Inclusive Design: Building Educator Evaluation Systems That Support Students with Disabilities. Special Issues Brief. Revised Edition

This Special Issues Brief from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) offers recommendations for the design and implementation of educator evaluation systems that support the academic and social growth of students with disabilities. Teachers of students with disabilities work closely with specialized instructional support personnel to educate students with a range of needs across a wide variety of educational contexts. Because evaluative feedback on teacher performance is closely linked to student achievement, there is a critical need for states and districts to design evaluation models that can provide feedback specific to the diverse roles and responsibilities of personnel who work with students with disabilities. For states and districts grappling with the evaluation of personnel who support students with disabilities, this brief will help them do the following: (1) Contextualize the challenges of designing educator evaluation systems that recognize the unique roles, responsibilities, and instructional practices of personnel charged with supporting the academic and social growth of students with disabilities; (2) Implement eight key design considerations for educator evaluation systems that support teachers of students with disabilities through (a) measures of teaching practice and (b) measures of student growth. Each design consideration outlines potential action steps related to the state or district's implementation of the consideration; and (3) Connect theory to practice through seven case studies from states that are currently implementing featured design considerations. This brief is intended for district and state education agency policymakers and staff (including educator effectiveness leads), special education advocacy groups or professional organizations, and educator quality organizations. The considerations presented will be especially useful for stakeholder groups in the initial phases of designing an educator evaluation system or stakeholder groups in the process of revising or refining existing educator evaluation systems.