Among the many initiatives coming out of the Louisiana Department of Education this summer is one that will likely be little noticed by students or families but could have a significant effect on teachers.
Last week, State Superintendent Cade Brumley announced it is piloting a new teacher evaluation system that will allow highly rated teachers to opt-out of future observations and direct more intense professional development at the teachers who score lower, according to information released by the department. Districts will have the option of using the new system this year before it's instituted statewide next fall.
Under the old system, all teachers were observed twice per school year and graded on a four-point scale. These observations were combined with student test scores to calculate a teacher's annual rating.
The new system will use a five-point scale and includes four categories: instruction, planning, environment and professionalism. The new evaluations also make room for self-assessments and allow teachers to have a say in what sort of coaching they think they need.
Teachers with three years of experience who earn a "highly effective rating" in their first evaluation will be allowed to opt out of the second under the new plan. Teachers who have been in the classroom for less than three years will be observed three times each year.
The new evaluations are aimed at giving teachers "more of a voice," said Jenna Chiasson, an LDOE official. More than a dozen school districts test-drove the new system last year, according to the LDOE, and reported that they found it effective and that it "provided high levels of satisfaction."
The new system is in line with Brumley's approach of rejecting one-size-fits-all approaches in favor of targeted coaching. It was developed by a state work group made up of more than 20 educators from across the state who were asked to study the challenges teachers face and ways to overcome them.
We note the comments from Richard Baker, an official with the state's largest teachers' union, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, who allowed that the new program is more comprehensive and nuanced.
However, Baker added, the new assessments require teachers to keep students' attention, add in game-like activities as well as encourage students to ask questions that probe deeper into topics. Such requirements could create unrealistic expectations and "demoralize" teachers, he said.
We concede that this could occur in some cases and trust that the new requirements will be tweaked as needed to make them more effective as new data rolls in.
Therefore, we applaud these efforts to make oversight less burdensome on teachers who excel while at the same time working with others to improve.
Eventually, we expect these sorts of teacher-focused processes will improve the atmosphere in the classroom where, hopefully, good teachers, exempt from needless demands, will be free to teach to their potential.