What Educators Need to Know About Michigan's New Teacher Evaluation Landscape

Michigan has recently witnessed significant shifts in its teacher evaluation requirements with the enactment of Senate Bills 395 and 396. These legislative changes, slated for implementation in the upcoming 2024-25 school year, bring a paradigm shift to how educators are assessed and supported.

From altering the performance rating system to emphasizing individualized improvement plans and modifying classroom observation expectations, the impact is profound.

This post unravels the complexities of Michigan's new teacher evaluation framework, shedding light on the key alterations and their implications for educators and school districts, as well as offering a solution designed to empower Michigan educators with a robust three-category rating system aligned with the evolving educational landscape.

‍

Shifts in Performance Ratings for Evaluations

The new system replaces the old four-category system of evaluating a teacher’s performance (highly effective, effective, minimally effective, ineffective) with a three-category rating system:

• Effective
• Developing
• Needing support

The shift from a four-category to a three-category rating system affects the rubric and key indicators utilized during the evaluation process.

Reduced Weight for Student Growth and Assessment Data

In the 2019-2020 academic year, Michigan heightened the demand for student growth and assessment data to contribute to 40% of the annual year-end teacher evaluations. However, under the recent legislation, there is a reduction in the significance of student standardized test scores or student learning objective metrics, now constituting only 20% of the overall teacher evaluation. This shift in accountability places greater emphasis on elements such as goal setting, classroom observations, and performance reviews within the evaluation process.

Individualized Improvement Plans

To promote additional support for new and struggling teachers, districts are required to create an individualized development plan for any probationary teacher in the first full year of employment or for teachers who received a rating of “developing” or “needing support” on the most recent annual year-end evaluation.

Identified teachers would have access to direct mentoring and a required midyear progress report aligned to the written improvement plan developed with the teacher in this process.

Dismissal from a teaching position will result from three consecutive years of an “ineffective” or “needing support” rating.

Expectations for Classroom Observations

Classroom observations must include a review of the lesson plan and standards used in the lesson and of student engagement during the lesson. Observations must not be less than 15 minutes with at least two classroom observations conducted for a teacher each school year if evaluated. The evaluator must conduct at least one of the observations and districts are required to use the same evaluation tool across campuses.

Exemption for Consecutive Effective Rating

Districts may choose to conduct a year-end evaluation biennially or triennially instead of annually for teachers not on probationary status, or administrators rated as “highly effective” or “effective” on the three most recent consecutive year-end evaluations.

Required Training for Evaluators

Independent School Districts (ISDs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must provide training to teachers on the observation tool(s) used in the performance evaluation system and how each observation tool is used. Additionally, ISDs and LEAs shall ensure that training is provided to all evaluators and observers.

Beginning September 1, 2024, and every 3 years following, rater reliability training is required to be provided by the district covering topics on how to conduct classroom observations, collect data, analyze results, and including calibration exercises for evaluators to practice the evaluation criteria and establish consistency within the process.

Public Posting of Evaluation System

Districts must post on its public website information about the evaluation tool(s) in use for evaluation of teachers and administrators including the research base, authors of the rubric, and evidence of reliability, validity, and efficacy or a plan for developing that evidence.

The frameworks and detailed descriptors of the rubric for each performance level on key summative indicators are also required in the posting, along with the training plan for evaluators and observers.

“Postings and Assurances” should be made available under the transparency mitten section of the ISD’s or LEA’s web site.

Annual State Data Collection

The 2023-24 Educator Evaluation Guidance from the Michigan Department of Education states:

“Public Act 173 of 2015, the Michigan Educator Evaluation Law, links teacher certificate progression to evaluation data submitted by districts and public school academies (PSAs) to the Registry of Educational Personnel (REP) for the most recent five-year period. To support teacher re-certification, it is essential that educator evaluation and assignment information entered into the REP is accurate.”

Given the magnitude of this new legislation in Michigan, many ISDs and LEAs are scrambling to find high-quality three-category rubrics and create an implementation plan to meet these new requirements.  Modifications to year-end summative calculations, ratings, and requirements are critical tasks for ISDs and LEAs to adopt prior to the 2024-25 school year.

‍

A “Simple and Deep” Solution

To address the need in Michigan, the Thoughtful Classroom, an Education Advanced partner and one of the first four teacher effectiveness models to earn statewide approval, has updated their “simple and deep” framework with a new three-category rating system.

The powerful and practical Thoughtful Classroom Framework guides teacher development and growth with effective, research-based instructional practice, and is available to current Evaluation clients. With a focus on instruction, the Thoughtful Classroom Teacher Effectiveness Framework is a comprehensive system for observing, evaluating, and refining classroom practice. It synthesizes a wide body of research on instructional design and teacher effectiveness, as well as insight from over 250 teachers and administrators from around the country.

The Thoughtful Classroom Framework is built around the Four Cornerstones of Effective Classrooms, which are the universal elements found in all successful classrooms, and the Five Episodes of Effective Instruction, which guide and improve instructional design and delivery. All nine of these instructional dimensions come together in one cohesive framework as shown here.

The ultimate goal of the Thoughtful Classroom Framework is to create a common language for talking about high-quality teaching and how classroom practice can be improved. It features clearly defined rubrics for assessing and improving instruction, a set of protocols to provide meaningful feedback to teachers, and ready-to-use instructional tools to help teachers target specific areas of instruction (now available as online, on-demand learning suites).

Helpful Resources

• Thoughtful Classroom Resources for Michigan Educators
• Revised School Code from Michigan Legislature
• Enrolled Senate Bill No. 395
• 2023-24 Educator Evaluation Guidance from Michigan DOE

>>> Click here to book a personalized demo of Evaluation, including the Thoughtful Classroom rubric!

About Evaluation, Powered by Education Advanced

Evaluation is a tool built to increase the efficiency of the staff evaluation process and facilitate educator growth with data. With a collaborative, web-based performance portal that's tailored to meet each district's needs, school administrators can efficiently document every step of the staff evaluation process — including walk-throughs, self-evaluations, supporting evidence, reporting, and performance analytics.

In addition, school administrators can implement and host their own locally-created or state-approved rubric including Danielson, 5D+, Thoughtful Classroom, and McREL. This enables the development of an actionable plan based on data that can be used to improve individual performance and overall trends to measure success — all while giving staff a single portal to record, document, and gather evidence and observations throughout the evaluation process.

About Thoughtful Classroom

For fifty years, the Thoughtful Classroom has meant the best in training, coaching, and supporting educators. By paying attention to what research and practice tell us about effective instruction and what motivates students, we’ve been able to help hundreds of school districts across the country enhance the quality of teaching and learning in every classroom. Led by Dr. Harvey Silver, the Thoughtful Classroom has become the recognized leader in instructional tools that increase engagement, ensure deep learning, and raise student achievement.