How to get even more out of evaluation and testing
High-pressure situations, such as evaluation and testing, can amplify your district’s strengths—or expose its weaknesses.
Evaluation and testing reflect what happens before the processes start, and also gauge district credibility. That’s according to a group of 50 superintendents convened by the DA Leadership Institute to produce a new “Field Guide for People Leadership in Public Education.”
The full guide, which also covers budgeting, retention and morale, is available with a free DA+ trial. After signing up, navigate to the People section of the Content Hub, which is listed on the left-side menu of DA+.
Teacher evaluations build growth and student testing measures learning, but the two procedures can also cause stress if they feel late or inconsistent. “Credibility rises when feedback is fair, familiar and useful long before the stakes heighten,” the DALI superintendents agreed.
The majority of these leaders, however, do not consider evaluation and testing as strengths. They acknowledge that success in these areas relies heavily on principals to set a tone that reduces anxiety and clarifies instruction.
New principals need intensive support from leaders before evaluation and testing begin and throughout the process. “Strengthening principals as instructional leaders is the primary lever for better evaluations,” the superintendents noted.
Here’s another key takeaway: Informal walkthroughs often drive more growth than formal evaluations. Frequency and time are critical.
“Providing feedback early and often builds trust,” says one superintendent. “Teachers need feedback on instructional practices early in the school year.”
