Goals of the course:

This course will introduce students to the skills required by a principal/supervisor to engage in effective supervision and evaluation of staff. Students will explore the complexities of engaging in effective supervision and evaluation of staff in order to gain insight into and clarification about their own personal beliefs about supervision and evaluation.Students will be expected to be reflective and to gain significant insights into their own value system and how that affects their leadership style when engaging with staff in supervision and evaluation. Writing in a reflective journal after each class will help to develop that insight.

Objectives:

• Students will understand and be able to demonstrate the difference between supervision and evaluation.
• Students will understand and be able to demonstrate the connection between having a knowledge base about good instruction and conducting effective supervision and evaluation.
• Students will understand and be able to demonstrate the connection between the Principles of Effective Teaching and performing effective supervision and evaluation.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to create a common language around the Principles of Effective Teaching with staff in order to engage in effective supervision and evaluation.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to write effective observations and formative and summative evaluations using the claims, evidence, interpretation and judgment format.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the difference between an incompetent, marginal and good/excellent teacher will demonstrate an ability to differentiate their supervision and evaluation among these teachers.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of some of the legal issues that must be considered when engaging in supervision and evaluation.
• Students will use their own practical experience in a school setting to test out the theories and assumptions underlying effective supervision and evaluation.

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Texts for this course are:

Supervision: A Redefination, Sergiovanni, T. and Starratt, R., McGraw Hill, 7^th edition, 2002

Teacher evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice, Danielson C., and McGreal, T., Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000

The Skillful Leader: Confronting Mediocre Teaching, Platt, A., Tripp, C., Ogden,W. and Fraser, R., Ready About Press, 2000 

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Course outline:

1/21/04 Introduction to the instructor, each other and the expectation for the course. What are the obstacles and support for effective supervision/evaluation? Students will begin to develop a working definition of supervision and evaluation and what that might look like in a school.

1/27/04 Good teaching.What does it look like?

Students will report on teacher conversations (Assignment 1: items A through D)

Students will work in groups:

• To identify traits of good teaching
• Identify changes to good teaching brought about by the standards movement

Wallace, J., Collegiality and Teacher's Work in the Context of Peer Observation, The Elementary School Journal, Vol. 9, Number 1, 1998

2/3/04 Principles of Effective Teaching

Students will report on teacher conversation (Assignment 1: item G)

Students will develop an understanding of the importance of the Principles to effective supervision/evaluation

• Evaluation criteria should reflect the values of the school system

• Students will add a behavioral dimension to the Principals

• Students will discuss how to develop a common language with staff about the teaching behaviors required by the Principles of Effective Teaching

• Students will discuss how the Principles will be used with teachers to facilitate effective supervision and evaluation

Ribas, W., Ascending the ELPS to Excellence in Your District’s Teacher Evaluation, Phi Delta Kappan, April 2000

2/10/04 How to write effective observations and summary evaluations

Introduce the claims/evidence/interpretation/judgment method

View videos and practice writing

Gullatt, D., and Ballard, L., Choosing the Right Process for Teacher Evaluation, American Secondary Education, 1998

2/24/04 Students will use class to prepare for group assignment

3/2/04 Students will understand the role of the conference in effective supervision and evaluation

• What is a good conference?

• How does the conference strengthen the supervision and evaluation process

• What should teachers bring to the conference?

• Why are difficult conferences so difficult?

• Role play a difficult conference

Ebmeier, H., How Supervision Influences Teacher Efficacy and Commitment: An Investigation of a Path Model, Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Winter, 2003

3/9/03 A principal(s) will talk to the class about supervision and evaluation

• Come to class prepared to asked thoughtful questions about supervision to the principal(s) presenting

3/16/04 and 3/23/04 Students will study write-ups, watch videos, write observations of what they saw in video and then discuss and critique each other's written work.

Paige, M., Race, Culture and the Supervisory Relationship: A Review of the Literature and a Call to Action, Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Winter 2003, Vol. 18, No. 2, 161-174

3/30/04 and 4/6/04 Students will explore the differences between incompetent, marginal and good teachers and understand the different supervision/evaluation practices that must be used with each of these groups.

• On 3/31 students will report on teacher conversation (Assignment 1: item F)

4/13/04 Discussion of case studies from text. The Skillful Leader

The Skillful Leader: Confronting Mediocre Teaching: Chapters 1-3, Chapters 4-6, Chapters 7-10

Ebmeier, H. and Siens, C., Developmental Supervision and Reflective Thinking of Teachers, Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Summer. 1999, Vol. 11, No. 4, 299-319

4/20/04 Discussion of legal issues related to supervision and evaluation

• Students will bring in contracts from their school districts

• Students will examine how contracts might be a barrier to effective supervision and evaluation

Sullivan, K. and Zirkel P., Documentation in Teacher Evaluation: What Does the Professional Literature Say, NASSP Bulletin, May, 1999

4/27/04 Wrap up and begin group presentations

5/5/04 Finish group presentations

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Assignments:

Assignment 1. You will need to have conversations with at least two classroom teachers about supervision and evaluation. Your conversation must cover at least the following topics:

A. Their greatest satisfactions in teaching

B. Their greatest frustrations in teaching

C. How has the standards based movement affected their teaching?

D. How has the standards movement affected how they are supervised and evaluated?

E. Are the teachers familiar with The Principles of Effective Teaching negotiated by their district? How has this document affected their teaching?

