March 2014
Actions for evaluating professional learning
Evaluating professional learning means asking if professional learning accomplishes its goals, producing results for educators and students. Learning Forward recommends the following actions to get started with building an effective evaluation plan.
Teachers / Teacher leaders
- Set clear goals for teacher and student learning based on evidence of student needs.
- Work with others to define what constitutes evidence of the effects of professional learning on teacher practice and student learning.
- Request data and disaggregate it to assess progress on SMART goals for teacher and students.
- Learn how to gather evidence and use it to draw conclusions and make improvements.
- Discuss data frequently with colleagues and supervisors.
Principals
- Work with teachers to set clear goals for teacher and student learning based on evidence of student needs.
- Work with teachers to define what constitutes evidence of the effects of professional learning on teacher practice and student learning.
- Teach educators how to gather evidence and use it to draw conclusions and make improvements.
- Include evaluation components in professional learning plans.
- Assess progress toward SMART goals related to professional learning.
- Discuss data frequently with colleagues and supervisors.
System leaders
- Encourage educators throughout the system to evaluate professional learning.
- Learn about the Standards for Professional Learning and how they guide the evaluation of learning.
- Learn how Innovation Configuration maps illustrate the Standards for Professional Learning in action.
- Allocate sufficient resources to support evaluating professional learning.
- Provide standards-based learning for school and district leaders.
- Make data available; help others learn to interpret the data and make changes; and provide ongoing support for gathering, analyzing, and acting on data.
Policy makers
- Adopt the Standards for Professional Learning.
- Demonstrate the value of professional learning by developing policies that support standards-based professional learning.
- Demand information about the impact of professional learning on educator practices and student results.
- Determine what structures and policies are needed to support continuous improvement and provide them.
- Shift from a mindset that professional learning is an expenditure to envisioning it as a critical investment.
- Support school and system leaders in making changes based on data and needs.
- Print the Transform Professional Learning executive summary and share with your colleagues and decision makers.