A. Evaluation Form or Observation Protocol
The evaluation form that was used to evaluate a classroom teacher’s performance is a rubric used by the school district (Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012).
A1. Performance Factors
The teacher was rated using a rubric with specific criteria in four domains including planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities (Hillsborough County Public Schools, 2012). Within each of these domains are components which are the performance factors that are relevant to classroom teachers. In domain one the components include: demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy, demonstrating knowledge of students, setting instructional outcomes,
…show more content…
When the teacher was talking about how the students would do during the lesson, she did reflect that there were some that would grasp the concept easily, but others that were still having a difficult time with identifying letters and sounds so would struggle with this lesson. I immediately thought that it might be effective to incorporate differentiated instruction which was not mentioned during the pre-conference. The teacher planned a variety of activities such as songs, word card and letter match, and center activities. When I listened to the teacher describe the lesson, I noticed there was a lack of text being included. I know that best practice is to teach phonics-based skills within text, so this was a concern for me.
Reflecting on the pre-conference I know that the teacher does use data to show that her students need the skills, but plans lessons based on the whole group. This is a new teacher in the district, and she is still trying to learn the curriculum and the Common Core foundational skills. She seems to be struggling on how to integrate the skills into the daily reading block.
C. Completed Evaluation Form
The results of the observation are attached. The areas that were rated are marked with a red letter X.
D1. Recommendations for Improvement in Teacher’s Performance Based on the results from the observed lesson the
Next, I observed the standards, differentiated instruction, and the phonemic and phonics lessons in the class. The essential questions and standards are listed in the front of the classroom but are never referred to. I think that differentiation is a big part of this class, especially because of the number of students with individualized education plans. During lessons, the entire class will meet around the rug for instructions and introductions. After the class is given instructions, most students will work independently and there will be one or two groups that work with Ms. Dunlap or her teacher’s aide for guided practice. The majority of the lessons include hands-on activities, such as cutting examples of noun and verbs out of a magazine, using blocks to measure student’s heights, and songs that emphasize parts of speech. While I observed I also saw some phonemic awareness lessons. These are lessons that focus on individual sounds of letters and the structure of the words and letters. I think that this class had a wide variety of reading levels. Some students did very well, but others could not write their names yet. The class met on the rug for phonemic lessons, and Ms. Dunlap would use a book that had tons of activities. The book includes different activities that make students find the sounds in words, substitute sounds to make new words, blend sounds to form words, and to take apart words to find the sounds. Ms. Dunlap
A general population third grade class was observed to further understand the psychological aspect of teaching. The Title I school classroom observed has sixteen students, eight girls and eight boys, and is almost entirely made up of students from a low socioeconomic status (SES). The desks are arranged with one big horseshoe and two rows of desks inside the horseshoe shape. The teacher has made adjustments to seating assignments and layout due to student behavior and feedback. The class is made up with students eight to nine years old with two students repeating the third grade. Snowman and McCown (2012) highlight that students in this class would be in Erikson’s fourth stage of psychosocial development, industry
Mrs. Lawrence: When planning a lesson, I start with the objective. What is it I am supposed to be cover. Once I know, I start with a hook. I access their prior knowledge then I move on with either an example or model. All along I ask questions to make sure the students
Based on the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia has a new way of evaluating all of its teachers. Beginners teachers are held with the same standards as tenured teachers. The evaluation is through Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) which is consist of three components which gives to an overall Teacher Effectiveness Measure (TEM). First component is Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS). The second component is Surveys of Instructional Practice (student perception surveys). Lastly Student Growth Percentile and Student Learning Objective. (SGP and SLO).
Teachers are rated as developing, proficient, accomplished, distinguished. The evaluation tool, which was updated in 2008 and in 2015 standard six was added, consist of six total standards. Standard one assesses teacher’s leadership skills. Teachers must demonstrate leadership in their classroom and in the school. Teachers must demonstrate their ability to improve the profession, advocate and assist with implementation for positive change in policies and practices affecting student learning. all while demonstrate ethical principles including honesty, integrity, fair treatment, and respect for others. For standard two teachers must demonstrate their ability establish a respect environment for a diverse population of students which involves nurturing relationships with child, embracing diversity in all forms
In Florida, all teachers are rated 50% from their manager and 50% from state assessments. If a teacher receives a highly effective or effective rating a monetary bonus is added the following school year. If a teacher receives anything lower they are then placed on probation if tenured or terminated if annual.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2013). Getting teacher evaluation right: What really matters for effectiveness and improvement. Teachers College
Educational policies guide professional practice. By developing policies, agencies determine appropriate courses of action to aid individuals in applying a set of procedures in a systematic and equitable manner. My essay describes the Spotsylvania County Public School’s (SCPS) policy on Teacher Evaluation and traces its roots through the various levels of regulatory entities. In order to provide a rich context, pertinent case law and applicable literature in terms of the topic is also presented within the essay.
After reading the report, one could characterize current teacher evaluation practices as little more than missed opportunities to increase the effectiveness of teachers and assure that the best teachers stayed in front of students. Practitioners generally agreed with the premise of the critique, and confirmed the identified evaluation weaknesses as both common and wide-spread among school districts. Using teacher effect research and the validity of value-added measures as a platform, and armed with the belief that the sample practices were representative of those in districts across the country, the authors of The Widget Effect urged educational leaders and policy makers to implement specific teacher evaluation reforms, many of which informed (or mirrored) those becoming increasingly prevalent in federal and state
A. The concepts, themes, ideas, and details are addressed in questions and tasks derived from the text.
An effective teacher evaluation system should measure strengths and weaknesses through an accurate and consistent process that provides
The names in this Observation Report have been changed to protect the privacy of the parents and the child.
It is really amazing how excited students get with the possiblity of using the computer in the classroom to assist them with their lesson. The teacher added that she uses it as a reward system, stating how affective it is in maintaining order and control in the classroom. Students knew how to navigate, go to various websites that were related to the lesson and create a folder in which to put their assignments in.
Many of the things that we have talked about in class were illustrated for me in
The education habits of students are rooted in them from the earliest days of their educational careers. The different influences on students, whether it be inside educational institutions, or outside is huge. The teacher of a classroom is the first and most pertinent influence in a student's educational career. Teachers provide students with the basic skills they would need to survive not only in the academic world, but also the world beyond. The relationship between teachers and their students is the key element in creating an educational atmosphere that is both pleasant and effective.