Illinois To Train Teacher Assessors With Online Tools

  • By Mike Hohenbrink
  • 03/28/12

The Illinois State Board of Education will deliver online training and evaluation for its teacher assessors as part of a statewide effort to train and certify more than 7,000 teacher evaluators.

The move is being undertaken as a result of the state's Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and includes a partnership with the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC), a nonprofit organization that works to improve student learning, and Teachscape, a provider of services and technologies to improve teacher performance.

Training and assessment will take place primarily by means of the Framework for Teaching Proficiency System developed by Teachscape in partnership with Charlotte Danielson and Educational Testing Service (ETS).

The Proficiency System has its origins in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project that was funded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to determine how effective teaching could be identified and developed.

Features of the Proficiency System include:

  • More than 100 master-scored videos that cover all K-12 proficiency ranges;
  • More than 15 hours of self-paced training;
  • Observer training with 11 online professional development modules;
  • Scoring practice with videos of actual classrooms; and
  • Proficiency testing.

Previous districts partnering with Teachscape to use the Proficiency System include Pittsburgh Public Schools and Syracuse City School District.

The Proficiency System training will be augmented by the CEC through online modules, in-person sessions designed to go into detail on the state's legal requirements, professional conversations, and student measures.

"The Illinois State Board of Education required a scalable, rigorous, consistent, affordable training solution that could support the new statewide performance evaluation system," said Mary Jane Morris, executive director of the CEC. "The Framework for Teaching Proficiency System is that solution. We could not have taken on this challenge without Teachscape's Framework for Teaching Proficiency System. It is a best-in-class evaluator training program."

More information about the Framework for Teaching Proficiency System is available at teachscape.com.

Featured

  • stylized illustration of two children engaged in engineering activities, one using a tablet and the other assembling mechanical parts like gears and pulleys, set against a colorful background with abstract shapes

    Applications Open for DiscoverE STEM Grant Opportunities

    Discover Engineering is accepting applications for Engineers Week and Girl Day 2025, two grant opportunities dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators through experiential learning in the field of engineering.

  • blue, green, and yellow swirling lines of light form a dense, interconnected network

    New Amazon Nova Models Ramp Up Generative AI Performance

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled Amazon Nova, a cutting-edge suite of foundation models (FMs) for generative AI.

  • A young person sitting on a couch in a bright living room during the daytime, holding a tablet, with sunlight streaming through large windows and pastel-toned furniture.

    Balancing Screen Time and Student Wellness

    Student mental health is in crisis, and excessive screen time is a significant factor. Here are four ways to help students find and maintain a healthy balance with technology.

  • stylized illustration of a global AI treaty signing, featuring diverse human figures seated around a round table

    First Global Treaty to Regulate AI Signed

    The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and several other countries have signed "The Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law," the world's first legally binding treaty aimed at regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI).