Best Practices for Teacher Evaluations

The Never-Ending Teacher Loop — Reimagined with Assessli ™ For decades, teachers have carried the weight of everything: Teaching - Formulating questions - Conducting exams - Evaluating answer papers - Analyzing mistakes - Resolving doubts. All manually. All repeatedly. With Assessli ™, this loop finally changes. What changes with Assessli (real outcomes observed): ✅ 90% reduction in manual answer paper evaluation time – From weeks → minutes ✅ 100% automated question generation – Topic-wise, difficulty-wise, Bloom’s taxonomy aligned according to templates ✅ Subject-wise & topic-wise performance tracking for every student – Not just marks, but root-cause analysis of learning gaps ✅ Continuous growth reports after every assessment – Teachers no longer wait till term-end to understand progress ✅ Bias-free, consistent evaluation across all answer scripts – Same rubric. Same standards. Every time. ✅ Class-level insights generated automatically – Teachers can create targeted questions based on the most common mistakes What this means for teachers: Less time checking papers, More time understanding students. What this means for students: Faster results, Clear feedback, Measurable improvement — topic by topic. This is not about replacing teachers. This is about giving teachers the intelligence and tools they deserve. Education doesn’t need more pressure. It needs better systems. #Assessli #BehaviouralAI #AIinEducation #TeacherFirst #EdTechIndia #LearningOutcomes #AssessmentReimagined #FutureOfEducation

Before you walk into that training, teaching or lecture room, read this and your sessions will never be the same: Most people do not realize that teaching without data Is like driving at night without headlights. Have you ever finished a training session and wondered, “Did they really get it?” That’s the difference between guessing — and knowing. In today’s world, data isn’t just for analysts — it’s a facilitator’s best teaching companion. Note the following ways data can completely transform how you teach, train, and inspire: ➡️ Use pre-training surveys and diagnostic quizzes to help you understand participants’ skill levels, expectations, and learning preferences. This will help you turn generic sessions into personalized learning experiences. ➡️ Even if you do not have a learning management system (LMS) to help you measure engagements in real time, you can use other tools like kahoot and mentimeter to know who’s active, who’s struggling, and where learners drop off. With this insight, you can adapt instantly instead of waiting for post-training feedback. ➡️ Evaluate what truly works because attendance numbers don’t tell the whole story. Data from assessments, polls, and reflections reveal which activities drive understanding which would help you refine your methods with confidence. ➡️ Use dashboards that show progress and completion rates to illustrate your progress. ➡️ Cultivate the culture of continuous learning using feedback. This is important because with each session’s feedback data, you don’t just teach better — you evolve. Every course becomes smarter, sharper, and more human-centered. Please remember data doesn’t replace intuition — it amplifies it. Because when we teach with data, we don’t just inform minds — we transform outcomes. How do you currently use data in your teaching or training sessions? #DataAnalytics #TeachingWithData #LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation #LMS #EducationInnovation

One of the biggest time wasters in schools this time of year? The evaluation process.   Don't get me wrong. Clear performance evaluation is critical in any industry, especially one as vital as K-12 education.   So many schools get this so wrong. For example, many districts use the Danielson rubric to evaluation teaching. On the NY state website, there is a link to a 42-page Danielson rubric. Forty. Two. Pages. On page 42, the rubric included the instruction to evaluate whether "students create materials for Back-to-School Night that outline the approach for learning science."   Seriously?   The problem is that these 42-page rubrics and full-period observations and hours writing up the reports don't do anything to improve teacher practice. They make good leaders do unnecessary work, and they allow ineffective leaders to hide behind a seriously flawed process.   What's the alternative?   I coach school leaders to support teachers using a simple, 4-page rubric that answers the following questions: 1) Classroom Environment: Do the expectations and relationships create the conditions for powerful learning? 2) Rigor: Are students engaged in content aligned to grade-level standards? Is the teacher intellectually prepared to focus on the meat of the lesson?  3) Feedback: Do students know what high-quality work looks like? Does the teacher affirm and challenge students to produce top-quality work?    4) Thinking: Are students doing the heavy lifting? Are teachers holding all students accountable to do the heavy lifting?    Teachers are observed frequently with a weekly coaching meeting that supports them based on this simple rubric.   Then, at evaluation time, instead of dog-and-pony shows with Byzantine rubrics and leaders holed up in their offices writing long reports and hosting tiresome evaluation reviews, leaders simply replace a regular coaching meeting with a mid-year and end-of-year evaluation that is simple and effective:   Are you on track to meeting your goals? Why/why not? Based on our four key teaching questions, where are you consistently meeting the mark? Where is your top area for growth? What would a plan of support for that area look like?   The evaluation takes the leader less than 30 minutes to write up and less than 30 minutes to do with the teacher and has 100X the impact of long evaluation processes.    