F. How would the teachers deal with a poor teacher if they were the supervisor?

G. What do teachers believe they are accountable for and how do they verify that they have done their job?

H. What do the teachers like about their supervision and evaluation process? Has the process helped them grow as teachers? If so, how? If not, why not?

I. How would the teachers change the supervision and evaluation process to ensure that it supported teacher growth?

You will need to keep careful notes about these conversations in your journal and be prepared to report out about these conversations on the dates identified on the syllabus.

Assignment 2.Write a 2-3 page paper about how teachers perceive supervision and evaluation using the teacher conversations from items G-H in assignment 1.

• The paper will be graded using the following rubric:

If the paper is well written, and demonstrates that the author has done a thoughtful analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the conversations the paper will receive an A.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates that the author has done an analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the conversations the paper will receive an A-.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates a thoughtful analysis /synthesis of the conversations the paper will receive a B+.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates a thoughtful analysis of the conversations, the paper will receive a B.

If the paper is not as well written but demonstrates a thoughtful analysis of the conversations, the paper will receive a B-.

If the paper is not well written and does not demonstrate a thoughtful analysis of the conversations the paper will receive a C or less.

Assignment 3. Interview a principal and either the union president or union building rep about supervision and evaluation. Make sure you cover the following topics:

• What is the purpose of supervision and evaluation?

• What role does the Principles of Effective Teaching play in the supervision/evaluation process?

• How should a poor teacher be supervised?

• Can an incompetent teacher be fired? Why or Why not?

Keep careful notes on these interviews that must be included in your journal. After reviewing these notes write a 2-3 page paper how the principal and union person perceive supervision and evaluation.

• The paper will be graded using the following rubric:

If the paper is well written, and demonstrates that the author has done a thoughtful analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the conversations the paper will receive an A.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates that the author has done an analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the conversations the paper will receive an A-.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates a thoughtful analysis /synthesis of the conversations the paper will receive a B+.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates a thoughtful analysis of the conversations, the paper will receive a B.

If the paper is not as well written but demonstrates a thoughtful analysis of the conversations, the paper will receive a B-.

If the paper is not well written and does not demonstrate a thoughtful analysis of the conversations the paper will receive a C or less.

Assignment 4. Observe one of the teachers you have been interviewing. Make certain the teacher knows that this observation is for the purpose of your own growth as a supervisor, is not evaluative in any sense and will not be shared with anyone but the instructor. Write a 2 page observation of what you observed in the class.

• The paper will be graded using the following rubric:

If the paper is well written, demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the CEIJ process, and provides information that will be helpful to the teacher in improving instruction the paper will receive an A.

If the paper is well written, demonstrates an understanding of the CEIJ process, and provides information that will be helpful to the teacher in improving instruction, the paper will receive an A-.

If the paper is well written, demonstrates an understanding of most of (3 out of 4) the CEIJ process, and provides information that will be helpful to the teacher in improving instruction the paper will receive a B+.

If the paper is well written, demonstrates an understanding of most of (3out of 4) the CEIJ process, and provides some information that will be helpful to the teacher in improving instruction the paper will receive a B.

If the paper is well written, demonstrates an understanding of some of (2out of 4) the CEIJ process, and provides some information that will be helpful to the teacher in improving instruction the paper will receive a B-.

If the paper is not well written, does not demonstrate an understanding of the CEIJ process and provides little if any information that will be helpful to the teacher in improving instruction the paper will receive a C or less.

Assignment 5. The final assignment is a group project.

Masters and CAES studentswill write an 8-10 paper that describes the supervision and evaluation process you would recommend for adoption by the superintendent and school committee of your school district.

• What would this process look like?

• What is the rationale for the recommended process?

• Two of our texts for this course (Starratt and Sergiovani and Danielson and McGreal) will not be discussed during class. Your paper MUST demonstrate an understanding of both texts, the other readings in the course, your conversations with the principals, teachers and union reps, your discussions and your work in class.

Doctoral students will write an 8-10 paper that describes the supervision and evaluation process you would recommend for adoption by the superintendent and school committee of your school district.

• What would this process look like?

• What is the rationale for the recommended process?

• Two of the texts for this course (Starratt and Sergiovani and Danielson and McGreal) will not be discussed during class. Your paper MUST demonstrate an understanding of both texts, your conversations with the principals, teachers and union reps, your discussions in class and your work in class. In addition you must do a literature search on the subject and the paper must include at least 12 citations from research journals in the field.

• The paper will be graded using the following rubric:

If the paper is well written and demonstrates your ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate what you have read and learned from the course (as defined in the above paragraph) and to apply that in your description and rationale of an effective supervision and evaluation process that can be implemented at the school level you will receive a grade of A- to A.

If the paper is well written and demonstrates your ability to analyze and synthesize to some level what you have read and learned from the course (as defined in the above paragraph) and to apply that in your description and rationale of an effective supervision and evaluation process that can be implemented at the school level you will receive a grade of B- to B+.

If the paper does neither of the above you will receive a grade of less than B-.

Reflective Journal

Each student will keep a reflective journal that will be passed in at the end of the course. After each class, you should write a one-page entry reflecting on what you learned and how that affected your thinking about yourself and effective supervision/evaluation. You will also enter thoughts after your interviews with teachers. Principal and union rep into your journal. There will be no grade for the journal. Rather, the journal will provide the instructor with insight into the student's thinking about the supervision/evaluation. Your final journal entry should reflect on how well your group worked when doing your final paper. What role did you play? Did everyone contribute? What did you learn?

Course grading:

Class participation - 10%

Three papers- 60%

Final paper - 30%

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