Will DC's IMPACT Teacher Evaluation System Affect Your School District?

Among the issues associated with former District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee, one stands out: the IMPACT program. Teachers, administrators and parents across the country have been watching to see the results of this controversial initiative and to assess how it might eventually affect their respective school districts.

What is IMPACT?

According to the DCPS, it's an effectiveness assessment system for teachers and other school personnel. IMPACT is a performance-based compensation system. Rhee and her staff implemented it in 2009.

IMPACT immediately proved controversial because it made teachers in the public schools of the nation's capital some of the first in the country whose job security is tied to students' performance on standardized tests.

Rhee initially invested $4 million in the IMPACT system, the Washington Post reported, in an effort to boost sagging test scores. The Washington Teachers Union immediately reacted by treating the new system as a punitive practice where educators were concerned.

How IMPACT Works

The pay-for-performance system is being implemented in stages. In 2009, for example, only reading and math teachers in grades 4 through 8 were evaluated. Of the District's 3,500 classroom instructors, this group represented fewer than 20 percent.

During an academic year, DCPS teachers are observed five times in the classroom. Some of the evaluations are conducted by administrators at the respective schools. The remaining observations are completed by individuals designated as Master Educators during half-hour classroom visits.

Teachers receive scores in 22 areas across nine categories. Important objectives include clarity in defining the objectives of a lesson and convincing students that hard work results in success. Scores range from a low of 100 to a high of 400, with teachers scoring below 175 subject to dismissal.

The Results

Since IMPACT is a phased initiative, it's too early to assess its success as far as standardized test scores. In July 2010, DCPS fueled the controversy surrounding the initiative by announcing it was firing 302 employees, 241 of whom were teachers. According to CNN, Rhee said that 76 of those on the list were being fired due to licensing problems. Exactly how many were slated to lose their jobs due to IMPACT was unclear.

The Washington Teachers Union came out figuratively swinging, citing a membership study that revealed a majority of teachers believed IMPACT wasn't a fair system. The union, however, has no vote in determining any system used to evaluate public school teachers in the District. Negative feedback also came from the American Federation of Teachers, whose president told CNN that IMPACT itself needed further evaluation.

In the midst of the continuing controversy over the teacher evaluation system, the Washington Post in 2010 found a number of teachers and parents who saw IMPACT in a positive light. The educators said it caused them to focus on what students really need and multiple learning styles.

Use in Other School Districts

Public school districts across the country are following IMPACT and its innovative approach to teacher compensation. As they attempt to evaluate which, if any, facets of the initiative might be useful in their own school systems, a number of questions immediately emerge.

One of the biggest is the advisability of conducting five evaluations in a year. This is more than most educators have ever experienced and an intimidating prospect for relatively new teachers.

Critics also raise the issue of the cost of training and compensating teachers to perform evaluations as so-called "master educators." They also cite a shortage of qualified evaluators and label the system as imperfect at best when it comes to an overall method to evaluate teachers.

Until sufficient results from testing are available, both critics and supporters will have to wait to see whether IMPACT ultimately succeeds or fails and whether it will affect their school districts. As for Michelle Rhee, she's moved on to another job.

Sources:

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/In+the+Classroom/Ensuring+
Teacher+Success/IMPACT+%28Performance+Assessment%29

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content
/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004729.html

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-23/us/district.of.columbia.
teachers.fired_1_rates-teachers-highly-effective-teacher-
washington-teachers-union?_s=PM:US

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/02/
dc_teacher_evaluation_looks_be.html