Improving principal practice: Addressing teacher evaluation through data analysis and strategic professional development.

摘要

This improvement project was developed to address the discrepancy between how principals rate and evaluate teachers and the value-added measures teachers receive based on student growth data from standardized tests. Specifically, this project engaged a group of principals in a professional development program designed to improve their rater agreement against criterion measures in a commercially developed program. Employing improvement science methods, a multi-tiered process of interventions was designed and implemented with the goals of improving target agreement, decreasing discrepancy, and eliminating scoring bias among the twelve evaluators who participated in the study in the Concordia School District. After each intervention, data were analyzed to determine appropriate subsequent interventions. Through collaboration with leaders from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) the project was enhanced and extended through face-to-face opportunities and follow-up sessions. Qualitative and quantitative data from the project indicate that evaluation ratings improved among the participants. Due to the collaborative nature of the project between a district and the state department of education, this prototype for improving the quality of evaluations has implications to serve as a statewide model.