Teacher Evaluation

I can’t recall another issue that has generated as much internal conversation as the recent legislation (and subsequent adjustments by Saline Area Schools) regarding teacher evaluation.  Over the past 18 months, the issue has dominated administrative meetings, professional development activities, software/management tool reviews and just about every other conversation…  Based on my discussions with superintendents around the State of Michigan – we are no different than most other districts with regard to the time spent developing a “compliant” system that also meets our needs.

So, what are our needs?  One of the most important things is that we want to look at what happens in the classroom and implement an evaluation system wherein the purpose is to improve the capacity of the teacher to deliver instruction that is relevant to their students.  Bottomline, the system should be focused on improving instruction.  We are fortunate to have an outstanding faculty in Saline – partly because our teachers understand that continuous improvement is the goal.

As we enter year two of the current teacher evaluation system it’s important for us as district leaders to understand that “continuous improvement” is our goal as well.  How can we improve the process to make it more meaningful for our teachers?