Mount Vernon Schools

1.  Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching

The Framework for Teaching, created by Charlotte Danielson, is a comprehensive and coherent framework that identifies those aspects of a teacher’s responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical research as promoting improved student learning. The Framework for Teaching is a validated” instrument; that is, studies have shown that teachers who receive higher ratings on their evaluation produce greater gains in student test scores.

The Framework for Teaching is one of the instructional frameworks approved by OSPI for use in Washington State’s pilot programs in teacher evaluation. But there is a long history of its use in the state; it already serves (either in its original form or with slight modifications) as the foundation of mentoring, professional development, and evaluation systems in numerous school districts, including some of the largest. The components of the framework are aligned with Washington State’s teacher evaluation criteria, making it well suited to the current initiative. Furthermore, the framework for teaching is one of the observation protocols used in the Gates Foundation-funded study of teaching, called Measures of Effective Teaching, or MET.

The Danielson Group, founded by Charlotte Danielson, is the only cadre of consultants trained and authorized to lead educators in designing and implementing teacher evaluation systems, and training evaluators to make accurate and consistent judgments based on evidence. The training of evaluators is the linchpin of a defensible evaluation system, particularly one used for making high-stakes personnel decisions. In addition, the training program serves as excellent professional development for teachers, teacher leaders, mentors and coaches, enabling all those activities to be unified into a coherent system.

The foundation of the Framework for Teaching is provided in “Enhancing Professional Practice: A framework for teaching” published by ASCD in 2007. “The Handbook for Implementing the Framework for Teaching” (ASCD, 2008) offers practitioners the tools they need to successfully use the framework for teaching in different contexts.

Implementing the Framework for Teaching in Enhancing Professional Practice: An ASCD Action Tool (2009), by Charlotte Danielson and members of the Danielson Group, provides detailed and specific suggestions for teacher practice for each of the components of the Framework for Teaching at both the proficient and distinguished levels of performance.

An evaluator training program and proficiency test is available through Teachscape, along with other online tools to implement the framework for teaching for both formative and summative teacher assessment. Educational Impact offers several self-paced online courses describing the framework for teaching.

2.  Dr. Robert Marzano’s Teacher Evaluation Model

The Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model is based on a number of previous, related works, including What Works in Schools (Marzano, 2003), Classroom Instruction That Works (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001) Classroom Management That Works (Marzano, Pickering, & Marzano, 2003), Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work (Marzano, 2006), The Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2007), and Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, Frontier, & Livingston, 2011). Each of these works was generated from a synthesis of the research and theory. Thus, the model can be considered an aggregation of the research on those elements that have traditionally been shown to correlate with student academic achievement. The model includes four domains:

Domain 1: Classroom Strategies and Behaviors
Domain 2: Preparing and Planning
Domain 3: Reflecting on Teaching
Domain 4: Collegiality and Professionalism
The four domains include 60 elements: 41 in Domain 1, 8 in Domain 2, 5 in Domain 3, and 6 in Domain 4. The specifics of each domain are outlined below. For a detailed discussion of these elements, see Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, Frontier, & Livingston, 2011).

In addition to being drawn from previous research, the specific strategies in the model have been validated in experimental/control studies and correlational studies as well as in the context of specific technologies (http://www.marzanoresearch.com/documents/ResearchBaseforMarzanoModel_08-24-11.pdf)

A defining characteristic of the model is its unique granular approach that allows for specific feedback to teachers and specific guidance to teachers that can be provided by administrators and instructional coached. Finally, the model is designed to help teachers systematically improve on weakness in their instructional practices over an extended period of time.

Use of the Model Across the Country

The model is being used in a variety of states, districts, and schools across the country. At a formal level the states of New York, New Jersey, and Florida employ the model whole or in part as the basis for teacher evaluation. It is also being piloted or considered in a number of other states (e.g. Oklahoma, Missouri). Additionally, a growing number of districts across the country have adopted or adapted the model as the basis for teacher feedback and development (e.g. Cherry Creek Public Schools, Denver, CO; Adams School District 50, Westminster, CO, Rockwall School District, Rockwall, TX). In all of its professional development with individual schools, consultants for Marzano Research Laboratory use the model as the basis for teacher and feedback. Thus, the model is also being used as the basis for professional development in a wide variety of schools across the country. Web-based tools for gathering, aggregating, and reporting data on teacher status and growth are available from Learning Science International. Contacts that can provide more information about the Marzano Evaluation Model and its use include the following:

For questions regarding the Marzano Model, please contact Marzano Research Laboratory.

Use of the Model Within Washington State

Individual states, districts, and schools are welcome and encouraged to adapt the Marzano Evaluation Model to their specific needs and interests without outside consulting from Marzano Research Laboratory or other consulting groups. In the state of Washington, the Wenatchee School District chose to work with Marzano Research Laboratory to align the Marzano Model with the nine criteria for teacher evaluation established by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Detailed documents and scales (rubrics) for each criterion and their elements were developed and are currently being piloted for their efficacy and utility within the district. Additionally during the 2010-2011 school year a number of two-day workshops on the model were sponsored by the Washington Education Service Districts (ESDs). ESD consultants are authorized to provide consultation and training for the model. Rubrics that can be adopted or adapted are available from the ESDs. Rubrics that can be adopted or adapted are also available in the book Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, Frontier, & Livingston, 2011).