Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Commendably, all teachers in Connecticut must be evaluated annually.
However, the state's policy does not include any guidelines on when evaluations for new teachers should occur, except that "the superintendent shall report the status of teacher evaluations to the local or regional board of education on or before June 1st of each year."
Base evaluations on multiple observations.
To guarantee that annual evaluations are based on an adequate collection of information, Connecticut should require multiple observations for all teachers, even those who have nonprobationary status.
Ensure that new teachers are observed and receive feedback early in the school year.
It is critical that schools and districts closely monitor the performance of new teachers. Connecticut should ensure that its new teachers get the support they need and that supervisors know early on which new teachers may be struggling or at risk for unacceptable levels of performance.
Connecticut recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.