THe problem: DC's "IMPACT" evaluation system was cited as the number one reason for teacher departures and an independent study found the system to be racially biased and creating a "culture of fear" in the school system.

THE SOLUTION:

replace the current evaluation system, focused on punitive accountability measures that drive teachers out, with a growth-based system focused on teacher improvement.

The Details: 
⇨ Some districts, like neighboring Montgomery County, MD use a system called "Peer Assistance and Review", which has been successful at promoting teacher growth and a culture of improvement, rather than fear. Check out more about "PAR" systems here. We recommend DCPS to explore implementing Peer Assistance and Review in DC.

⇨ DCPS (and charters who use it) should eliminate the use of "Value Added Measures" in teacher evaluations. Value Added Measures attempt to measure how much value a particular teacher added to student academic achievement by measuring beginning of the year and end of year math or reading scores. The problem is, the American Statistical Association and many courts have ruled that this is not a scientifically valid measurement. It is not possible to isolate the impact of one teacher on a test score from the impact of other teachers the student had the same year or outside of school factors. Value added measures should not be utilized in teacher evaluation.

⇨ Cultural Responsiveness: Most current evaluation systems in place in Washington, DC schools to do measure an educator's cultural competence or contributions to the school that may be unique to educators of color. For example- many Black educators are asked to take on additional responsibilities in managing student behavior and not compensated for it. Likewise, many Latiné Spanish-speaking educators are constantly asked to translate, make calls to Spanish-speaking families, serve as a liaison and other tasks without being compensated for the additional time. This is often referred to as a "tax" on educators of color. This, along with other contributions made in particular by educators of color, should be considered in an educator's evaluation and contributions to the school community.