Mastering procedures alone can take up to a year, even if schools won’t have that long under new law
By John Mooney
New Jersey’s planned use of student test scores in evaluating teachers has drawn most of the fire so far, but researchers following the first tests of the evaluation system have found that training observers for classroom observations is neither quick nor easy.
The team from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education has been tracking the 10 pilot districts that have been up and running for the past two years, along with another 15 that began testing the system last year.
The new system is slated to be rolled out statewide next year.
In a six-page brief distributed to districts across New Jersey last week, researchers described the lessons and challenges specific to training both supervisors and teachers to the observation systems.
Observations make up at least half of a teacher’s overall evaluation, as mandated by the new teacher tenure law. The balance of the rating is made by measuring student performance, including state test scores — by far the most controversial piece of the system.
The report’s lead author, William Firestone, said in an interview yesterday that the report details the extensive amount of time needed to get all parties up to speed, both on the new procedures and on the broader concept of pinpointing the qualities of good teaching.
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