Educator Effectiveness and Human Capital Management Systems
The systems that prepare, support, evaluate, retain, and compensate effective teachers and leaders are vital. VARC collaborates with organizations across the country to improve these systems to enhance educator quality. We provide support in areas such as:
- Teacher Preparation: Using value-added measures, we assist colleges and universities in evaluating graduates from their teacher education programs. Our findings inform how these institutions recruit candidates, improve curriculum, and produce effective teacher candidates.
- Student Growth Measures: We analyze data from state and local assessments to select, develop, and implement student growth measures—particularly value added. These growth measures represent one important indicator of educator effectiveness that is combined with other indicators under a multiple measures approach.
- Non-tested Grades and Subjects: We offer approaches to measuring the effectiveness of teachers in grades and content areas not typically covered by standardized tests. Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) are one popular solution that our experts implement.
- Educator Observation Rubrics: We work with states and districts to select and implement appropriate observation protocols for evaluating educators and identifying areas for professional development.
- Combining Multiple Measures: Educator evaluation systems include multiple measures of effectiveness (e.g., value-added and observation scores). We provide alternatives for calculating evaluation ratings and anticipate the implications of each option.
- Performance-based Compensation Systems (PBCS): Using the latest research on educator effectiveness, we consult with states and districts in the developing and implementing PBCS. These systems provide a mechanism to reward educators for classroom performance and their students’ academic outcomes.