august 18, 2015 rochester, new york independent and peer evaluation: making the work matter

August 18, 2015Rochester, New York

Independent and Peer Evaluation: Making the

Work Matter

Today’s Plan

Getting

Starte

d

Peer EvaluationThe NYS Teaching and Leadership Standards

Inte

r-

rate

r

Reliabilit

y

Conversatio

n with the Commission

er

Getting Started

Need to remember Must share with others

Want to learn more What else?Yesterday

Questions for the Commissioner

What questions, related to APPR, would you like

to ask the Commissioner later today?

It’s all about attitude…

Peer Evaluation

Susan Villani,Senior Program AssociateWestEd• Author, consultant,

facilitator

Past Experience•21 years as a principal•Adjunct faculty at Lesley University•Degrees from Northeastern, Tufts, and SUNY Binghamton

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

Peer and Outside Evaluator Training

WorkshopAugust 18, 2015

Rochester, New York

Professional Learning Through Peer

Observations and Conversations

Presented by Susan Villani

WestEd.org

Learning Objective:

Learn about and apply tools and protocols for collaborative

conversations that promote teacher learning and intentional classroom practice within a peer evaluation

process.

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

AGENDA “Where do good ideas come from?”

Peer observation vs. Peer assistance and review

Benefits and components of peer observation

Norms of collaboration: An essential skill set for observers and evaluators

Collaborative conversations: The centerpiece of effective peer evaluation

WestEd.org

Where do good ideas come from?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU

WestEd.org

Where do good ideas come from?

What are your “take aways” from watching this video?

What are some implications for teacher learning and evaluation?

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Guiding Principle #1

Student learning is at the center of everything that we do in

schools.

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Guiding Principle #2

There is an inextricable link

between the learning of adults and

children in schools.

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Guiding Principle #3

Collaborative conversations between peers that are focused on instruction promote learning, thinking and intentional practice.

WestEd.org

Important Distinctions

Peer Observers as Part of an Evaluation System

Supports novice and experienced teachers at all levels of expertise

Trained peers observe teacher classroom practice at least one time during the evaluation cycle

Evidence can be used as part of a summative rating but administrators determine final evaluation and rating

WestEd.org

Important Distinctions

Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Program

Supports novice and struggling teachers

Trained “consulting teachers” provide coaching and mentoring throughout the school year

Consulting teacher presents mid-year and end-of-year recommendations to PAR panel (comprised of both union and district leadership) who decide whether to retain or dismiss teacher

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

Benefits of Peer Observation

Reduce burden on school administrators

Increase number of teacher observations per year

Increase evaluator credibility

Provide quality feedback

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

Challenges of Peer Observation

Financial cost

Defining and communicating roles

Objectivity and inter-rater reliability

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

Components of Effective Peer Observation

Role clarification and communication with staff

Requirements of peer observation

Selection and training

Assignment of peer observers

--grade level and content area matters!!

WestEd.org

Norms of CollaborationA Modified Jigsaw Process

All read pages 31 through mid 32 Reading 1: Pausing and paraphrasing

Reading 2: Putting inquiry at the center

Reading 3: Probing for specificity

Reading 4: Placing ideas on the table, paying attention to self and others & presuming positive intentions

WestEd.org

Pausing

Paraphrasing

Presuming positive

intentions

Probing

Puttingideas on and

off table

Payingattention to

self and others

Promoting a spiritof inquiry

Norms ofCollaboration

Source: Center for Adaptive Schools

Source: Garmston, Robert. and Wellman, Bruce. (2009). The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishing.

WestEd.org

Don’t Know

Know

Can’tDo

Can Do

MysteriousUnknown

TheoreticalUnable to

demonstrate

MagicalUnexplained

IntentionalDeliberate practice

Ability to explain own teaching practice

Ab

ility

to

te

ac

h

Source: Dunne, Kathy and Villani, Susan. (2007). Mentoring New Teachers Through Collaborative Coaching: Linking Teacher and Student Learning. San Francisco: WestEd.

A Window into Teaching Thinking

Impact of Professional Learning Components

Source: Joyce, Bruce and Showers, Beverly. (2002). Student Achievement Through Staff DevelopmentAlexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

Key elements of coachingLearner-focused

Adaptive to match the ever-changing needs of the learner

Conversations are grounded in common language around instruction

WestEd.org

What makes a question agood question?

Open-ended

Agenda free

Promotes reflection

Expands thinking and possibilities

WestEd.orgWestEd.org

Collaborative Conversations “in action”

• Overall, what did you notice?

• What, specifically, did the peer coach do or say?

• What was the impact on the teacher being coached?

WestEd.org

A Continuum of Coaching Behaviors

Coaching Approach

Coaching Behaviors

Non-directive

Listen fully and affirm Listen fully and feed back the desired result Ask your partner to generate a few new possibilities Ask your partner to generate many possibilities

Collaborative

Add to your partner’s list of possibilities and, together, create new options Present 10 possibilities (some contradictory) and follow up with inquiry

Direct Informational Teach a new technique Offer an option

Directive(Supervisory and

EvaluativeNot a coaching stance)

Give advice Give advice by sharing or questioning Give the answerSource: Dunne, Kathy and Villani, Susan. (2007). Mentoring New Teachers Through

Collaborative Coaching: Linking Teacher and Student Learning. San Francisco: WestEd.

WestEd.org

Resources and References

Peer Observation and Assessment of Teachinghttp://www.albany.edu/teachingandlearning/tlr/peer_obs/Peer%20Observation%20Resource%20Book%20for%20UAlbany.pdf

A User’s Guide to Peer Assistance and Reviewhttp://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ngt/par/

"Peer Observation: Supporting Professional Learning in Six Successful, High-Poverty, Urban Schools." by Stefanie K. Reinhorn, Susan Moore Johnson, and Nicole S. Simon. (May 2015). Project on the Next Generation of Teachers Working Paper.

WestEd.org

Thank you for your participation!

New York State Standards

Jigsaw Activity• Groups of 4

• #1 Read Knowledge of Content and Instructional Planning

• #2 Read Instructional Practice and Learning Environment

• #3 Read Assessment for Student Learning, Professional Responsibilities and Collaboration, and Professional Growth

• #4 Read Standards for Building and District Leaders

Surprised me Pleased me

Concerned me Needs to be amplified

NYS Standards

Inter-rater Reliability

Inter-rater Reliability

Perspective Matters

Inter-rater Reliability

Requires:

▫Consistent definition of good teaching▫A shared understanding of the

definition▫Skilled evaluators (Danielson)

Inter-rater Reliability

Discuss and reach consensus:

▫What constitutes great student engagement?

▫What does quality assessment look like in a lesson?

▫What makes for strong questioning and discussion prompts?

Inter-rater Reliability

Process:

▫Work on the consistent definition as a school/district, using the rubric

▫Observe and rate classroom videos together

▫Use “instructional rounds”, identifying two or three areas only

▫Conduct joint observations and compare findings

Inter-rater Reliability

Practice:

A Conversation with the Commissioner

MaryEllen EliaCommissioner of

Education and President of the University of New York

Past Experience•Superintendent, Hillsborough County, FL•General Director of Secondary Education and Chief Facilities Officer•Former social studies and reading teacher