Evaluation….

Evaluation…. In my opinion, it is a word that should be on the Lake Superior State List of Banished Words for 2013.  With recent changes to the State Law – there are now mandated components and even mandated categories – ineffective, minimally effective, effective and highly effective.  This now provides yet another “rating” that can be published in media reports comparing districts.

I believe in the need for individuals and groups to be evaluated.  My issue is that we need to think about what the desired outcome of the process.  It’s about the “Why?”  If, as I hope it is, the goal is to grow and improve – then developing a process that is tightly managed may not be the best approach.  If the goal is to rank and sort – then the new system seems to be a step toward that end.

On the bright side, as an administrative team we have had numerous (and that’s an understatement) conversations about evaluations, student growth, effectiveness ratings, eportfolios – all with the goal of improving.  We all have areas we can work on to improve – having thoughtful conversations about ideas and strategies to improve is the key.