Incorporating Student Voice in Teacher Evaluation

• In Event: Teachers Leading for Change: Reclaiming the Discourse and Practice of Teacher Leadership in a Neoliberal Context

Abstract

The current debate over teacher evaluation centers primarily on how to determine teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom. New teacher evaluation methods may include classroom observations, but usually emphasize measuring student progress through test scores. Because of this, teacher evaluations focus more on results than on process, and there is little emphasis on helping teachers improve pedagogy and instruction in order to better support students (Darling-Hammond, 2013). These top-down changes often exclude the voices of teachers and students. Administrators are rushed to complete a set number of observations each year, and the evaluation process becomes a formality. Instead of receiving feedback or helpful suggestions about improving instruction, teachers are reminded to complete paperwork or to incorporate more test-taking strategies.

In the study described in this paper I examine teacher and student participation in the process of teacher evaluation. I see this as an authentic way to learn about how my teaching and instruction aligns with my students’ learning. By giving my students a voice in evaluating how they are taught, I hope to empower my students to think about the learning process and how they learn. By opening myself up to my own and my students’ critiques, I receive evaluation that is immediate, context specific and related to my own questions and needs as a teacher.

In order to explore how to use student and teacher feedback to improve instruction, I collected data through videotaped lessons and personal written reflections, student journal entries on what constitutes a good teacher, and student use of a rubric based on the evaluation tool currently used in the Philadelphia School District for administrators observing teachers. This tool is loosely based on Charlotte Danielson “Framework for Teaching” (Boyle, 2010). This approach includes four domains of good teaching: planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction and professionalism (Danielson, 2007). To make this tool more student-friendly, I incorporated and summarized the standard’s description and the description for a level 4 score. In groups, students focused on 5-6 standards, answering the question “What does this look like to me?” for each. Their responses were compiled, and students then ranked the ten most important standards to them. In addition, a college student research assistant conducted four focus groups with students that explored student views on what constitutes good teaching.

Findings from this study suggest that student and teacher reflection and evaluation can provide teachers with immediately useful insights into their work. Findings also suggest that while students can articulate what aspects of teaching work for them, they are less able to offer constructive criticism or offer suggestions for improvement. Finally, the study raises questions, including the need for examining the role of context in student and teacher evaluation of teacher practice. The engagement of students and teachers in the process of authentic teacher evaluation, as studied here, provides us with a model of teacher evaluation that draws on teachers’ positions as reflective professionals who aim to involve their students in critical thinking about their own learning.

Author

• Alison McCartney, School District of Philadelphia