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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Stronge Standards on Teacher Performance in International Schools
By Jess Hench and Xianxuan Xu 20-May-15
AISH endorses Stronge standards Teacher effectiveness has proven to be the most influential school-related factor in student learning outcomes, and it mediates the impact that any school reform has on student performance. For over 20 years, Stronge & Associates Educational Consulting, LLC have researched and developed teacher standards and indicators that delineate teacher performance expectations and aim to serve as a basis for evaluating and developing good teaching. These standards and indicators focus on teachers’ skills and behaviors that have direct impact on student learning outcomes. They are generated from a thorough review of extant literature that examined what constitutes teacher effectiveness. They also have been field-tested and validated in numerous U.S. states and international schools. The Academy for International School Heads (AISH) highly recommends and endorses the Stronge & Associates teacher performance standards as the preferred standards for international schools. The AISH and Stronge & Associates partnership highlights the importance of a common set of expectations for teacher performance across international schools. Bambi Betts, CEO of AISH, expressed: “AISH is strongly committed to its mission to make a significant contribution to learning and leading in international schools and recognizes that, with over 400 members, we have the potential to be hugely influential in international school practice. “To achieve this, it is fundamental that we begin to establish a universal industry wide ‘standard’ of what constitutes effective teaching and leading, rooted in honest research. Following a full review, the AISH board concluded that the Stronge Standards fully serve this purpose.” Performance standards describe the major duties and responsibilities of teachers. There are seven performance standards: 1. Professional Knowledge The teacher demonstrates an understanding of the curriculum, subject content, and the developmental needs of students by providing relevant learning experiences. 2. Instructional Planning The teacher plans using the school’s curriculum, effective strategies, resources, and data to meet the needs of all students. 3. Instructional Delivery The teacher effectively engages students in learning by using a variety of instructional strategies in order to meet individual learning needs. 4. Assessment of/for Learning The teacher systematically gathers, analyzes, and uses data to measure student progress, guide instruction, and provide timely feedback. 5. Learning Environment The teacher uses resources, routines, and procedures to provide a respectful, positive, safe, student-centered environment that is conducive to learning. 6. Professionalism The teacher maintains a commitment to professional ethics, international- mindedness, and the school’s mission; communicates effectively; and participates in professional growth that results in enhancement of student learning. 7. Student Progress The work of the teacher results in acceptable and measurable student progress. These seven standards are useful for a variety of reasons. First, they provide standards for excellence in accreditation. They also provide consistency across international schools and help unite them into a functional system with a common focus. The standards also enable international schools to have consistent hiring guidelines, ensuring that the best educators are selected. Additionally, the performance standards enable international schools to have a common understanding of expectations among educators, and a consistent framework for evaluation. By using a common set of performance standards, evaluators are able to document teacher effectiveness and to provide a “performance portrait” of each teacher based on a comprehensive conception of the job responsibilities of teachers. This facilitates targeted feedback and continuous teacher growth and development. Performance indicators provide research-based examples of observable, tangible behaviors within each performance standard. Indicators serve international schools well by providing consistency across diverse schools. They add an additional level of fidelity to the performance standards and may be useful in guiding the quality of responses in hiring interviews. They also serve as “look fors” in teacher evaluation, to help identify strengths and weaknesses within each of the seven performance standards. The Stronge teacher performance standards and indicators can serve as the thread that ties international schools together, creating a worldwide team of effective educators who will best prepare students for success in this globalized world. As Bambi Betts remarks, “We share leaders, teachers, students, curriculum, and the singular ‘mission’ of equitable access to learning by every child. How can we not share the most critical ingredient in an effective school—standards for teaching? From hiring to appraisal, these standards have the potential to be truly catalytic to learning.” For further information, please visit www.StrongeAndAssociates.com or email [email protected].
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