The Moving Target of Excellence

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In preparation for the start of the school year, we have been doing a significant amount of planning and preparation to ensure for a great opening day.  Among the many things I have been thinking about and preparing for is educator evaluation.  

Before getting bogged down in all the details of standards, rubrics, indicators, elements, time lines and forms, I decided to take some time to reflect on what an educator evaluation system means to me holistically.

In addition to being a principal, I still maintain a part-time job working as a bartender at a restaurant I have worked at for over 10 years.  One night last week, things were a little slow before the start of the dinner rush and I decided to process my thinking about educator evaluation  and write it down.  This mess of bullets, arrows and pictures are the result of that work.  The translation of that scribbling brainstorm follows.

The Why?

I started by asking myself what the big ideas are behind an educator evaluation system.  On its most basic level, the system is in place to provide a level of accountability.  As an institution that operates using public funds to serve the needs of the community, parents, students and tax payers need to have the confidence that those funds are being used to support quality principals, superintendents and teachers.

On a deeper level, a strong evaluation system provides a common language for what quality teaching looks like.  Just as when expectations are clear for students, clear expectations of quality teaching ensure that educators and supervisors are on the same page regarding what it means to be a proficient teacher, principal and superintendent.

Lastly, a quality evaluation system of any kind must be designed to promote professional growth.  All members of the system, along with system itself, must be developed upon the assumption that we can all get better at what we do.

The Two paths

As I think more deeply about educator evaluation I see two pathways that emanate from the principles I laid out earlier.  

The first is more concrete.  It is a pathway for the novice educator or the one that is under performing in his/her role.  Down this pathway the road signs are easily visible and there are clear directions for reaching your destination.  The rubrics allow the supervisor and educator to have a conversation around teaching and learning using a common language and common understanding about quality teaching.

The second path is a bit more nebulous.  What if an educator is doing a great job?  Does he/she need to continue to prove it?  If so, at what point does it just become an exercise in moving paper?  It has to be more than that, it has to be about continual growth.

Excellence is something that great schools continuously strive for, but never achieve.  This is because they understand that excellence is a moving target.  As soon as they arrive at a place previously described as excellent, great schools set new targets.

We all know that their are continuous advancements in the knowledge base that support our teaching.  School leaders must support experimentation and action research that is intended to better meet the needs of students.  They must also work with teachers to identify the level of success from these experiments and determine their value to the larger school community.

The Massachusetts Educator Evaluation System provides a mechanism to meet this need through the goal setting process.  The goal setting process and educator plan provides a framework in which great innovation can occur.  Additionally, it strongly encourages teams of educators to work together towards common goals.  There is no more powerful a mechanism for student achievement than groups of teachers working towards a common goal that is focused on the success of students.

A successful and lasting educator evaluation system will be one that provides a level of accountability to ensure a base level of competency, while (more importantly) supporting the continual growth of ever member of the system.