Frequency of Evaluations : Missouri

Analysis of Missouri's policies

Regrettably, Missouri does not ensure that all teachers are evaluated annually.

Tenured teachers in Missouri must only be evaluated once every five years.

New teachers in Missouri must be formally evaluated once a year. As part of the state's process, new teachers must have a minimum of one scheduled and two unscheduled observations. After each observation, a collaborative conference is scheduled between the teacher and administrator/supervisor to discuss performance. However, the state does not indicate when these observations should occur.

Citation

Missouri DOE Guidelines for Performance Based Teacher Evaluation http://www.dese.mo.gov/divteachqual/leadership/profdev/PBTE.pdf

Recommendations for Missouri

Require annual formal evaluations for all teachers.
All teachers in Missouri should be evaluated annually. Rather than treated as mere formalities, these teacher evaluations should serve as important tools for rewarding good teachers, helping average teachers improve and holding weak teachers accountable for poor performance.  

Base evaluations on multiple observations.
To guarantee that annual evaluations are based on an adequate collection of information, Missouri should require multiple observations for all teachers, even those who have nonprobationary status. 

Ensure that new teachers are observed and receive feedback early in the school year.
It is critical that schools and districts closely monitor the performance of new teachers. Missouri should ensure that its new teachers get the support they need and that supervisors know early on which new teachers may be struggling or at risk for unacceptable levels of performance.

State response to our analysis

Missouri recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that its current statutory authority for performance-based teacher evaluations articulates that evaluations should be "ongoing and of sufficient specificity and frequency to provide for demonstrated standards of competency and academic ability." It pointed out that the new Missouri Model Educator Standards, passed in June 2011, are formative in nature and encourage continuous growth and development. "In this respect, it is the expectation that all educators improve every year. The Quality Indicators and their supporting rubrics support this continuous improvement." Missouri will conduct extensive field testing in a pilot project to refine its performance assessment system before widespread release in summer 2012.