Professional Development: Florida

Retaining Effective Teachers Policy

Goal

The state should require professional development to be based on needs identified through teacher evaluations.

Nearly meets goal
Suggested Citation:
National Council on Teacher Quality. (2011). Professional Development: Florida results. State Teacher Policy Database. [Data set].
Retrieved from: https://www.nctq.org/yearbook/state/FL-Professional-Development-9

Analysis of Florida's policies

Florida requires that teachers receive written copies of their evaluations "no later than ten days after the evaluation takes place." The state also specifies that teacher evaluations must be used when identifying professional development.

Citation

Recommendations for Florida

Require that evaluation systems provide teachers with feedback about their performance.
Although Florida requires teachers to receive copies of their evaluations, this only ensures that teachers will receive their ratings, not necessarily feedback on their performance. Florida should specify that teachers should receive specific feedback on identified strengths and areas that need improvement.  

State response to our analysis

Florida noted that while not in law, the state's Race to the Top plan requires that districts document how teachers will receive feedback in the new evaluation systems.

Last word

While putting such a requirement in the state's Race to the Top plan is a step in the right direction, NCTQ would encourage Florida to codify this requirement to ensure that it extends beyond the life of the grant. 

Research rationale

For evidence of the benefits of feedback from evaluation systems, and the potential for professional development surrounding that feedback, see T. Kane et al, "Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness." Education Next. Vol 11, No. 3 (2011); E. Taylor and J. Tyler, "The Effect of Evaluation on Performance: Evidence from Longitudinal Student Achievement Data of Mid-Career Teachers." National Bureau of Economic Research (2011).

Much professional development, particularly those that are not aligned to specific feedback from teacher evaluations, has been found to be ineffective.  For evidence see M. Garet, "Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study: Findings After the Second Year of Implementation." Institute of Education Sciences (2011).

For additional evidence regarding best practices for professional development, see "The Deliver, Financing, and Assessment of Professional Development in Education: Pre-Service Preparation and In-Service Training." The Finance Project (2003).