Details
Teacher Effectiveness – Teacher Evaluation System
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) currently is developing a statewide teacher evaluation system. Because it views stakeholder engagement as a critical component in the design of the teacher evaluation system, the MDE, in collaboration with Mississippi's Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs), is soliciting feedback from teachers and principals via focus group sessions across the state. The purpose of the focus group sessions is to provide teachers and principals the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the evaluation system's standards and indicators. Morning sessions were open to teachers, while afternoon sessions were dedicated to principals.
Current project work: Mississippi Educator Evaluation Systems
This project is in the following state: Mississippi.
Previous Work Updates
2012
September
SECC staff and a team of three MDE management staff members attended the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality’s September 5-7 conference, Systems that Last: Great Teachers and Leaders for America’s Schools. SECC sponsored the participation of two of the MDE team members. Resource information regarding a TQ Center webinar, "Teacher Preparation Program Evaluation for Accountability and Improvement," was provided to staff in the MDE’s Office of Quality Professionals and Special Schools.
August
Resources on principal mentoring and the CCSSO State Consortium on Educator Effectiveness webinar series on Non-tested Grades and Subjects and Student Learning Objectives were provided to the Mississippi Department of Education. Information on the SEDL briefing paper, Teacher Preparation Programs: Research and Promising Practices; the TQ Center's webinar, Measuring the Growth of Students Participating in the Alternate Assessment; and the Florida Growth Model also were provided. SECC staff continued to follow up with MDE team members regarding participation at the national comprehensive center's September 5–7 conference, Systems that Last: Great Teachers and Leaders for America's Schools.
July
SECC staff followed up with the Mississippi Department of Education regarding participation of the MDE team at the National Comprehensive Center’s September 5–7, 2012, conference, Systems that Last: Great Teachers and Leaders for America’s Schools. New online resources for building better principal evaluation systems also were shared were MDE staff members.
June
SECC staff attended MDE’s June 18, 2012, informational session, “An Overview of the Principal Evaluation System for Potential Pilot Districts.” Subsequent to the session, SECC staff provided to the Office of Federal Programs a list of topics for potential focus group sessions.
May
One secondary teacher and principal focus group session on the new state teacher evaluation system was conducted on May 7, 2012, in Cleveland, MS, for a total of 18 educators. The morning session’s focus was secondary teachers, while secondary principals were the focus of the afternoon session. SECC provided technical assistance to the MDE in the compilation of information discussed during these focus group sessions. A draft summative report and evaluation summative data for all four secondary focus group sessions, as well as an interim report for the May 7 session, were submitted to the MDE by SECC staff.
April
There were three secondary teacher and principal focus group sessions on the new state teacher evaluation system conducted in April. For these secondary sessions, combined morning sessions for both teacher and principal participants were conducted by the Mississippi Department of Education. Thirteen educators participated in the first secondary focus group session, conducted April 17 in Jackson, MS. Meeting dates and locations for the other April sessions were as follows: April 23 in Oxford, MS, and April 30 in Hattiesburg.
March
Three elementary teacher and principal focus group sessions on the new state teacher evaluation system were conducted in March. In Cleveland, MS, on March 6, 38 educators provided feedback on the teacher evaluation system. On March 20, 29 educators met in Gulfport, MS, to provide their feedback to the new system. The final elementary focus group session was conducted in Hattiesburg, MS, on March 26, with a total of 22 educators present. SECC staff provided technical assistance to the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) in the compilation of information discussed during these focus group meetings. SECC staff submitted interim reports for the February 27 session and all three March focus group sessions to the MDE.
February
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) conducted two elementary teacher and principal focus group sessions in February on the new state teacher evaluation system. The first February session was held February 15 in Meridian, MS, with a total of 32 educators. On February 27, 41 educators participated in focus group sessions in Oxford, MS. SECC staff provided technical assistance to the MDE in the compilation of information discussed during the focus group meetings on the new state teacher evaluation system. SECC staff also submitted interim reports for the first January 31 and February 15 focus group sessions to the MDE.
January
SECC staff participated in conference calls to finalize the technical assistance to be provided during the upcoming elementary teacher and principal focus group sessions. The initial focus group session on the new state teacher evaluation system was conducted January 31, 2012, in Jackson, MS. A total of 38 educators participated in the morning (teachers) and afternoon (principals) sessions. SECC provided technical assistance to the MDE in the compilation of information discussed during the focus group meetings on the new state teacher evaluation system.
