Reimagining Teacher Evaluation:
Opportunities and Challenges
Tuesday May 10, 2011
Omni Parker House Hotel
presented by:
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and Teach Plus
Session Overview
In August 2010, Massachusetts convened a Teacher & Principal Evaluation Task Force of diverse statewide education stakeholders, supported through Race to the Top grant funding and charged by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to recommend revisions to the regulations that guide educator evaluations in Massachusetts’ public schools. In March 2011, the Task Force presented their recommendations for a new evaluation framework and in April, Commissioner Mitchell Chester will provide his own set of recommendations. Beginning this spring, BESE and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will initiate changes to current regulations.
Critical issues are still being debated: how much of teachers’ evaluations will be based on their students’ outcomes? What do we mean by student outcomes (growth in MCAS scores, grades, attendance rates, locally developed assessments, etc.) and what’s the right balance of these indicators in evaluating teachers’ performance? Given the current human and financial resource capacity in schools and districts, how will this new framework be implemented well?
As the Board considers new state regulations for evaluating educators, the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and Teach Plus are hosting a forum to hear perspectives from state policymakers, district and school leaders and teachers on the opportunities and challenges inherent in developing and implementing a new statewide evaluation system. Audience members will join the conversation via live polling and Q&A.
Event Agenda
Coffee and Registration
Welcome
Opening Presentation:
Commissioner Mitchell Chester, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Panel and Q&A:
- Karla Baehr, Deputy Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Pamela Hunter, Principal, Southwick-Tolland Regional High
- Linda Noonan, Executive Director, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE)
- Paul Toner, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association
- Shakera Walker, Teacher, Boston Public Schools
- Thomas Scott, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS)
Moderator: Celine Coggins, Founder & CEO, Teach Plus
We thank the Noyce Foundation for their generous support.
