Evers to Fo rm Educator Effectiveness Design Team (WI)
December 9, 2010
State Superintendent Tony Evers today announced the formation of an Educator Effectiveness Design Team that will develop recommendations for an evaluation system for teachers and school administrators.
Wisconsin is among more than 30 states working on the State Consortium on Educator Effectiveness, led by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). That group’s efforts will link Common Core State Standards for students with standards-driven changes to policies for teaching and leading, which include training, staff development, and evaluation. This national-level work will guide the state design team.
“Wisconsin has many strong practices for educator training and licensing,” Evers said. “We want to develop a meaningful educator evaluation system that builds on our ongoing work and leads to improved student learning. To truly move education forward, we must invest the time to develop an evaluation system that is fair and valid, and informs professional development.”
Top leaders from the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA), the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB), the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA), and the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) will work with representatives from educator preparation programs from the state’s colleges and universities, as well as national organizations, on this effort.
Specific work for the Educator Effectiveness Design Team will be to develop criteria for evaluation that are clearly articulated and use multiple indicators, including student academic growth data. The group will look at model state performance assessments for the initial, professional, and master licenses; career ladder evaluations; and the rigorous performance assessments used for National Board certification. They will be asked to develop:
• definitions of key guiding principles of a high-quality educator effectiveness program,
• model performance-based evaluation systems for teachers and principals,
• a regulatory framework for implementation that includes how student achievement data will be used in context, and
• recommendations for methods to support improvement and incentives for performance.
“A new evaluation system must help teachers and principals improve their practice,” Evers said. “Countries like Finland, Japan, Korea, and Singapore, which are recognized for their high-performing schools, share common policies. They have invested in their teachers and principals to ensure they are well-trained and respected.”
Wisconsin’s ongoing reform activities include improved training, mentoring, and support for initial educators; explicit educator standards that define components of good instructional practices; increased licensing flexibility; and a tiered system of licensure. These policies are among elements of educator reform efforts being proposed in other states and nationally. In addition to the national work led by CCSSO, Wisconsin is among 19 states in the Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium that is piloting a teacher prelicensing performance exam, which will further strengthen training for beginning educators.
“Wisconsin has put a great deal of effort into supporting, developing, and retaining teachers and principals. I know that school staff members in our state have dedicated their lives to helping children learn. They deserve an evaluation system that respects the c ollaborative nature of successful schools and provides the tools, opportunities, and supports needed for educators to constantly improve their instructional and leadership practice. As we work to revitalize public education in Wisconsin to ensure every child is a graduate, we must make sure teachers and principals are an essential part of that change effort,” Evers said. “Investing in our teachers and principals is the most direct and promising school-based strategy there is for improving public education.”