Principal Prompts for Evidence-Based Evaluations
Leveraging the power of SLOs and observations of practice
About this page: The Principal Prompts for Evidence-based Evaluations page provides principals and other school administrators with prompts and guidance to locate, collect, and discuss evidence of practice with teachers.
Generating Evidence of Practice during SLO Phases
Throughout the SLO process, principals have many opportunities to collaborate with teachers in support of student and teacher goals. These conversations provide important evidence of a teacher’s practice that helps evaluators both assess and support teacher growth needs. What follows is a list of sample prompts sequenced by SLO phase that have proven effective in generating evidence of teacher practice.
Throughout the SLO process, principals have many opportunities to collaborate with teachers in support of student and teacher goals. These conversations provide important evidence of a teacher’s practice that helps evaluators both assess and support teacher growth needs. What follows is a list of sample prompts sequenced by SLO phase that have proven effective in generating evidence of teacher practice.
SLO Preparation Phase
Typically August and September (or start of year)
Typically August and September (or start of year)
- How prepared do you feel to begin SLO development?
- What connections are you seeing between the SLO process and other initiatives?
- When do you plan to craft the SLO?
- With whom do you plan to collaborate during SLO development?
- What supports can help inform SLO development?
SLO Development Phase
Typically September and October (or beginning of course)
Typically September and October (or beginning of course)
- On which standards do you plan to focus?
- Why are the selected measures the best measures of student learning?
- How do the student growth targets reflect sufficient rigor?
- What evidence supports the identified instructional strategies?
- What supports do you anticipate needing during SLO implementation?
SLO Implementation Phase
Typically October through May (during the course of instruction)
Typically October through May (during the course of instruction)
- How are students progressing towards their targets?
- How effective are the instructional strategies with students?
- How are professional development activities supporting the SLO?
- How are SLO discussions incorporated into existing professional dialogue?
- What supports might help continue to advance your practice and student learning?
SLO Results Analysis Phase
Typically May through June (or just before course’s end)
Typically May through June (or just before course’s end)
- How did students perform compared to your expectations?
- To what do you attribute the success of students meeting or exceeding their targets?
- To what do you attribute the lack of success for students who did not meet their targets?
- How might you approach your next SLO in light of this year’s SLO(s)?
- What supports would help you advance your practice?
Principal Prompts
Locating Additional Evidence of Practice by The Framework for Teaching Domain Multiple aspects of the SLO process provide principals with ways to collect evidence of teacher practice. While a connection to each component of The Framework for Teaching (FfT) can be made, key opportunities are described below to help principals gather additional evidence and to use the evidence more efficiently.
The Framework for Teaching (FfT) Domain
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Where to Find Key SLO-Related Evidence
(FfT components for each domain are found in parentheses.) |
Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
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In the developed SLO:
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Domain 2: Classroom Environment
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In the classrom:
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Domain 3: Instruction
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In the classroom:
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Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
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In the developed SLO:
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Discussing Summative Evidence from Multiple Measures
Before making final analyses and judgments, evidence from the multiple measures of SLOs and observational data need to be discussed with educators. When using multiple measures to make determinations, several possibilities arise and evaluators should be prepared for each scenario.
Multiple measures corroborate findings
Sometimes multiple measures yield the same or similar findings. When this occurs for one or more areas of practice, consider discussing the following:
Sometimes multiple measures yield different findings. When this occurs for one or more areas of practice, consider discussing the following:
It may be that only one measure exists for one or more areas of practice. When this occurs, consider discussing the following:
Note that the suggested discussions above should be rooted in evidence. This evidence may be more empirical in nature, such as student outcomes, or written rationales; however, teacher beliefs and judgment are just as much—if not more so—vital to include in the professional conversations.
Multiple measures corroborate findings
Sometimes multiple measures yield the same or similar findings. When this occurs for one or more areas of practice, consider discussing the following:
- Do you feel the multiple measures accurately portray your practice? Why or why not?
- Do you agree more strongly with one of these measures? Why or why not?
- Do you expect these measures to yield similar findings next year? Why or why not?
Sometimes multiple measures yield different findings. When this occurs for one or more areas of practice, consider discussing the following:
- Why do you believe these measures yielded different findings?
- Do you agree more strongly with one of these measures? Why or why not?
- Are there additional measures or clarifications that should be incorporated?
It may be that only one measure exists for one or more areas of practice. When this occurs, consider discussing the following:
- Are there additional measures or clarifications that should be incorporated?
- How well do you believe the single measure portrays your practice? Why?
- How might we look forward to next year at providing additional measures for this area?
Note that the suggested discussions above should be rooted in evidence. This evidence may be more empirical in nature, such as student outcomes, or written rationales; however, teacher beliefs and judgment are just as much—if not more so—vital to include in the professional conversations.
Additional Resources
Visit the CTAC website for a sample SLO Tool for School Leaders that articulates key leadership practices proven to help improve SLO processes at the school level. (http://www.ctacusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SLOToolforSchoolLeaders.pdf)
Visit the CTAC website for a sample SLO Tool for School Leaders that articulates key leadership practices proven to help improve SLO processes at the school level. (http://www.ctacusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SLOToolforSchoolLeaders.pdf)