Principals across the state have expressed interest in learning how to make evaluations more meaningful for principals and teachers. The South Dakota Department of Education has compiled some tips and resources to assist educators in this effort:
- Use the evaluation process to coach teachers for growth
- SLOs (student learning objectives) seem to be more meaningful when:
- They last the entire year (or at least a semester)
- They include all students in a class (usually with a differentiated goal)
- Teachers collaborate when determining areas of focus
- Teachers and principals regularly talk about the SLOs
- Frontline has helped streamline the evaluation process for school districts. Districts now can customize evaluation plans and forms to tailor the process to their specific needs.
This Google folder contains resources related to the items listed above. Access a PowerPoint presentation and the folder labeled “State Resources.”
Focus for Teachers training and resources
All South Dakota public school districts have access to in-depth, high-quality training on the state's teaching standards (Danielson Framework) and how the standards are used for evaluation purposes. Teachers can access approximately 20 hours of training through Focus for Teachers. Administrators could also assign a single, component-specific course to a teacher. With a state-paid license, South Dakota teachers receive comprehensive training on the South Dakota Framework for Teaching.
- Continuing education contact hours are available for teachers who complete courses (needs district approval)
- Questions? Contact Matt Gill for information on how to access the Danielson training videos for teachers.
Focus for Observers training and resources
Through a state-paid Focus for Observers license, all evaluators can complete training and certification that prepares administrators to conduct accurate, fair and meaningful evaluations of teaching performance. Focus for Observers includes a rigorous observer proficiency assessment.
- Completion of the training certifies administrators to observe and evaluate using the Danielson model
- Administrators can also “calibrate” any time. Calibration is an online solution for maintaining scoring accuracy when applying the Framework for Teaching (Danielson) Evaluation instrument to teaching practice.
- Questions? Contact Matt Gill for a Focus for Observers account.
