Evaluating Professional Growth and Development
By Cathy J. Cook and Carole S. Fine. Pathways to School Improvement. Retrieved July 15, 2000 from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory database on the World Wide Web: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd500.htm
Accountability is a key factor in a quality professional development program. In order to realize the value of a professional development program, it is necessary to assess its impact on the individual educator, on the school organization, and particularly on the students. The National Staff Development Council recommends that assessment should be considered in the early stages of planning a program and should continue beyond the completion of the program.
An evaluation team made up of teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and interested community members should develop a strategy for evaluating a professional development program as soon as the planning process for the program begins. The first task to accomplish is to decide what the purpose of the evaluation should be. Identifying the purpose will allow the team to create questions that will make up the evaluation. The evaluation itself should be based on the desired outcomes of the program. Baseline data should be collected before the program begins to allow the results of the change in teacher effectiveness and student outcomes to be measured. The goals for the evaluation should be to improve the quality of the program and to determine the effectiveness of the program.
Formative evaluation is the name given for evaluation that is intended to improve the quality of a program. Formative evaluation takes place at intervals during the professional development program. Staff members are asked to give feedback or comments that are used to modify and improve the program while it is in progress. The goal is to make the program more meaningful for those involved. This should be evidenced by what takes place in the classroom.
Summative evaluation is used to determine the effectiveness of a professional development program. It occurs at the end of the program. There are three different levels at which summative evaluation should be taken: evaluation of teacher practices, evaluation of changes within the school organization, and evaluation of student outcomes.
Evaluation of the teacher can be determined through questionnaires, observations, interviews, self-assessments, and analysis of records. Teachers should be asked to evaluate the program in meeting their personal and professional goals. They should be asked to describe the professional growth they have experienced. They should also be asked to identify changes in the way they think, in what they believe, and in what they do in their classrooms.
Interviews, questionnaires, observations, interviews, and analysis of documents can be used to evaluate the change in the organization of the school, as well. Evidence of such change should be found in more collaboration, better relationship between teachers and administration, and general changes in the school culture. The organizational culture should provide a support system for teachers, in addition to providing continuing training. Since organizational culture has a strong impact on initial and sustained change, this evaluation is very important.
Ultimately, most professional development programs are designed to improve student outcomes. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate the effectiveness of professional development in increasing student learning. Also, teachers are more likely to sustain change in practices if they see evidence of increased student learning. Teacher-developed achievement tests, student portfolios, grades, as well as student scores on standardized tests can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development program. Other indicators that can be used for evaluation are an increase in the responsibility for learning which students assume, students who are more engaged in learning, lower drop-out rates, and lower absenteeism.
Long-term impact of a professional development program is very important. Most often evaluation occurs immediately following the program. In order to assess changes in instructional practices, giving teachers time to implement the new practices and then doing a follow-up evaluation is a good idea. Evaluation can be accomplished through a follow-up program and support activities.
Evaluation of a professional development program is critical to determine whether or not the program has met its goals. Forming an evaluation team to design the evaluation takes the work of several people. It also requires an investment of time. It takes time to plan the evaluation and it takes time to administer the evaluation, particularly if your evaluation includes both formative and summative components. Flexibility and willingness to listen to others are required to modify a program during implementation, if you discover the program is not meeting the needs of those involved. Objectivity is necessary to analyze and interpret data from the overall evaluation and use it effectively. On the whole, the evaluation process is a large investment for all stakeholders – teachers, administration, students, and others in the school community. But it is an essential ingredient to an effective professional development program.
This article was very helpful in understanding all of the necessary components to effectively evaluate a staff development program. The amount of time and energy and the number of people involved to gain a complete analysis was not something I had considered before. I would imagine that many people have not considered it in the past and that is why staff development has so often been so ineffective. I particularly agree with the importance of a follow-up evaluation to measure sustained change in teacher practices. Also, I believe the need for follow-up and support activities is not only necessary, it is what the teachers want, as well.