Saturday, June 14, 2014

Teacher Evaluation: What is the Coach’s Role?

For teachers in many states, next year marks the beginning of new teacher evaluation systems that are tied to standards, student achievement, and sometimes pay.  These higher stakes certainly increase the stress level of formal and informal classroom observations.  In this environment, it’s important for both coaches and principals to be crystal clear about the coach’s non-evaluative role as she works with teachers.  Instead, coaches can play a supportive role, in the teachers’ corner as they become familiar with new evaluation processes.  The message for teachers is, “I’m here for you!  Let’s make sure you and your students are looking good!”

Teachers will be confident about your support if you are knowledgeable about the evaluation system.  This summer might be a good time to dig in and read all you can about your new evaluation system, watch any accompanying online videos, and make a plan for how you will support teachers in the fall.  It’s essential that you know the components of effective instruction as defined by your new system and can support teachers as they refine their instructional practices within that system.  Your work with teachers should be in alignment with the expectations of your school, district, and state. 

Regardless of the specific evaluation model being implemented, coaches can help teachers develop an understanding of that model through interactions with the faculty, work with teaching teams, and one-on-one interactions.  What are your plans for working with the new model in each of these configurations?  Coaches can create opportunities for teachers to collaboratively make meaning of the new system.  You can support the implementation process as a facilitator of learning rather than an evaluator.  Structures that you have used to help teachers learn about instructional strategies can be adapted for considering the new evaluation system together. 

If coaches approach the new evaluation system from a learning stance, we can help mitigate some of the potential fear and stress associated with the implementation.  In this way, teacher evaluation can facilitate a shared understanding of effective instruction among teachers, coaches, and principals.


This week, you might want to take a look at:

The “Talk with Teachers” Online Summer Book Club.  Join other teachers in reading a novel, a non-fiction text, and a professional book during June, July, and August:

14 Questions to guide our curriculum mapping and lesson design, by UBD’s Grant Wiggins:



Although this blog post is for principals, the 5 Ways to Influence Change described are equally important for coaches:


10 Great tech tools to use while reading (check them out now so you feel confident sharing with teachers or using with students in the fall):



5 Ways Instagram can improve learning:




That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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