Professional Development: Wyoming

Retaining Effective Teachers Policy

Goal

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

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

Analysis of Wyoming's policies

Wyoming requires that teachers receive copies of their performance evaluations and that professional development activities must be aligned with findings from teachers' performance evaluations.

School districts are required to link their evaluation systems with individual and collective teacher professional growth. The evaluation systems must also provide feedback to each certified personnel member as well as opportunities to identify areas that need improvement and suggestions for how improvement can occur.

Citation

Recommendations for Wyoming

State response to our analysis

Wyoming was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.

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).