Virginia District Adopts Web-Based Teacher Evaluation Program

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/29/13

Virginia's Goochland County Public Schools has decided not to implement a home-grown system it recently developed for doing teacher evaluations; instead it will adopt a version of software currently in use in numerous Indiana school districts. This will be the first deployment of Standard for Success, a commercial product, outside of Indiana.

The Virginia district sought a "more powerful solution" to take the place of the original application developed by a committee consisting of teachers, principals, and administrative staff. The goal was to meet new requirements set by the Virginia Department of Education for more stringent teacher and principal evaluations for its 225 teachers and eight administrators.

Standard for Success is a Web-based application that can be filled out by a user on a mobile device. The version in use by Goochland has been customized to fit its specific criteria.

The program sends a single daily email to administrators that summarizes what has transpired in the area of evaluations and what needs to be completed. The email covers:

  • Observations ready for review or approval or those that have been opened for changes;
  • Learning objectives and goals ready for review or approval;
  • Uploaded artifacts;
  • Mid-year reports and pre- and post-observation forms ready for review;
  • Professional development tasks that have been started;
  • Unread comments;
  • Staff changes to the account; and
  • Support tickets that have been answered.

"This version of the product was built by Virginia educators with Virginia educators in mind," said James Lane, the district's superintendent. "We piloted the software in one school this year and plan to use it in all schools next year."

The program allows district leaders to see average ratings across divisions, he added, "which can inform the type of professional development that we're going to do and is something I haven't seen in any other product... In this day and age, I don't know how you can continue to manage this process with paper, with the increased requirements of the new teacher evaluations. Standard for Success will make this a lot easier."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • stylized illustration of a desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone all displaying an orange AI icon

    Survey: AI Shifting from Cloud to PCs

    A recent Intel-commissioned report identifies a significant shift in AI adoption, moving away from the cloud and closer to the user. Businesses are increasingly turning to the specialized hardware of AI PCs, the survey found, recognizing their potential not just for productivity gains, but for revolutionizing IT efficiency, fortifying data security, and delivering a compelling return on investment by bringing AI capabilities directly to the edge.

  • cybersecurity book with a shield and padlock

    Proposed NIST Cybersecurity Guidelines Aim to Safeguard AI Systems

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology has announced plans to issue a new set of cybersecurity guidelines aimed at safeguarding artificial intelligence systems, citing rising concerns over risks tied to generative models, predictive analytics, and autonomous agents.

  • open laptop with various educational materials like charts, quizzes, and documents emerging from the screen

    Pear Deck Learning Debuts New AI Features

    GoGuardian recently introduced new artificial intelligence features within its Pear Deck Learning curriculum and instruction platform, designed to aid educators throughout their teaching journey — from lesson planning to assessment.

  • students raising their hands and participating in a classroom discussion

    Report Explores Link Between Student Engagement and Learning

    Over 90% of teachers, principals, and superintendents agree that student engagement is a critical metric for understanding overall achievement, according to a new survey report from Discovery Education.