Let’s Not Forget About the TEAC
I received an email from the Commissioner of Education’s office yesterday morning that reminded me about the important goings-on that must, by all rights, be coming to a conclusion soon ’round teacher evaluation and the First to the Top legislation. I’m talking about the all-important Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee. First, the text of the email:
Thank you for your commitment to educating Tennessee’s students, and for your interest in the new teacher and principal evaluation system. As we begin another school year in Tennessee, the Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee (TEAC) continues to move forward in crafting guidelines for teacher and principal evaluation. The TEAC will recommend the first draft of these guidelines, informed by educator feedback, to the State Board of Education later this fall. As plans for the evaluation system evolve over the coming year and evaluation options are piloted, the feedback loop will continue.
The Evaluation Planning Committee members are in the process of organizing a variety of opportunities for teachers and principals to provide feedback and input to the TEAC beginning in September, one of which will be an online forum for discussion and sharing ideas and information related to educator evaluation. Hope Street Group, a national nonprofit organization, has created a customized online environment for this work. You indicated that you would be interested in engaging in this sort of conversation, though your participation is entirely optional. The online educator community will provide invaluable feedback and perspective to the ongoing process of developing improved evaluation systems. The online community will launch on September 21 and last for an 8-10 week period; participation in the online community will require a unique username and password which you will receive via email on the 21st.
Additionally, if you know of other educators who would like to be involved in future input opportunities related to the new teacher and principal evaluation system, please ask them to send an email with subject line ‘Teacher Evaluation’ to ask.firsttothetop@tn.gov, so that we can collect their contact information.
Again, thank you for your interest and attention to this important work, and for your commitment to educating Tennessee’s students. We look forward to continuing to learn from you and your peers throughout the coming school year.
Sincerely,
Timothy K. Webb, Ed.D.
Commissioner
First thing, to get it out of the way: I can’t help but cringe at the term “feedback loop.” I mean, I know what he’s saying, but that basically calls to mind a group of people chasing their own tail, which, by the size and makeup of the committee (and reports I’ve heard), there certainly is a bit of.
That aside, I’m kind of nervous about what the group’s been doing. Take a look at their website (h/t Tom Humphrey). Let’s start with a sample report from one of the subcommittees that would seem to be one of the most important out there (aside from figuring out what to do for teachers who lack test data) — the committee dealing with the “other” 50% of the evaluation that doesn’t come from TVAAS. Here’s the whole thing [pdf]:
The committee met for approximately forty minutes after the main committee meeting. The subcommittee meeting set for April 14 was cancelled. The committee will meet after the next main committee on April 29, 2010. A brief discussion was held concerning Hamilton County’s plan for a pilot teacher evaluation system as well as the process of Memphis City in their Bill and Melinda Gates’ endeavor.
One committee member had visited a school the day before the meeting and had seen part of the current teacher evaluation process. Questions were asked about the amount of paper work and the process itself. Questions concerning other standards by which to evaluate teachers were discussed.
Another committee member stated they were going to question their teachers about the evaluation process and a very short discussion ensued about other members doing the same, possibly with the same questionnaire. Issue was left open for further discussion.
For the next meeting, additional resources concerning other national teacher standards, such as National Board Certification, will be under discussion.
Respectfully submitted, Kaneal G. Alexander
That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. They’re going to talk to teachers? One person had visited a school and talked about the current process? I thought committee members were chosen because they were knowledgeable about what the current process looked like, what the problems were, what certain stakeholders thought, etc. I know I’m cherry-picking one report out of dozens … no, wait — only about 5-10 meaningful documents posted, but this gives me the shivers.
These people are responsible for completely revamping teacher evaluation as we know it in this state. There are a lot of nervous teachers out there that are wondering if their jobs are going to come down to test scores. The “other” 50% was supposed to be a backstop to counterbalance the sometimes arbitrary nature of TVAAS data. If we’re not putting a WHOLE lot of researched-based thought and discussion into this, then I’m not sure what’s going on.
Another thing: Take a look at the timeline [pdf]. This thing is supposed to be in alpha testing, like NOW. That means that some form of it is supposed to be going through trials right now. It doesn’t look like the group is ANYWHERE near that to me, but, again, I’m going from the meager selection on the website.
As for this document purporting to “put it all together,” well, I don’t really know what to say. I guess I know what they’re going for, but it really does just look like a bunch of words.
I don’t want to go through each and every document that’s up there, moaning and complaining, but I’ll say this: If ever there was a time for the public in general, and teachers and school personnel of all stripes in particular, to mobilize and demand excellence and accountability, this is the time. The decisions that are being made (or not made) by this group are going to have a profound effect on teachers across the state, and may have ripples across the country. Tennessee was put out in front of the nation with its first-round RTTT win. We took the initiative in passing a pretty bold set of legislative initiatives. We have the chance to be a leader. Let’s get it together, people, and put the work in. Let’s not let this be another rezoning fiasco.*
*I’m referring to the fact that the working group that drafted the rezoning proposal failed to really consider any education research about the effects of ending busing, neighborhood schooling coupled with high poverty and/or racial isolation, or anything else along those lines. You can be a fan of the resulting outcome or not, but you’ve got to question the process.
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