Locally, teacher evaluations are used mostly to map out plans for improvement. In districts in other parts of the county, they easily can translate into a teacher losing his or her job.
And in areas where test scores are the primary gauge, teachers are under pressure to produce similar results even in groups of students with widely varying levels of ability.
“Most places nowadays are evaluated on the state test scores, and that, in large part, is dependent on what kids you get and where you teach,” said Robert Hinton, who teaches English at New Hope High School.
Hinton, who teaches 114 students in advanced placement literature, creative writing, English IV and public speaking, plans to retire next year, which will be his 30th year in education.
Teachers still in the game thereafter could face stricter scrutiny from professional evaluations.
Lowndes County School District”s evaluation process focuses on how to help teachers hone their skills.
“That is to help the teacher in areas that they have weaknesses, so they can turn those weaknesses into strengths,” said Sammy Sullivan, assistant principal at New Hope High.
Teachers lacking in certain areas are placed on a teacher improvement plan, which they help map out.
“We allow the teachers to help us correct or come up with possible solutions,” Sullivan said of teacher improvement plans, which can range from 30 to 60 days. The improvement plans have specific goals and deadlines for implementing them.
President Obama has hailed teachers as the single most important aspect in whether or not students are successful, more so than the color of their skin or household income. Sullivan agrees.
“The teacher, without a doubt, in my opinion, can enrich a student and motivate students to overcome their own past,” said Sullivan. “I”m living proof of that. I”m a high-school dropout.” Currently, Sullivan is working on his doctorate at Mississippi State University.
“A lot of kids today are not really motivated by their families or anything,” said Hinton, adding, in those situations, teachers are the ones who “develop relationships with students, so they want to come to school.”
While the evaluations are designed to help teachers, it can be an instrument to help weed out teachers who have remained complacent or who are not effective.
It”s about a two-year process to get rid of a teacher who is ineffective, school principal Matt Smith said. They spend a year working on a plan of improvement. The following year likely will determine their fate.
New Hope has 62 teachers and 759 students. Smith, Sullivan and another administrator are responsible for evaluating teachers. Each teacher receives a formal evaluation at least three times a year. Additionally, they conduct informal classroom “drop-ins.”
Some school districts use outside consultants to evaluate their teachers. The idea has merit, but there are pros and cons to consider.
“I could do that without any remorse,” Sullivan said of evaluating teachers he does not work with every day.
“Without (having to consider) feelings, I could give you more strong, powerful feedback,” Sullivan added.
“In general, they would definitely be more objective … but they would have less perspective,” Hinton said.
Most teachers, Smith said, already know where they stand.
“Seldom do you have a teacher where they do not understand why their evaluation was what it was,” he said.
Truly knowing the effectiveness of teachers is in the long-term, almost immeasurable results, Hinton believes — students graduating, being successful in college and later life, developing an appreciation for the value of education and becoming a lifelong learner.
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