Hello Teacher Friends!
Teacher evaluations. I think I have finally figured out why these can cause so much stress and anxiety. It's not that teachers don't think they're doing a good job for their students or aren't effective in their craft. Contrary, it's the fact that good teachers DO SO much on a daily basis that it's nearly impossible to capture and show that all in a 30-60 minute snapshot of an evaluation. Hence, the source of the stress!
Even the pre and post conference can be consumed with specific questions/explanations regarding the observed lesson. As a result, an evaluator may be left with a very narrow view of what actually makes your classroom run effectively on a day to day basis.
As soon as I was introduced to the OTES 2 teacher evaluation rubric, I knew that I would have to create something to help ease my own anxiousness about being able to show evidence for all areas of the rubric. I decided to break the rubric down into the 6 main sections: Focus for Learning, Knowledge of Students, Lesson Delivery, Classroom Environment, Assessment of Students Learning, and Professional Responsibilities. In doing so, I was able to really pin point the areas that I would need to provide evidence in a written/recorded format; since it was very unlikely or practical to see this through a classroom observation.
I designed each section to include a brainstormed list of ideas and activities that would adequately demonstrate that each standard in every domain was being addressed. An included checklist further makes sure all standards are being met. Finally, I gathered the needed resources, charts, materials, and activities that would serve as my evidence.
I am a very organized person so I knew I needed to have a tool that would help me gather and sort all of my data in one convenient place. I decided to develop a notebook/binder that would help with this. I created colorful binder pages for each domain and put them in page protectors in a 3 ring notebook. I then copied the checklists to make sure I had everything needed for each section. Finally, I just began collecting the information I needed, whether it was administering a Google Form activity for the students, sending home a parent involvement activity, or making sure I was correctly documenting any involvement in school wide professional growth opportunities.
I found this to be an extremely helpful tool during my evaluations! As my principal would ask me about various things on the rubric, I was quickly able to find any evidence that I had in my binder to provide support as I answered. This gave me confidence and made me feel very prepared. (At one point he even joked that he was going to mark me down for having TOO much evidence!)
I made a FREEBIE sample for my evidence binder for other teachers who might find this helpful. I provided all of the resources, brainstorm pages, checklists, and binder sheets for the very first section of the OTES evaluation: Focus for Learning. It includes over 16 pages of ready to print materials! Please check it out if you think it might benefit you or one of your colleagues! (I have had a lot of new teachers that I've been able to help with this!)
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