{"id":1541,"date":"2014-09-23T11:00:25","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T15:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/?p=1541"},"modified":"2015-12-21T11:48:27","modified_gmt":"2015-12-21T16:48:27","slug":"progress-with-implementation-of-new-evaluation-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/progress-with-implementation-of-new-evaluation-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress With Implementation Of New Evaluation System"},"content":{"rendered":"

Report Finds Leaders Are Gaining Confidence In Student Learning Objectives And Overall Process<\/em><\/h3>\n

For Immediate Release\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Contact: Bil Reinhard, 410.767.0486, 443-670-7072 (cell)<\/p>\n

Representatives of Maryland public school systems are continuing to report progress in the statewide implementation process for new Teacher and Principal Evaluation, according to a new report.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal Progress in Maryland: Student Learning Objectives and Teacher and Principal Evaluation<\/em><\/strong>,\u201d issued today by the Community Training and Assistance Center and the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center of WestEd, found growing support for the evaluation process.\u00a0 In particular, educators are embracing the use of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) as a tool to measure student growth and improve instruction.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaryland\u2019s progress in developing an evaluation system is substantial,\u201d said William J. Slotnik, founder and executive director of the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC).\u00a0 \u201cThe State is a national exemplar in this work, and is being transparent about the development process for effective evaluation of teachers and leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report presented today by Slotnik to the Maryland State Board of Education found that Teacher-Principal Evaluation (TPE) is prompting deeper analysis and use of data to focus on student needs.\u00a0 As educators gain more experience in the process, their confidence and skill levels in the process are growing.<\/p>\n

School system leaders credit the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) with effective help in implementing TPE.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working closely with educators to construct a fair system that improves instruction and prepares students for college or career,\u201d said State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery.\u00a0 \u201cThe more experience teachers and school leaders have with the new evaluation system, the more we will see professional growth and student achievement in our classrooms.\u00a0 This is a thoughtful, deliberate, and collaborative process.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, partnered with MSDE to conduct the study.\u00a0 The study team included researchers from both CTAC and WestEd.\u00a0 The study is a continuation of earlier work by CTAC and WestEd and is designed to further strengthen Maryland\u2019s implementation of TPE and its SLO component.\u00a0 SLOs are measurable instructional goals established for a specific group of students over a set period of time. SLOs serve as one of the measures of student growth for the State Teacher Evaluation model<\/p>\n

Researchers collected qualitative and quantitative data from State educators this past spring, including interviews with superintendents, teacher association leaders, administrators, and principals.\u00a0 In addition, focus groups of teachers were held and a Statewide survey of 16,316 educators from 23 local school systems took place with a response rate of 31.3 percent.<\/p>\n

Among the other highlights of the report:<\/p>\n