Professional Development: Missouri

Analysis of Missouri's policies

Missouri does not have state-level policy that specifies the type and frequency of feedback teachers receive based on their evaluations or that connects professional development to teachers' evaluations. Missouri's State Board recently adopted the Essential Principles of Effective Evaluation framework. By school year 2014-2015, districts must either adopt the model or develop one of their own that is consistent with this framework. 

The state's framework requires "regular and meaningful feedback to all educators for the improvement of practice."  For teachers consistently rated less than effective, "educators receive targeted interventions and support to encourage ongoing formative development." 

Citation

Essential Principles of Effective Evaluation Framework http://dese.mo.gov/eq/ees.htm 5 CSR 20-400.375 Teacher Evaluation Model http://dese.mo.gov/eq/documents/eq-ees-teacher-evaluation.pdf

Recommendations for Missouri

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, Missouri should require that evaluation systems provide teachers with feedback about their classroom performance. Missouri's teacher evaluation model requires a minimum of 3 to 5 follow-up assessments to occur per growth indicator and these assessments include formal and/or informal feedback. Codifying these requirements would strengthen Missouri's evaluation system, by making them mandatory for districts, rather than optional. 

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 aim of increasing their effectiveness in the classroom. Missouri's teacher evaluation model requires teacher evaluation results to directly inform individual professional development decisions.  All teachers are required to develop a Professional Growth Plan. Missouri should codify these requirements, making them mandatory for districts rather than optional.  

Ensure that teachers receiving less than effective ratings are placed on a professional improvement plan. Missouri should adopt a policy requiring that teachers who receive even one unsatisfactory evaluation 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.  Missouri's teacher evaluation model requires that teachers with noted deficiencies complete an Educator Improvement Plan with their evaluator. Missouri should codify these requirements, making them mandatory for districts rather than optional. 

State response to our analysis

Missouri indicated that elements of this goal are specifically addressed in the Meaningful Feedback Guidelines, which are posted on the state's Educator Evaluation webpage. The state noted that protocol for the evaluation system requires the use of an Educator Improvement Plan to address specific performance areas of concern.

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