On April 14, the Houston ISD board gave initial approval to a new teacher appraisal system that would rate teachers in part based on the academic achievement of their students. The district says the new system will assess teachers on multiple measures of student performance and provide them with regular feedback to help them improve their teaching practice. The final vote on the appraisal system is scheduled for May 12.
Putting an effective teacher in every classroom is one of the five goals that are part of the district’s strategic plan and the first step in the district’s Effective Teachers Initiative 
, an effort to transform the way the district recruits, develops, and retains its teachers. The district currently uses the state’s standard instrument to evaluate teachers, the Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS). Student academic gains are not a significant factor in PDAS evaluations.
The proposal has propelled the district into the growing national debate on the efficacy of using student performance as measured by standardized tests to gauge teacher quality. If the board gives final approval to the new system, Houston ISD will be the largest district in the U.S. to tie student performance to teacher ratings.
In addition to student performance, the new appraisal includes two other major performance criteria: instructional practice and professional expectations. The plan indicates that multiple measures will be used to assess each criterion. Teachers will receive one of four ratings: ineffective, needs improvement, effective, or highly effective.
Houston ISD’s means of measuring student performance has generated its share of controversy because of its use in determining teacher incentive awards. The district intends to use the same value-added data as one student performance measure. It contracts with SAS EVAAS to calculate teachers’ value-added growth.
Researchers have questioned the reliability of value-added data (see related story ) and advised against its use in “high-stakes” decisions such as terminations. If the new system is approved as planned, low-performing teachers will receive feedback and training to help them improve. Those who are still deemed ineffective could be terminated.
Houston’s teacher groups have been vocal opponents of the district’s value-added model, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, weighed in on it. “The more we look at it, the more concerned we are it’s not ready for prime time,” Weingarten said.
Another hitch in the use of value-added data is that it’s not available for all teachers, only for those who teach core subjects such as math, science, or reading in 3rd through 8th grade (about one-third of the district’s teachers). The district says other student performance measures will be used to rate teachers of noncore classes.
The district contends that PDAS has done little to help the district determine which teachers are most and least effective. About ninety-nine percent of the district’s teachers are routinely rated as “exceeds expectations” or “proficient.” Just 1 percent of the district’s teachers are rated “below expectations” or “unsatisfactory,” and an even smaller number are dismissed for performance reasons, a fact that perplexes Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “Quite frankly, if we’re that good, why do 100,000 of our kids read below grade level?” Grier commented as the district took the first step to develop the new evaluation in 2010.
District leaders surveyed teachers and principals about PDAS with tepid results:
The district says that teacher dissatisfaction with PDAS was partly responsible for the decision to develop the new appraisal instrument.
In typical Houston ISD fashion, district leaders wasted no time, putting the new system’s roll out on the fast track with the help of The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a nonprofit hired by the district to assist in the initiative. It took just six months to design—light speed in the world of education.
Moreover, the district does not intend to pilot the appraisal in a few schools next year to see how it works. It intends to use it to appraise all 12,000 Houston ISD teachers in 2011-12, a major feat, according to Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality. “This is really hard stuff to do,” Walsh said. “Houston is trying to do in one year what (Washington) D.C., which is a fraction of its size, did in a year—which is a very ambitious goal.”
Teachers, school administrators, parents, and community members were all represented on committees that took part in developing the new system. In addition, the district held three public meetings, posted all the materials from its design process on a Web site that logged 14,000 visits, and sent teachers and principals biweekly updates on the process. More than 2,600 teachers and 280 appraisers completed an online survey about the draft proposal of the appraisal. Forty teachers and 18 principals also took part in focus groups that shaped the draft proposal.
While the district stressed the involvement of district staff in its board presentation, the level of teacher involvement drew criticism from Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers. Fallon questioned whether district officials really allowed site-based decision-making committees and working groups to drive the development process, adding that some teachers reported feeling like window dressing. “If (the new evaluation) isn’t really developed by them and accepted by them, then we will promise a challenge at the state,” Fallon told the Houston Chronicle.
The district has flatly rejected the idea that teachers had a minor role in the design of the appraisal. “I can tell you with full confidence that this system you’re seeing now was not cooked up in some room at Hattie Mae White (the central office) or bought off some shelf,” said Ellen Hur, a partner with TNTP, at the board’s April meeting. “Every piece of feedback—and there were thousands—was recorded and considered to build this system.”
Roughly half of a teacher’s overall rating will be based on student performance. For teachers with value-added scores, those scores will count for about a quarter of their overall result. No teacher’s impact on student learning will be judged solely on value-added data. The other half of their rating will include their ability to engage students, make good use of instructional time, design effective lessons, and collaborate with colleagues, among other things.
Teacher observations and feedback will also be stepped up under the new system. Appraisers will conduct at least two unannounced classroom observations and walk-throughs during the year, and the appraiser will follow up with face-to-face or written feedback after each visit. Teachers will also meet with appraisers at least three times each year to get comprehensive feedback on their performance. All teachers are to be observed and appraised each year—there will be no exemptions based on experience and performance.
With appraisers, teachers will create their own professional development plan outlining their training needs and deciding which targeted learning activities will help them improve their practice.
“This effort is designed to ensure that we have effective teachers in all of our classrooms, and part of having effective teachers is giving teachers really clear feedback about their performance,” Chief HR Officer Ann Best told the Houston Chronicle. “What we should expect coming out of this initiative is more effective teachers in our schools.”
It’s clear that teacher groups will continue to push back against the new appraisal system. They may decide to plead their case to the state’s commissioner of education in an effort to slow down its implementation. Fallon has called on the district to pilot the system in a few schools next year—not districtwide, as planned. “It’s going to be a huge change. Without enough time to train over 10,000 teachers and 1,000 assessors, it is a recipe for chaos,” Fallon said.
Some of the teacher groups’ arguments are hitting home with board members. Two voted against the new system at April’s meeting, one specifically because of her concerns about the reliability of value-added data. And while there seems to be enough support for the system for it to pass, its approval is not a sure thing.
In the meantime, state legislators have put forward a couple of bills proposing a new state teacher evaluation system tied to student performance that have some momentum. S.B. 4 authored by Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) has cleared the Senate and awaits a hearing in the House. H.B. 1587 authored by Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) is pending in the House Public Education Committee.
Should either bill pass, school administrators needn’t fear that the state will be on a timeline similar to Houston’s. It will take years to develop, pilot, and implement any new state teacher appraisal system.
—“HISD looks at how to grade teachers,” by Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, Nov. 8, 2010.
—“Proposal ties teacher ratings to student scores,” by Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 11, 2011.
—“Union wants teacher evaluation plan slowed,” by Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, April 13, 2011.
—“HISD votes to rank teachers on student progress,” by Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle, April 15, 2011.
