Analyzing Teacher Evaluation Models by Domain

Video Transcription

Hi. My name is Ashley, and today's lesson is titled Analyzing Teacher Evaluation Models by Domain. In today's lesson, we will identify why evaluation models should be analyzed. Then we'll go through the process one should take when analyzing the domains.

Why should teacher evaluation models be analyzed? Teachers should have a good understanding of how the teacher evaluation model domains and rubrics are used at their school. A good understanding of the teacher evaluation tools will help teachers get acquainted with the evaluation process and the expectations.

Having a good understanding of the teacher evaluation model will assist teachers with reflection. Reflection is a big part of the teacher evaluation process in order for teachers to improve their teaching practices. Analyzing the model will help teachers know what is expected from them in this area. Analyzing the domains also helps in processing feedback received from the evaluators and using it to promote growth.

What is the process of analyzing the remains of a teacher evaluation model? Teachers should definitely take the time to analyze the domains of their teacher evaluation model to understand the criteria and scoring requirements of the evaluation. The best place to begin, no matter if you're using the Marzano or Danielson framework, is with the domains. You should look for whether the model has descriptions for the indicators used. What is a proficient rating described as?

And that's what we're going to focus on today as we analyze the Rhode Island teacher evaluation model. We first must start with the domains. Let's focus on Domain 3, instruction. We'll pay special attention to 3a, communicating with students. / This domain will assess the teacher's ability to set expectations for learning, provide directions to students for activities, give explanations of content, and using oral and written language during instruction.

Here's the rubric that is used for Domain 3a, communicating with students. Notice that there are four levels. Depending on your rubric, level 1 may be unsatisfactory, ineffective, or does not meet expectations. Level 2 may be needs improvement or something along those lines. Level 3 is proficient or meets expectations, where level 4 will be exceeds expectations.

The next thing we need to do is look at the proficient level, which is level 3. Here, it says the instructional purpose of the lesson is clearly communicated to students. During the explanation of content, the teacher focuses as appropriate on strategy students can use. The teacher's spoken and written language is clear and correct and is suitable to students' ages and interests.

So this column here states what the teacher needs to do in order to meet the expectations. These are the indicators that we were referring to earlier on what should be going on in order to meet the proficient level. This column right here goes into even further detail, indicating actions of the teacher. The teacher states clearly, at some point during the lesson, what the students will be learning. So it's not vague at all what the students are learning that day. It's clearly stated.

The teacher makes no content errors. Students engage with the learning task, indicating that they understand what they do. Now, the third column gives specific examples of what the teacher may say during the lesson. The teacher says, by the end of today's lesson, you're all going to be able to factor different types of polynomials. So this is an example of how the teacher is clearly stating the expectations of the lesson.

The teacher uses a Venn diagram to illustrate the distinctions between a republic and a democracy. So this is connected with the teacher's use of academic vocabulary. It's precise and serves to extend student understanding. So this is level 3. This is proficient. What needs to be done in order to reach level 4, exceeding expectations? Well, let's take a look.

The teacher links the instructional purpose of the lesson to the larger curriculum. So this is not just the teacher saying, this is what we're doing today, but the teacher makes a connection to topics that were taught one or two months ago and also makes connections to topics that they will learn in the future.

The directions and procedures are clear and anticipate possible student misunderstanding. This part right here was not included in the proficient level. So this is where the teacher has not only given clear instructions, but now is anticipating misunderstandings that students will have. So, once again, in this second column, this is actual activities or actual actions of the teacher. The teacher explains content clearly and imaginatively, using metaphors and analogies to bring content to life.

Once again, this part was not included in the proficient level. In the proficient level, it was just enough just to clearly explain what was being taught that day. But this involves engaging students, stating it in a way that is imaginative, using metaphors. And here, in this column, we have those examples again. The teacher says, here's a spot where some students have difficulty. So this is something the teacher may say as the teacher anticipates possible student misunderstandings.

Now, one thing you also probably have noticed while we've been looking at this is that level 1 and level 2, they're missing something. Something is missing, where level 3 is just meeting the basic expectations, and level 4 is bumping it up a notch, going beyond those basic expectations.

As you navigate through the rubric, you may find some things that are unclear or confusing. For example, right here, level 2, says the teacher's attempt to explain the instructional purpose has only limited success. Well, what does limited success look like? This would be a great question to ask your evaluator, your coach, or team members to define what limited success looks like. You want to know how you will be rated and what things you can do to improve your rating. This will be something you can definitely seek assistance with if there's anything that is unclear.

Let's recap what we have discussed in today's lesson. We learned that it's important to analyze your teacher evaluation model to get a deep understanding of the rubric and the tools. Understanding the evaluation model can also help you with the reflection process and processing feedback from others. We reviewed the process you should take when analyzing the teacher evaluation model. First, begin with the domains, and identify how a proficient rating is described. This will help you identify what your evaluator will be looking for.

Have you analyzed your teacher evaluation model? Now it's your turn to apply what you've learned in this video. The Additional Resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description so you can easily target the resources you want.