A highly effective step
by Trisha Arnold
The newly negotiated teachers contract has taken a step in the right direction towards fixing the broken evaluation system that is being used in New York City. While the core structure of observations will remain the same, there are two key changes in the new contract that will help teachers and administrators alike. The first is a reduction in the number of mandatory observations, and the second part is a clear and unified training program to facilitate fair and productive observations.
As a New York City public school teacher for 11 years, I have seen several evaluation systems come and go. Unfortunately, as with most programs that start with the best of intentions, complications can turn a helpful tool into an educational nightmare. My own experiences with evaluation during my first year of teaching were very difficult. At a different school with an unsupportive administration, I had a terrible introduction to the process of teacher observations. This is what led me to become interested in learning more about the teachers union. Years later, I have now served as a United Federation of Teachers chapter leader at my school for four years. This role has given me a unique view into the issues posed by observations not just in my school but across the city. This was why I was very eager to be a part of the UFT’s 400-member negotiating committee for the proposed contract. It was a rare opportunity to be able to voice member concerns and truly have them be utilized in making policy changes. In the case of the proposed contract, we have made real progress in aiding a system in need of revision.
Every year teachers must be observed by their administrators as part of their overall rating. They are reviewed for planning and preparation, instruction, classroom environment and professional responsibilities, and then rated Highly Effective, Effective, Developing or Ineffective.
Under the current system, teachers who had an overall rating of Highly Effective the previous year may have a minimum of three observations. Teachers who were rated Effective have a minimum of four observations a year, and those who ended up Developing or Ineffective have a minimum of six informal observations or three informal and one longer formal observation. There is no maximum limit on the amount of observations a teacher can have in the year.
While the goal of observations is to help provide a teacher with useful feedback to help them grow their teaching practice, the sheer volume and logistics of having three to six observations per teacher is staggering.
At some schools with a staff of more than 100 teachers, that’s a minimum of 300 observations over the course of the busy 182-day school year.
This is why the new contract’s policy of less mandated evaluation is a great start to fixing the system. Good administrators know what is going on in their buildings; they know their staff and which teachers are superstars and which need more support. Instead of being forced to observe an outstanding teacher four times, they can use the extra time to support or assist new teachers. They can tend to school safety and more of the many other administrative tasks it takes to run a school that have been falling by the wayside due to the abundance of mandated observations.
Administrators can always choose to evaluate more times than mandated, but the new contract specifies that half of the observations should occur in the fall window and half in the spring. This gives teachers time to process and implement the feedback they are given.
New York City requires all teachers to be highly qualified, meaning that they must obtain a master’s degree. Teachers are trained professionals who need to be trusted to make their own choices in the classroom and their own judgments about how it is best to deal with their students. If teachers have proven themselves time and time again, it is OK to let them know that they are trusted as the highly qualified professionals that they are.
If the observations are of high quality, there is no need to have such a large quantity. However, as there is no oversight in how observations are being conducted, there can be vast differences in the way they are performed between schools or even between administrators within a school. Some administrators, unfortunately, use the observations as a weapon or punishment; for example, teachers who did not attend the “optional” lunchtime training are often guaranteed to be observed the following day in certain schools. Even in feedback sessions, teachers often feel that their professional judgments and classroom understandings are not being heard or valued.
It is the lack of a voice and sense of value that is most difficult for teachers to grapple with.
Joint training on evaluations for administration and staff is the second important new piece that moves the system in the right direction. These evaluations are supposed to help educators develop their practice, but often they turn into a sort of forced exercise in what one person would like to see being done, as each administrator has a different interpretation of the rubric. Teachers often feel pressured to change what was planned in order to make sure the principals see what they want, which may not be best for their students’ needs.
With the new contract requirement of having administrators and staff receive training together on how evaluations should be performed, the same unified goal of evaluation will be expressed to all stakeholders at the same time. Hopefully, with this cohesive information, observations can become a more objective and beneficial exercise. Everyone would be on the same page and be hearing the same message across each school and across the city.
If teachers are able to have a seat at the table and a voice in the evaluation process, it would feel less like a subjective grade and more like a professional collaboration between colleagues. We know that students learn and grow better through collaborative work and self-evaluation, so why are we not using that philosophy with respect to our teaching practice? Training and working together toward the same vision of observation will lead to meaningful and quality feedback between administration and staff.
Even with these beneficial changes in the new contract, the evaluation process needs to continue to evolve.
If we continue to work towards making evaluation more meaningful by incorporating teachers as the knowledgeable and competent professionals they are, then we can increase the productivity and accountability of the learning that takes place.
Trisha Arnold is a teacher and the chapter leader at PS 204 in Brooklyn.