One of my biggest learnings from leading summer professional development for teachers? If you want a culture of feedback, you have to intentionally do so. The first step is to have short and sweet surveys (daily for summer PD, weekly thereafter). Most leaders do this. But to ensure the survey truly builds a culture of feedback and continuous improvement, I've learned three things: ✅ Ask focused questions. Simply, we get the data that we ask for. Ask both about the content and the general format of PD. For content, a few questions can be: What is one practice you are excited to try?; What is one thing you remain unclear on? What is one thing you know you will need further support on? For format, a simple Keep-Start-Stop can be super helpful. ✅ Review the data with your leadership team- This will allow you to process the feedback, add any additional color based on observations, and design a game plan. This can include differentiating groups, shifting a summer PD schedule or changing up future case studies and role plays to better address where the team is at. During the year, it will help you focus your observations. ✅ Respond to the feedback-It's not enough to make changes to the day based on the feedback. If you are giving people surveys, you must discuss the trends you saw and address these so that folks know they are being heard. Articulate how you are shifting things or if you can't, address where concerns or confusions will be addressed. When folks hear how their feedback is being heard they are more likely to be honest in the future. For concerns or feedback that only 1 or 2 folks have? Follow up individually. The time invested early on will pay dividends later. I know these tips don't only apply to school leaders, though Summer PD is definitely top of my mind. What are your tips and 1% solutions in building a culture of feedback and continuous improvement?

In the 'Teaching and Learning Improvement Cycle' I've put together in collaboration with 6 schools and trusts, the focus is not just on the tools we use, it's on the 'leadership behaviour shift' required to make monitoring impactful. Writing this section really challenged my thinking around previous monitoring cycles I've introduced, so I thought it would be useful to share. Leaders who build sustainable improvement systems: 1️⃣ Prioritise enquiry before evaluation They ask: “What do we need to learn?” Not: “Who is doing this well?” This protects psychological safety and increases truthfulness. 2️⃣ Separate evidence from inference 🔍 They are disciplined about language: Evidence: “Pupils completed one task; 7/28 had misconceptions.” Inference: “Some pupils don’t understand.” Judgement: “Checking for understanding needs to be more robust.” Evidence first. Interpret together. 3️⃣ Look for patterns, not performances 📊 One lesson cannot “prove” quality. The real questions are about trends: What happens across lessons? Across teachers? Across year groups? What are pupils consistently experiencing? 4️⃣ Make action proportional to confidence ⚖️ Strong evidence → direct development action Emerging evidence → gather more information Weak evidence → don’t overreact Precision builds credibility. 5️⃣ Close the loop 🔁 Development only matters if it changes practice and pupil learning. Was CPD implemented well? Is practice shifting? Is pupil learning improving? No loop closure = no improvement. If you’d like a copy of the full teaching and learning improvement cycle resource, including a fully mapped, year-long improvement cycle with scheduled activities, you can access it here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gjvdzt-6 #SchoolLeadership #TrustLeadership #TeachingAndLearning #SchoolImprovement

