Dealing with Teacher Evaluations

All professionals expect to be held accountable for the quality of their work, and teachers are no exception. The implementation of the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) as Georgia’s evaluation system for classroom teachers has generated much hype and uncertainty around teacher evaluations, which can be nerve-wracking if not downright scary. In response to these concerns, the Georgia Department of Education is now piloting the Georgia Leadership and Educator Acceleration and Development System (GaLEADS) in seventeen school districts. The pilot features a comprehensive system that includes targeted feedback, shared ownership for professional growth, and clear pathways for career advancement. GaLEADS is being developed to eventually replace TKES and create a more supportive, development-oriented model rather than a compliance-focused one. Is your future in the hands of students’ decisions and abilities (or inabilities)? Will a single test score determine your pay? Below, PAGE Future Georgia Educators (FGE) Coordinator Mary Ruth Ray explores the topic, sharing great information to know…

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It’s rarely as bad as the hype. Humans can be excitable creatures. Rumors abound, truths get distorted and well, you know the rest. Do your best to tune out the gossip and distill the truths from the abundance of information floating around. TKES includes a mandatory orientation and familiarity component to introduce you to the process. Allow your supervisor and principal to set your mind at ease. They want you to succeed as much as you do. No administrator wants a “failing” teacher. They will eagerly spell out what they will be looking for and how to demonstrate it.

New teachers, in coordination with their administration, establish a Professional Learning Plan as part of the evaluation process. The plan may include your individual professional goals, school improvement goals, district improvement goals, or any other school/district-identified need.

View the evaluation as an opportunity for professional feedback, not a pass/fail exam. If you have a weak point (and who among us doesn’t?), you want that pointed out so that you can take steps to shore up that particular skill. After all, our students are the ultimate beneficiaries of our competencies. If your evaluator identifies an area for improvement, don’t panic. Discuss it and ask for advice on how to develop that skill. Ask your supervisor to recommend teachers who have expertise in that area with whom you can observe and confer.

Be sure you get credit for everything you do. TKES allows for teachers to provide evidence of a skill not observed. If an evaluator identifies a “needs improvement” area because they did not see you meet a particular standard, you can provide artifacts after the observation that show that you met it.

Keep calm and carry on. While we certainly must be cognizant of what is required of us and meet those requirements, those who have been in education for decades realize that seasons come and seasons go. Changes come and can be both challenging and rewarding. Seek the advice of quality mentors, do what is required, and enjoy the magic of teaching!