Lauren Hermann

LTC 8750

Annotated Bibliography
Bergin, C., Wind, S., Grajeda, S., & Tsai, C. (2017). Teacher evaluation: Are principals'
classroom observations accurate at the conclusion of training? Studies in Educational
Evaluation, 19-25. Retrieved from http://dx.doi/org/210.1016/j.stueduc.2017.05.002

This study looks quantitatively at the accuracy of evaluations of classroom teachers using
observation of teaching practice within an authentic evaluation system. The studies main
purpose is to investigate how the accuracy of classroom teacher evaluations changed after
a summer training program for building principals which allowed them to watch videos
and collaborate with evaluation experts and their cohort. The study found that there are
significant differences between individual principles and their evaluations of both
teaching episodes (grade/content) and teaching practices, with a wide variation between
least and most accurate. Overwhelmingly, the study indicated that math ranked as one of
the highest in accuracy and language arts as the lowest. Attributes of principals may also
factor into accuracy levels which has significance for the field of art education as it is
unlikely that most evaluators/principals are educated fully in that content. Additionally, as
more districts are using evaluation of teachers as a means of data collection in qualifying
their effectiveness and showing growth, it is imperative that there are solutions for
bridging the disparity in accuracy of evaluations.

Colorado Department of Education. (2015, 1). Practical ideas for evaluating teachers of the arts.
Retrieved June 15, 2018, from
http://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/resourceguideteacherpp

This guide put out by the Colorado Department of Education is an example of a statewide
strategy to provide guidance for the evaluation of teachers in contents that may be
otherwise difficult to evaluate based on the current criteria. The guide was written in
collaboration between practicing educators, and stakeholders from within the Department
of Education, and the University system. The document states that the evaluation system
measures student learning and teacher professional practices as well as provides adequate
feedback and professional development support. Guidance is included on each state
standard and what specifically evaluators could look for in the classroom teacher
observation that would be representative of each standard. The relevance of this is one
model of how a state department is looking to assist principals in better understanding
what effective art teaching looks like and how that may look different than a traditional
classroom, yet it still meets the standards set forth.

Gates, K., Hansen, D., & Tuttle, L. (2015). Teacher evaluation in the arts disciplines: Three state
perspectives. Arts Education Policy Review, (116), 162-175.
 This study looks at three states, each receiving the Race to the Top Grant funds to
overhaul their teacher evaluation systems. Each state’s evaluation system was
investigated through the attention paid to non-tested content, specifically arts education.
The study provides a historical account of federal policy with regard to evaluation
systems and the role that each state locally has in implementing their own systems which
in turn pass on control locally to individual districts as long as they can effectively show
rigor in evaluating teacher effectiveness. The findings included the great disparity from
state to state in how arts educators are evaluated. In Colorado, teachers are evaluated
partially on their competence in incorporating math and literacy. Other findings suggested
that evaluation can be influenced by the value an administrator places on arts learning
and finally, that there must be arts advocates at every table discussing issues of evaluation
and assessment. States would lose out on the strengths of arts educators abilities to bring
innovative, fresh ideas and have the ability to provide design thinking strategies to begin
solving some of these evaluative issues.

Reform Support Network-U.S Department of Education. (2015, July). Using observations to

improve teacher practice. Retrieved from
https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/implementation-support-unit/tech-
assist/usingobservationstoImproveteacherpractice.pdf

This guidance provided by the US Department of Education looks at the goals of teacher
evaluations and clarifies the role of the states in this endeavor. The guidance suggests the
many ways that evaluations can be used such as looking at the quality of instruction, the
opportunity to receive meaningful feedback, address areas of teacher improvement, and
suggest how resources may be allocated. Of specific interest to those in the arts education
field, the report touches on the idea that not all evaluators have the ability to give content
specific feedback to the teachers they evaluate. The report also looks at the issues around
building principals assuming the role of evaluator as their time is limited and their
training does not support their growth in becoming a more effective evaluator. The
Department suggests that state education agencies play a role in providing support and
resources to the districts in their states with regards to teacher evaluations.

Rosen, R., & Parise, L. (2017). Using evaluation systems for teacher improvement. Retrieved
from MDRC website: https://www.mdrc.org/publication/using-evaluation-systems-
teacher-improvement

This report put out by MDRC and looks at what the new Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA) says and implies about using evaluations as a tool to promote teacher
improvement. The statistics within their report are important as we dive into the issues
facing arts educators and their evaluators. The findings suggest there is a large disparity
between principals who believe they are giving quality feedback and teachers who
believe they are getting quality feedback, resulting in the need to find ways to improve
communication around professional development and some systems are struggling to
even effectively measure the teacher growth component. In conclusion, the report finds
that while states and districts have robust systems in place, the implementation and
execution of these systems isn’t measuring or doing what ESSA needs them to do which
 solidifies the need to continue to research strategies for implementation and further
training for evaluators.

Shaw, R. (2016). Arts teacher evaluation: How did we get here? Arts Education Policy Review,
117(1), 1-12.

This short article looks at the history of teacher evaluation tracing back to the early
1900’s through current federal policy. The importance of this is to consider historically
why evaluation has been a part of how educators are assessed and to learn from our past.
This article then begins to consider how the voices of arts educators have been relatively
silent from national conversations and research agendas around teacher evaluation and
teacher effectiveness. Essentially, researchers who study teacher effectiveness are doing
so in narrow ways, looking at contents and teachers in tested subjects which in reality is a
small percentage of our teachers. The article calls into question the ability for current
evaluations which look at effectiveness as a number tied to showing growth, providing
professional development and also informing personnel decisions to effectively do what
they need to. In summary, the article provides strategies for art teachers to stay informed
and to advocate for their needs in the changing of the evaluative landscape.