A Reader Asks... The Fundamental 5 and Teacher Evaluation

A LYS Teacher asks the following:

SC,

What do you think about administrators using the Fundamental 5 as basis for teacher evaluation?

SC Response

Good in theory... Horrible in practice. Here’s why.  

The Fundamental 5 represents a cadre of high-yield instructional practices that when used with increasing frequency and quality improve teacher effectiveness and student performance.  Which means that it behooves teachers to work to use these practices as often as possible and it behooves administrators to support teachers in this endeavor.  This support is best implemented through an on-going cycle of training, planning, cueing; training, planning, cueing; training, planning, cueing...

But these practices do not represent the whole of teacher craft.  And there are teachers who are successful without using the practices (though they are working inefficiently).

Our recommendation is that administrators use individual teacher Fundamental 5 implementation for formative purposes only.  As teachers get better at Fundamental 5 implementation throughout the year, their end of the year evaluations cannot help but to get better.

And for those administrators who disagree with this, I don’t do this often, but I’m going to have to pull rank.  I did write the book.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TEPSA Summer Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook