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State Approved Tools: Teacher Evaluation

In November 2015, Public Act 173 was signed into law, providing important clarity to the ongoing policy discussions about the direction of teacher evaluations in Michigan. In June 2016, Public Act 170 was signed into law, specifically stating in Section 1249(8) that a “teacher” is defined as “an individual who has a valid Michigan teaching certificate or authorization; who is employed, or contracted for, by a school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy; and who is assigned by the school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy to deliver direct instruction to pupils in any of grades K to 12 as a teacher of record.”

State Approved Observation Tools for Teachers

The Michigan Department of Education recommends using one of the five observation tools listed below for observing classroom teaching. School districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies are not limited to only using these evaluation tools.

 

Postings and Assurances for District Use

Law requires each school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy to post certain information on its public website about the evaluation tool(s) used.

Postings and Assurances Documents for District Use

Educator Evaluation Tool Application and Scoring Guide

The Michigan Educator Evaluation Tool Scoring Guide provides the framework and mechanism through which the applications for educator evaluation tools will be evaluated for potential inclusion on the list of state-approved tools.

Michigan Educator Evaluation Tool Application and Scoring Guide

Educator Evaluations for Employees Working Under Permits

Permits, Special Education Approvals, and Annual Career Authorizations are used by schools to provide staffing flexibilities when a certified educator is not available and/or they want to grow an individual into the profession. Full-year permits require observation and evaluation for renewal.

Educator Evaluations for Employees Working Under Permits

Additional Resources

A collection of outside resources related to teaching standards, classroom observations, feedback, collecting evidence, and improving evaluator reliability.