Name Carolyn Gassmann

EPPSP Group 39
Butler University

The Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals

STANDARD:
14. Complete a supervision and evaluation cycle within your school district. Practice assuming
responsibility for monitoring and improving a teacher’s performance by completing a
supervision with a teacher volunteer. This process should include conducting and scripting
classroom observations, reviewing artifacts of teaching, monitoring evidence of student learning,
establishing and monitoring professional goals, conferencing, scoring the teacher using a rubric,
and completing other aspects of the supervision/evaluation process. (ELCC 2.3)

Summary:

In light of the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 and being unable to fulfill proficiencies in the
standard manner, our cohort has very intentionally collaborated to ensure that we are all able to
complete proficiencies to the best of our ability.

Through this collaboration, one cohort member had spoken with Ken Cushman, an employee of
Standards for Success, a company that designs rubrics and evaluation systems for school
employees. This cohort member graciously agreed to set up a very informative Zoom call with
Mr. Cushman to learn the intricacies of Standards for Success (SFS).

In this meeting, we learned that the owner of SFS is the son of a superintendent, making him
more aware of the needs of administrators and principals than someone who had never
experienced that side of education. We also learned that 60-70% of schools in Indiana use SFS
for their staff evaluations. The company is very transparent with its customers and offers great
technical support.

Mr. Cushman provided us with information on how SFS is unique in its field. He shared that
what truly stands out about the company is that there is no “one size fits all” rubric for
evaluations. Instead, they can be altered to fit the needs of individual schools. Also unlike many
companies, they have equitable resources and rubrics for evaluating classified staff in addition
to certified staff.

We were then taken through a quick tutorial of how to conduct an observation. Mr. Cushman
started at the very beginning. He showed us that an observation can be created as a calendar
event and shared with the teacher being evaluated or can be kept private to only the
administrator, depending on personal preference. He then noted that most of the items that are
observed in a classroom fall under Domain II of the observation form. He also went through
scripting. When talking about scripting, he noted many key features, such as the fact that as
something is observed and noted in the script, it is time stamped for reference. Also, if an area
of the rubric is selected during the observation it is automatically transferred over to the script
and given a time stamp as well.

He then recommended that the script can most effectively be used to note where a teacher has
grown and where they can continue to improve. Above all, the things that should be noted in the
scripting are things that directly impact instruction.

When working on an observation, a lot can happen in a short period of time, so Mr. Cushman
pointed out that the notes in the observation form can always be edited for their content and
grammar upon the completion of the observation and before the final form is sent to the
employee.

When thinking of new administrators, Mr. Cushman shared that SFS offers yearly training to
teach basics and refresh skills for experienced professionals. He also shared that SFS has an
app for mobile use, and the content automatically transfers to the website.

We then began to ask him questions about the service. When asked about the rubric selection,
he noted that the selection process varies by corporation. Smaller districts tend to have more
autonomy in creating the rubrics, but larger districts usually have their rubric selected by the
Human Resources department. Regardless of the size of the district, most corporations’
selections must go through their local teachers union for approval.

Another key feature of SFS is that there are different rubrics for evaluating different personnel.
For example, a special education teacher does not serve the same role in a building as a
general classroom teacher. Therefore, it is not always fair and equitable to evaluate them on the
same scale. Where SFS stands out is that they offer rubrics to evaluate special education
teachers, and other support staff, in a way that highlights their strengths and gives them
constructive feedback to continue growing.

Finally, Mr. Cushman discussed how to constructively use observation data to help staff grow.
Once many observations have been conducted, they can all be viewed on the same screen. In
doing this, the administrator is able to see commonalities among the forms, frequent comments,
and areas for improvement for small groups or for the staff as a whole. He then gave the
suggestion of using this evaluation data to design professional development opportunities for
the whole staff or small groups of professionals.

Reflection:

Spending this bit of time learning from Mr. Cushman was very insightful. I feel like he gave a
great deal of information that will be very helpful when I eventually take on an administrative
role. In addition to the technical insight given, Mr. Cushman also had some very powerful quotes
to accompany his wealth of knowledge.
Early in the conversation, he was speaking on the purpose of teacher evaluations, and stated,
“As we improve instruction, we improve learning for kids.” This stood out as very insightful in my
opinion. I was instantly taken back to many conversations we have had in EPPSP about Simon
Sinek’s work and starting with our “why”. So often, teachers see observations and evaluations
as daunting. They can be overwhelming when they catch us off-guard, and we may even be left
with a feeling of defeat or like we should have done 1,000 things differently. However, when
observations are presented as being necessary to improve instruction for the children, they take
on a whole new purpose. In this form, observations are not a sort of “gotcha” meant to catch
teachers for doing things incorrectly, but rather they serve as a purposeful tool for increasing
productivity and student learning. They can then be used, as Mr. Cushman mentioned, to
develop professional development to keep teachers continually reflecting, learning, and growing
as professionals.

Seeing evaluations in this completely new light gave me a powerful new insight into a realm of
administration that I am excited about entering. When I do finally enter an administrative role, I
know that I will be eager to begin using evaluations as a genuine tool to inform instruction. I
have no doubt that it will take time to change the staff’s views on evaluation, and will most likely
be a large cultural shift, but I believe that it will be a very worthwhile challenge. When everyone
eventually gets on the same page, I envision using the evaluation data to inform purposeful staff
meetings, teacher mentorship, and small group work that will benefit the school as a whole, the
teachers individually, and most importantly, the students.

Artifacts: