Many schools began the year using remote, hybrid, or blended models of instruction for the first time this year. These new educational settings caused schools and districts to rethink educator evaluations. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) put out new guidance to help districts locally discuss and plan teacher evaluation approaches during the 2020-2021 school year.
The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) framework (OTES 1.0 or OTES 2.0) details the components of evaluation. However, the district determines the manner in which it will implement whichever of the two frameworks it is using. A good portion of the guidance by ODE poses questions for districts to ponder and assist in their evaluation process. Among the questions are:
- Will evaluators attend the virtual classroom during the instruction?
- Can the teacher submit a recording of the lesson/class period?
- What happens when a teacher conducts both remote and site-based instruction?
District may already have answered some of these questions in their remote learning plan submitted to ODE. Others may have not been foreseeable and therefore require more attention.
Not all teachers are required to be evaluated using OTES, although districts may elect to evaluate all teachers. For example, an evaluation is not required for a teacher who has been board approved for retirement by Dec.1 of the current calendar year, who has been on leave at least 50 percent of the school year, or who spends less than 50 percent of his or her time employed instructing. This is not an exhaustive list and more situations exist.
Lastly, some components are not to be used for the 2020-2021 school year. For OTES 1.0, Student Growth Measures to measure student learning attributable to a teacher and Teacher Category A1, A2, B or C are not to be used. OTES 2.0 rubric component “Evidence of Student Learning” is not be used as well.
If you have additional general questions about your obligations or responsibilities under Ohio Laws, please contact the Division of Legal Services at (855) OSBA-LAW.