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Unit 3 | Supervising and Evaluating Instruction
3.1. Supervision and Evaluation
Learning Outcome:
- Explore ways in which supervision are exercised in schools/districts.
- Distinguish between evaluation and assessment.
Evaluation as a Component of Supervision
Supervision is a process that encompasses several purposes including: bureaucratic accountability, formative supervision - typically conducted to provide regular feedback to teachers regarding their instruction, and summative supervision. All three purposes are conducted in a variety of ways as a means of collaboration between leader and teacher and may focus more on teacher behaviors than teacher capabilities (Sergiovanni, Starrat, and Cho, 2014).
Although the process of supervision is often used interchangeably with the term, “evaluation,” the latter is actually a component of the overall process of supervision. As noted by Sergiovanni et. al (2014), evaluation may be conducted in several different ways, and the overall process of supervision varies according to the type of evaluation conducted as part of that supervision.
Watch Video
Take a moment to listen to Donnan Stoicovy, building principal, discuss how her evaluation processes support teachers to become leaders and also challenge the status quo through professional development.
Evaluation or Assessment?
Evaluation is a part of the overall supervision process. Often the term “assessment” is used interchangeably with the term “evaluation.” When speaking of evaluation in most any context, it is a matter of value judgement or worth of an identified subject/matter. In the case of evaluation as it pertains to teachers’ instructional practice, the evaluation is focused on how well the teacher meets the academic needs of her/his students in planning and delivery of instructional practices. As noted in Sergiovanni et. al (2014) in reference to Cizek (1997) this value judgement may also pertain to the “capacity of the person to perform the activity (p. 121).
Assessment however is typically a term more specific to individual outcomes and expectations. For example, formative assessment may be used to determine student learning outcomes specific to instruction, or, in other words, it may serve as a diagnostic tool to determine what students know and are able to do. Self-assessment, in this way, is essential both as it pertains to student learning and also to teacher development.
Mini Assessment for Self-Reflection:
Review Questions
Determine if each of the following examples describes an evaluation or an assessment, and think about why you identified it as such.