A New Approach to Teacher Training-The VR “Fishbowl” Simulator Traditional teacher training often feels like a fishbowl—teachers exposed, observed, and critiqued, as every move is scrutinized. Many recall the nerves of teaching their first lesson in an observation classroom, with mentors watching every step. While useful, observation alone is limited; real growth comes from safe practice where educators can take risks, experiment, and learn from mistakes without fear. Imagine recreating this fishbowl in a virtual world. A "Virtual Fishbowl" offers both new and experienced teachers a space to practice classroom management, test strategies, and receive immediate feedback. This VR environment, populated with AI avatars as students, simulates real-life complexities while allowing repeatable, safe practice that builds confidence and skill. Key Benefits of the Virtual Fishbowl Observing Models in Action In virtual classrooms, teachers can witness best practices and diverse instructional models. AI avatars embody different student behaviors, providing a range of scenarios that broaden teachers’ perspectives. Whether mastering questioning techniques or discipline strategies, the virtual fishbowl opens doors to experiential learning. Safe Practice Teachers can experiment with new approaches in a risk-free environment. They can address challenging scenarios—like diffusing disruptions or navigating social-emotional issues—without real-world consequences. With a “reset” option, teachers can retry techniques, boosting confidence and allowing incremental improvement. Personalized Coaching The VR system provides instant, data-driven feedback on teaching practices, such as student engagement, pacing, or questioning techniques. Combined with mentor insights, this feedback fosters a blended coaching model. Teachers adjust their techniques iteratively, aligning with a personalized professional learning cycle that drives continuous growth. Reflection and Revision VR environments allow teachers to record sessions and reflect on their methods. Embedded reflection prompts guide them in assessing their techniques, identifying areas for improvement, and realigning their approach with educational goals. This iterative revision process cultivates growth without the emotional weight of in-person scrutiny. Analyzing Impact and Planning Next Steps Teachers can assess data on student engagement and lesson effectiveness to evaluate the impact of their methods. This evidence-based approach enables informed adjustments, helping educators plan future steps in their professional learning journey. Nearly 44% of new teachers quit within five years. Traditional training often fails to fully prepare them for the classroom’s demands. The Virtual Fishbowl addresses this gap, providing practical, adaptable support that makes teacher training more accessible and sustainable. 

Test Scores Don’t Measure Teaching. They Never Did. Some states have finally stopped tying teacher evaluations to standardized test scores. That’s a good start. Now it’s time for every state to stop. Standardized tests were never designed to evaluate teachers. They were built to look at systems and trends. They measure a narrow set of things like pacing, time limits, and how students perform under artificial test conditions on a single day. They say very little about real understanding, deep learning, creativity, or how knowledge shows up outside a test window. I said this in an earlier post, but it matters here too. These tests often measure how well students take tests, not how well they understand the content. And yet we tied people’s careers to them. Even Bill Gates invested heavily in trying to make test-score-based evaluations work. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spent roughly $600 million on a multi-year effort to tie teacher effectiveness to student test scores. In the end, the research showed there was no meaningful impact on student achievement, and the approach was abandoned. Just another example of non-educators trying to run education. If the goal is better teaching, we already know what actually helps. Formal and informal observations. Real feedback. Clear expectations. Meaningful professional goals. Ongoing conversations about practice and growth. But if we really want to treat teachers like professionals, evaluations have to go one step further. They have to include aspirational conversations. Not scores. Not formulas. Actual conversations. Did we help you succeed? What’s getting in your way? What are you trying to get better at and how can we support that? That’s what professional evaluation looks like. And it’s how most high-performing countries approach teaching. They trust teachers. They develop teachers. They don’t reduce the work to test scores. If we want the results those systems get, it starts by treating teachers like the professionals they already are.

Performance evaluations in schools are too often broken. For most schools, leaders have to take two, maybe more, weeks off of doing what will actually improve student learning at their schools -- observing and coaching teachers -- to spend time writing 11-page evals few, if any, of their teachers will actually have time to read. There's a better way. Schools that do performance evaluation right seamlessly fit it into the regular cadence of coaching. Instead of lengthy evals with scores from rubrics they've never seen, teachers receive data from rubrics they've seen weekly. Instead of hearing for the first time what their most important areas of growth are, teachers look back at the feedback they've received each week. Instead of passively sitting and listening to their coach talk at them for 30+ minutes, they come in with prework completed and their own reflections based on the weekly feedback and scores they've received. Instead of pausing all coaching for weeks on end, coaches hold regularly scheduled coaching meetings and still observe classrooms because all of the prework needed for the evaluation has already happened each week of the school year. I haven't found a single piece of evidence supporting better outcomes for students or higher teacher retention based on length of performance evaluation. And I'm going to venture a guess that I never will. It's time to adopt a better, more sustainable, and more enjoyable way of communicating what's going well and what needs to be worked on to the people whose performance matters the most in schools.

