Professional Development: Iowa

Analysis of Iowa's policies

Iowa does not have state-level policy requiring that teachers receive feedback from their evaluations or that connects professional development to teachers' evaluations.  The state requires intensive assistance plans for teachers "not meeting the applicable standards and criteria." However, there is no state-level policy defining the criteria or rating that merits the creation of an intensive assistance plan.  

Citation

Iowa Administrative Code 284.8

Recommendations for Iowa

Require that evaluation systems provide teachers with feedback about their performance.
In order to increase their effectiveness in the classroom, teachers need to receive feedback on strengths and areas that need improvement identified in their evaluations. As such, Iowa should require that evaluation systems provide teachers with feedback about their classroom performance.

Ensure that professional development is aligned with findings from teachers' evaluations.
Professional development that is not informed by evaluation results may be of little value to teachers' professional growth and the aim of increasing their effectiveness in the classroom. Iowa should ensure that districts utilize teacher evaluation results in determining professional development needs and activities.    
                                                                        
Ensure that teachers receiving less than effective ratings are placed on a professional improvement plan.
Iowa should adopt a policy requiring that teachers who receive even one less than effective evaluation rating be placed on structured improvement plans. These plans should focus on performance areas that directly connect to student learning and should identify noted deficiencies, define specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies and describe how and when progress will be measured.

State response to our analysis

Iowa recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that the legislatively mandated Council on Educational Development is examining the educator evaluation system and standards. Its recommendation to the Iowa legislature is expected to be completed in 2016.