Analysis Of Change Plans in Two Elementary School Districts For Teacher Evaluation Practices Following the New Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 (PERA)

<p>This Change Plan paper is the second part of a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010, as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. Beginning in 2012-2013, districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these rankings, instead of seniority, to make job-related decisions such as reductions-in-force (RIFs) and teacher recalls. I interviewed administrators and teachers in two of the three districts studied in the first part of my dissertation to investigate the processes that the two districts used to plan for and communicate upcoming change in their teacher evaluation plans. One of the districts (District A) sought to: (1) move to a four-level ratings system rather than the three-level system used previously; (2) implement a more thorough and detailed evaluation system that focuses on at least four areas of practice: instructional planning, classroom environment, instructional delivery, and professional development and professionalism, with a student growth component to be added in 2016; (3) make it easier to terminate the employment of "unsatisfactory" teachers or teachers who "need improvement"; (4) make it harder for teachers to receive consistently "excellent" ratings and thus differentiate "excellent" teachers from "proficient" ones; and (5) stay in compliance with all legal requirements. Based on interviews in District A and the other district, the Change Plan paper develops strategies that District A could use to make its changes as successful as possible, including actions to build consensus for change, moving slowly to achieve buy-in, and arranging processes to encourage more sharing of information.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership

Year dc:date.available

2013

Author dc:creator

• Heyde, Christina R.

• Teacher evaluation
• Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA)
• Education
• Educational Leadership

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/cl/1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:cl-1000