The 3-Minute Secret to Better Teaching Cards on the table: I believe the traditional “Visit the classroom with a formal evaluation instrument for the whole period and discuss the strengths and weaknesses in a follow up meeting” is neither a realistic nor helpful way to improve teaching. It requires too much time. Multiply that process out with the # of teachers, twice a year, and I think it’s too much for admin to do with everything else on their plate. Further, if teachers are candid about what they’ve “learned” through this process, they’ll say, ruefully, “not much.” When the principal enters a classroom, it’s no longer a “normal” class. Everything becomes theater. My favorite example: I once knew a teacher who worked in the local public school, who told me her secret to excellent evals: “I tell my kids the principal is coming tomorrow. When I ask you a question, raise your right hand if you know the answer, and raise your left hand if you don’t.” “I get excellent marks for engagement and student understanding,” she said, smiling. I also believe the classroom visit eval method over-simplifies teaching. Effective teaching isn’t simply good delivery technique and classroom management. It requires the thoughtful sequence of what is covered, and what isn’t. It involves testing, the level of thinking required, the timeliness and quality of a teacher’s feedback, and how that teacher helps the student integrate that feedback into his or her future work. It involves relationships. It involves how a teacher helps kids who are struggling, the effectiveness of their communication with students and parents, the accuracy of their assessment of student progress and a host of other variables. What do I recommend as an alternative? I am a big believer in frequent 3 minute classroom visits. I will schedule these at random times, usually twice a week. I make particular note of things to praise the teacher for, and send a follow up email. Frequent snapshots of classrooms over time give a much better window. But I also believe in what has been called an “anthropological” approach: evaluating teacher effectiveness through the products of their work. -So I pay attention to syllabi, required of every class. -I run grade distributions per teacher after every report card, which tells me a lot. -i ask that teachers turn in their final exams. -I check grade books for the # and timeliness of graded assignments. -Standardized test scores allow us to track year by year growth in subject areas. -Of course, when teachers are ineffective, we often get emails from unhappy parents, and I pay attention to recurring themes. -i notice which teachers come to ball games, concerts, and other events. There’s a lot to consider! “Principals don’t really know what is going on,” teachers are inclined to think. But the truth is, if principals are committed to an anthropological approach and the 3 minute visits, they are flooded with information!

Great teachers are always refining their craft, not just through feedback from their instructional coaches or principal but through insights they capture themselves. They go all the way out for their own professional growth. What if classroom observation could actively support that kind of teacher-led growth? The strongest classroom observations don’t just support evaluation or coaching. They also support professional development for teachers. That’s where Edves adds value. By highlighting lesson-level instructional insights, Edves helps teachers understand patterns in their practice beyond what may surface during occasional walkthroughs. It provides coaching insights teachers can use to reflect and improve even before a conversation with an instructional coach. A teacher can begin noticing: • How often students are doing the cognitive heavy lifting • Where engagement rises or drops during a lesson • Whether questioning is driving deeper thinking • How instructional moves are shaping the learning experience And that shifts classroom observation from a compliance activity into embedded professional development. Instead of waiting for the next coaching cycle, teachers gain practical insights they can act on immediately to improve teaching quality and strengthen the learning experience in their classrooms. This is what makes schools that use Edves stand out. They don’t just extend instructional visibility for leaders. They create classrooms where teachers clearly understand what’s working and where they can refine their practice. For instructional coaches, it means coaching conversations begin with deeper, more useful insight. For teachers, it means professional growth becomes more continuous, intentional, and self-directed. Because improving instruction isn’t only about receiving feedback. It’s about having the right insights to continuously improve practice in real time.