CLASS Keys New Way to Evaluate Educators

The method used to evaluate teachers is changing starting with the 2011-12 school year.

At the Oconee County work session Monday, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Lynda Hale explained CLassroom Analysis of State Standards (CLASS) Keys --a new state instrument used to assess educators.

CLASS Keys is more comprehensive than the Georgia Teacher Duties and Responsibilities Instrument and 20-minute observations that have been used to evaluate teachers for the last 20 years, she said.

"It incorporates a variety of evaluation techniques to capture the breadth of good teaching and professional practice, including classroom observations, review of lesson plans, self-assessments, teaching artifacts and portfolio assessments," Hale explained.

According to Hale's presentation, under CLASS Keys, teachers will be rated based on the following five standards:

1. Curriculum and Planning
2. Professionalism
3. Standards-based Instruction
4. Assessment of Student Learning
5. Student Achievement

They'll be scored as "Not Evident," "Emerging," Proficient," or "Exemplary," and to be considered "satisfactory," all strands must be "emerging" or higher.

Teachers of both tested and non-tested grades and subjects will be evaluated using CLASS Keys.

"We're giving them honest feedback," Hale said. "We're helping them know what are their next steps."

Oconee schools have been studying CLASS Keys for two years, and used it last year and provided helpful feedback, she said.

Though CLASS Keys is time consuming for administrators, it offers a more thorough analysis of teachers' performance, she said.

"They're busy," Hale said. "The day of the principal who stays in his office is over. If they're guilty of anything, it's too much feedback."

Administrators will go through a training in a few weeks and must pass the state CLASS Keys presentation evaluation before they begin assessing teachers. They will also be learning how to use an electronic system to keep up with evaluations.

"We want to keep the focus on instructional quality and not just on raising test scores," Hale said.

Board member Mike Hunter said it's a good way to look back and review progress made over time.

For more about the Georgia Department of Education's CLASS Keys program, see a video on the Professional Association of Georgia Educators website.