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Home - Hot Topics - MASA releases added guidance on Educator Evaluation

MASA releases added guidance on Educator Evaluation

Evaluation Two

MASA received a flurry of phone calls this week about the requirements of the new educator evaluation laws. Most urgent on members’ minds this are questions about declaring exemption from the use of future state tools for teacher and principal evaluation.

MASA staff have created a guidance document on revisions to MCL 380.1249 and answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” that might help. These were sent to members via an email from MASA Executive Director William Mayes, and have been posted to the MASA Educator Evaluation Resource Center as well.

We urge members to read them, click through to the links included, and let us know if there are still areas of confusion we should investigate. The “big ideas” to consider right away are these:

  1. Exemption is NOT the only way to ensure that your district has some control over your evaluation system…now or in the future. Be sure to learn ALL your options (Hint: see #3 in our FAQ)
  2. Even if your current evaluation system does not yet qualify you for exemption from using the state's tool, you do not have to sit back and wait for it to be developed. I can understand some districts’ desire to adopt a “wait and see” attitude until the Council on Educator Effectiveness recommends a model “State” system. However, MASA is recommending that you move forward in your development of a “rigorous, transparent, and fair performance evaluation system” for several reasons:
    • The law allows it (see #2 above)
    • Research in best practices recommends it.
    • Moving forward now, with the involvement of your board, teachers and administrators, allows you to maintain a level of local control, create buy-in from those being evaluated, and create a smoother transition to a fully compliant system in 2013-14.
    • It positions educators as experts leading forward rather than protectors of the status quo who rely on outside mandates to move forward.

Administrator Evaluation

The School ADvance™ Evaluation System for Administrators offers an affordable, research-based option for districts seeking to develop an evaluation system that:

  • Complies with Michigan law
  • Aligns with state and national standards for administrators
  • Meets research-based best practices from the nation’s leading researchers on administrator effectiveness.

Contact us today for pricing, professional development or to get started.

Call 517-327-5910 or email lwacyk@gomasa.org.