In Teacher Evaluation That Makes a Difference, Robert J. Marzano and Michael D. Toth introduce a new model of teacher evaluation that takes into account multiple data-rich measures of teacher performance and student growth to ensure fair, meaningful, and reliable evaluations for all teachers.

Teacher evaluation systems are being overhauled by states and districts across the United States. And, while intentions are admirable, the result for many new systems is that goodoften excellentteachers are lost in the process. In the end, students are the losers. In her new book, Linda Darling-Hammond makes a compelling case for a research-based approach to teacher evaluation that supports collaborative models of teacher planning and learning. She outlines the most current research informing evaluation of teaching practice that incorporates evidence of what teachers do and what their students learn. In addition, she examines the harmful consequences of using any single student test as a basis for evaluating individual teachers. Finally, Darling-Hammond offers a vision of teacher evaluation as part of a teaching and learning system that supports continuous improvement, both for individual teachers and for the profession as a whole.

In this important book, education expert Kim Marshall shows how to break away from the typical and often ineffective evaluation approaches in which principals use infrequent classroom visits or rely on standardized test scores to assess a teacher's performance. Marshall proposes a broader framework for supervision and evaluation that enlists teachers in improving the performance of all students. Emphasizing trust-building and teamwork, Marshall's innovative, four-part framework shifts the focus from periodically evaluating teaching to continuously analyzing learning. This book offers school principals a guide for implementing Marshall's framework and shows how to make frequent, informal classroom visits followed by candid feedback to each teacher; work with teacher teams to plan thoughtful curriculum units rather than focusing on individual lessons; get teachers as teams involved in low-stakes analysis of interim assessment results to fine-tune their teaching and help struggling students; and use compact rubrics for summative teacher evaluation. This vital resource also includes extensive tools and advice for managing time as well as ideas for using supervision and evaluation practices to foster teacher professional development.

This is the first book to pull together what we have learned about the impacts and challenges of data-intensive teacher evaluation systemsa defining characteristic of the current education policy landscape. Expert researchers and practitioners speak to what we know (and what remains to be known) about evaluation measures themselves, the implementation of evaluation systems, and the use of evaluation data. The authors argue that rigorous teacher evaluation systems have the potential to promote school improvement but only if the systems are carefully designed and implemented and the data they generate are interpreted and used appropriately. This timely and important volume will be relevant and useful to school and district administrators, policymakers, researchers, and teacher education institutions grappling with issues of teacher accountability and school leadership.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A groundbreaking history of 175 years of American education that brings the lessons of the past to bear on the dilemmas we face today—and brilliantly illuminates the path forward for public schools. “[A] lively account." —New York Times Book Review In The Teacher Wars, a rich, lively, and unprecedented history of public school teaching, Dana Goldstein reveals that teachers have been embattled for nearly two centuries. She uncovers the surprising roots of hot button issues, from teacher tenure to charter schools, and finds that recent popular ideas to improve schools—instituting merit pay, evaluating teachers by student test scores, ranking and firing veteran teachers, and recruiting “elite” graduates to teach—are all approaches that have been tried in the past without producing widespread change.

The framework for teaching document is an evolving instrument, but the core concepts and architecture (domains, components, and elements) have remained the same.Major concepts of the Common Core State Standards are included. For example, deep conceptual understanding, the importance of student intellectual engagement, and the precise use of language have always been at the foundation of the Framework for Teaching, but are more clearly articulated in this edition.The language has been tightened to increase ease of use and accuracy in assessment.Many of the enhancements to the Framework are located in the possible examples, rather than in the rubric language or critical attributes for each level of performance.

"Evaluations can be seen as someone else's judgment. Or they can be seen as a way for us to show what we can do and how amazing our students are." -Jennifer Ansbach This year's evaluation can be different Evaluation can be scary, unproductive, and even unfair. But this year it doesn't have to be. Not if you let Jennifer Ansbach help you take charge of the story of your practice, make the most of the process, and keep the focus on student learning. Documenting your practice and professional learning to improve your evaluation Take Charge of Your Teacher Evaluation, isn't about gaming your evaluation. Instead, Jen shows how to build a Professional Development Journal piece-by-piece-one that aligns to your evaluation system, boosts your professional growth, deepens student learning, and actually makes your evaluation a productive two-way conversation. You'll be prepared at any time to clearly present unmistakable evidence of your work and your students' growth. Best of all, Jen brings it back to the kids, always suggesting ways to connect professional learning to the young people in front of you. A blueprint for growth and success With examples from Jen's own journal and helpful downloadable forms, you'll create a living document that helps you: reflect on areas for professional growth map growth paths directly onto your evaluation rubric plan lessons that help you and your students grow document student work collaborate effectively with observers in a pre- or post-observation meeting. A more meaningful evaluation "Just as we encourage students to use assessments to showcase their learning," writes Jen Ansbach, "our evaluations can be a way to reflect on our practice and showcase our growth." This year, be ready for any observation, even unannounced ones, and bring meaning and value to your evaluation with Take Charge of Your Teacher Evaluation.