/22/2016 2:41:46 PM