UNDERSTANDING EVALUATION SYSTEMS

We are prepared to help your district transition into a new or improved evaluation system in alignment with the Kansas Educator Evaluation Protocol (KEEP). Currently, we have consultants prepared to train and assist districts with the McREL Evaluation System, KEEP, McREL’s Power WalkThrough and McREL’s Classroom Instruction That Works.

KEEP – Kansas Educator Evaluation Protocol

The Kansas State Department of Education (KDSE), in partnership with the Kansas education community, is committed to setting high expectations for all students’ academic performance. The Kansas Educator Evaluation Protocol (KEEP) was designed to espouse support and acknowledgement of critical components of professional practice that ensures valid outcomes. The KSDE recognizes that along with the education community, it is our collective responsibility to support an evaluation system that provides formative feedback to those being evaluated so that performance can improve over time and the evaluation system can contribute to student achievement.

KEEP is an exemplar evaluation system that is both flexible enough to support existing evaluation processes in schools and districts and also sufficiently robust to support the improvement of practice. Districts will be encouraged to use KEEP but will be allowed to submit their own evaluation systems for approval. These systems must meet the Kansas Educator Evaluation Guidelines established by the Kansas State Department of Education as a condition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Waiver Request.

Contact DeAnne Heersche for more information.

McREL EVALUATION SYSTEMS FOR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS

McREL's Teacher Evaluation Systems standardizes the evaluation process, provides opportunities for coaching and knowledge building, and helps talented teachers and education leaders realize their potential. By helping to identify areas of needed professional development and by improving the communication between teachers and evaluators, the evaluation process becomes a positive force for change.

Two Teacher Evaluation Systems are available from McREL. Both meet the Kansas Educator Evaluation Guidelines established by the Kansas State Department of Education. Service Center consultants can help you decide which one is right for your district.

• Standards-Based Teacher Evaluation - Aligned with national standards for teaching
• CUES Research-Based Teacher Evaluation - Aligned with McREL’s Classroom Instruction That Works and Power Walkthroughs

McREL's Principal Evaluation System provides both an easy-to-use tool for evaluating school administrators and professional development that explains why and how to measure behaviors that research suggests are linked to higher levels of student performance.

McREL has also created a corresponding software application in response to district requests for a valid and reliable online version of the process. Professional development for IT, teachers, central office staff, and school administrators are required to use the online tool.

Contact DeAnne Heersche for more information.

POWER WALKTHROUGH

The McREL Power Walkthrough® professional development and software help turn your brief classroom walkthroughs into meaningful opportunities for coaching teachers to higher levels of performance and guiding staff development efforts.

Power Walkthrough software, based on McREL’s Classroom Instruction That Works, 2nd edition (CITW), can be loaded on your iPad®/iPhone®/iTouch®, Android™, or Tablet PC. McREL offers four training options for school leaders who purchase the software, designed to help school leaders gain a practical understanding of the CITW strategies, how they improve student learning, and how to identify their use in the classroom.

Contact Lori Jensen for more information.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION THAT WORKS

Transitioning to the Common Core is more than just understanding the changes in content. It's also about the challenge to teachers for more rigorous instruction. Classroom Instruction That Works is the 2nd edition of the original McREL 9 Effective Instructional Strategies. Districts are implementing the CITW strategies and facilitating trainings in conjunction with the use of McREL’s Evaluation Systems and Power Walkthrough.

Contact Lori Jensen for more information.