The Montgomery County Education Association is approaching teacher assessment in a way that has been used very rarely. They have rethought the process of evaluating teachers and have proven that it works. They have been nationally recognized for their efforts in rethinking the evaluation process and have continued to see success through their program. The program consists of both a teacher evaluation and also a development program to help teachers improve upon their classroom techniques.
The Evaluation Process
The evaluation process conducted within the Montgomery County Public Schools is time consuming. Principals have to be dedicated to observing and evaluating their teachers throughout the year. Principals, under the Montgomery County Professional Growth System, go into classrooms for an extended period of time, multiple times in the year. As they observe teachers principals rate their performance based on these six standards:
- teachers are committed to students and their learning
- teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
- teachers are responsible for establishing and managing student learning in a positive learning environment
- teachers continually assess student progress, analyze the results, and adapt instruction to improve student achievement
- teachers are committed to continuous improvement and professional development
- teachers exhibit a high degree of professionalism
The Development Process
The Montgomery County Education Association has created a teacher development program to benefit both teachers and the students in their classrooms. The main component of their Professional Growth System is the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program. The PAR program stems off of the 24 teachers who are chosen from the much larger group of master teachers within the Montgomery Public School system. These teachers are known as Consulting Teachers or CTs and are mentors to both novice and experienced teachers. PAR is mandatory for first year teachers without any prior teacher experiences to help them navigate their first year of teaching. It can be used as a great mentoring program that can encourage first year teachers throughout the year and support them while giving practical advice. PAR is also mandatory for experienced teachers who are received an evaluation from their principal that is below standard. Instead of just being fired right away, these teachers get a chance to learn from the CTs and change their methods to become more effective. For both groups of teachers, CTs do not fill out any formal evaluations but they do complete informal evaluations throughout the year to track progress. Since their time is committed to helping these teachers improve they are able to do both formal and informal observations, give them feedback, and coach them throughout the year. They also provide assistance with lesson planning and classroom management. They are heavily involved in the classroom of both the novice and experienced teachers to create the most beneficial program they can.