Teacher Evaluation

Chapter 49 of the Pa. School Code requires that all new educators be assessed in order to transition to a Level II certificate. In response, the Department of Education updated the statewide teacher rating form to reflect current best practices in teaching. PDE believed that parts of the old statewide evaluation form, the DEBE 5501, no longer reflected appropriate teacher evaluation criteria. As a result, PDE developed four new teacher evaluation forms. PDE 426a voluntary form for semi-annual evaluation of Instructional I teachers. The PDE 426 may be used in place of the DEBE 5501 to evaluate teachers with an Instructional I certificate. Districts may also continue to use the DEBE-5501 or state-approved alternate form, but PDE cautions that use of a form other than the PDE 426 may make it difficult to gather appropriate evidence to complete the PDE 427 form. PDE 427a mandatory form to transition from Instructional I to Instructional II. As of September, 2004, all teachers who hold an Instructional I certificate that was issued under September 1999 regulations must include the PDE 427 signature page with their application for an Instructional II certificate. PDE 428a voluntary form for the evaluation of Instructional II teachers. The PDE 428 may be used in place of the DEBE 5501 to evaluate teachers working with an Instructional II certificate. Districts may also continue to use the DEBE 5501 or a state-approved alternate form. PDE 430a mandatory form for student teachers. Practicing teachers who are working with a student teacher may be asked by the candidates preparation program to assist in completing the PDE 430 evaluation form for student teachers.

The Basis of the New Forms. PDEs new teacher evaluation forms reflect a vision of accomplished teaching that was developed by a teacher-advocate and researcher named Charlotte Danielson. Danielson developed a well-known framework that groups research-based characteristics of effective teaching into four overarching domains. These domains of teaching are reflected in PDEs evaluation forms: (1) planning and preparation, (2) the classroom environment, (3) instruction, and (4) professional responsibilities. PDEs new forms also share two other assumptions with Charlotte Danielson. First, the forms are structured to reflect increasing expectations for teachers as they move from student teaching to their first teaching assignment and eventually into an Instructional II certificate. Second, PDE requires that the evaluations on the new forms be supported by diverse pieces of evidence that can include teacher work, several classroom observations, and other artifacts such as teacher communication logs and examples of student work. PSEA Response to the New Forms. PSEA members report varying responses to the new PDE teacher evaluation forms. Primarily, teachers are frustrated that districts have shifted the burden of collecting evidence to reflect teachers work from the administrator to the teacher. Many members are now required to collect and organize examples of their work into a portfolio that administrators can use, along with observations, to complete the new evaluation. Teachers find that they need to invest substantial time in compiling these portfolios.

A districts decision to use the new forms may not be an issue for bargaining, since Pennsylvania Labor Board decisions have held that evaluation forms, criteria, and standards are matters of inherent managerial prerogative, unless a district has already agreed to contract language pertaining to teacher evaluation. Impacts of the new evaluation forms may be bargained; however, ISSUES OF BARGINING ARE ALWAYS CONTRACT SPECIFIC AND SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH YOUR PSEA UNISERV REPRESENTATIVE. Issues to Consider. While PDEs forms have been designed to reflect a research-based vision of effective teaching, there are several specific issues related to the content of the forms that members should consider if the forms are adopted by their district. 1. The PDE 428 form includes a level of evaluation labeled commendable. Chapter 49 is clear that teachers should be evaluated only as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. PSEA believes that the use of the commendable category is not appropriate. 2. There is no rubric for using the forms to define the minimum score for a satisfactory teacher. Consequently, it is possible for a teacher to receive an unsatisfactory rating even if most of the teachers individual scores are satisfactory. This may make the fair and consistent use of the evaluation forms difficult. 3. The descriptions of satisfactory and unsatisfactory teacher performance included on the forms sometimes cover only two extreme ends of teacher practice, with no guidance on how an administrator should evaluate all of the teachers who fall somewhere in the middle. For example, PDE 428 says that a satisfactory teacher has highly effective classroom routines; an unsatisfactory teacher has ineffective classroom routines. These descriptions give administrators no guidance on how to evaluate a teacher who has moderately effective classroom routines. 4. Charlotte Danielson herself contends that any new teacher evaluation system must be accompanied by comprehensive professional development for both teachers and administrators so that everyone can understand the meaning of the new criteria. To date, PDE has not required professional development for teachers or administrators around the new evaluation criteria. Finally, PDE agreed to develop these forms through a collaborative process that included input from PSEA and other stakeholder organizations. The Department also met with representatives from school districts, intermediate units and colleges between March 2001 and May 2002. PSEA was involved in these initial conversations and participated on PDEs Assessment Development Committee; however, the work of the Committee was curtailed before the work was complete. PSEA continues to believe that the evaluation forms need more testing and revision before they can be reliably used for evaluation purposes. If you have any questions on how the new forms are being implemented by your district, contact your UniServ Representative. General information about the forms is available from Carla Claycomb, Ph.D., in PSEAs Education Services Division, cclaycomb@psea.org or 1-800-9447732, extension 7108.