Louisiana District Implements Teacher Evaluations Based on Framework for Teaching
Calcasieu Parish School System (CPSS) in
Lake Charles, LA plans to implement a teacher evaluation and professional
development support program based on
Charlotte Danielson's Framework
for Teaching (FFT) at 21 high-need schools.
The goal of the program is to improve student achievement by conducting
regular teacher evaluations and providing teachers with personalized
professional development based on those evaluations. To help ensure that the
evaluations are fair and reliable, the district will train 70 administrators on
the FFT, which is an instrument that "identifies those aspects of a teacher's
responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and
theoretical research as promoting improved student learning," according to a
framework document.
Administrators will use the
Teachscape Focus
observation training and assessment system to conduct the evaluations, and the
teachers will use the
Teachscape Learn professional learning system to access personalized
professional development resources. Both Teachscape products are based on the
FFT. According to the company, Teachscape Focus helps administrators "conduct
accurate, consistent observations and maintain their accuracy over time" and
helps teachers prepare for "observations, professional conversations and
reflective practice." Teachscape Learn includes video libraries, video
capture tools, online communities and a learning management system.
"Evaluations are critical to improving teaching outcomes, and ultimately the
achievement of our students," said Lauren Beckham, project coordinator for The
Progress Project, in a prepared statement. "To make sure the evaluation process
is both fair and effective, we have to ensure that observers are seeing teaching
practice through a common lens using the FFT and then using the instructional
data collected to personalize the professional learning process for teachers."
The district will use Teachscape as part of its
Compass
evaluation system, the state's educator support and evaluation system, which "is
designed to provide all educators with regular, meaningful feedback on their
performance and aligned supports to foster continuous improvement," according to
the Louisiana Department of Education's site.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].