Under Dallas ISD’s new Teacher Excellence Initiative evaluation system, we are now able to identify what highly effective teaching looks like. The Distinguished Teacher Review is a process within TEI that seeks to identify the district’s most effective teachers by examining their contributions to the teaching profession, lifelong learning and leadership.
Three-member teams visit a teacher’s classroom for a 45-minute lesson cycle looking for signs of effective teaching like high levels of student engagement and student directed learning.
SEE ALSO: VIDEO: Teachers work together on DTR applications
“It makes me think about the work I am doing, what I am doing well, what I am not doing well and what I can do better,” said Jill Stone fifth grade science teacher Juan Quesada, one of the first teachers to undergo the district’s Distinguished Teacher Review classroom observation.
More than 1400 teachers are scheduled to receive an observation between now and May of this year as part of the Distinguished Teacher Review.
SEE ALSO: Behind the scenes with classroom observers
“If you have a principal that comes and spot checks you constantly, then you get used to being observed and DTR observation doesn’t really become a big deal,” said Quesada.
The district’s focus on identifying even more high quality teachers is a large step in creating the highest level of quality instruction for all students across Dallas ISD.
