Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching (FFT) Chosen as a Teaching Evaluation Rubric for New York State

Danielson partners with Teachscape as the FFT provider for New York State

SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New York State Department of Education (NYSED) has selected the Framework for Teaching (FFT) as a rubric for teacher evaluation that is aligned with New York State standards of practice for teachers and/or principals. Created by Charlotte Danielson, the FFT is a research-based tool used as the basis for teacher evaluation systems in thousands of schools nationwide and overseas. By implementing the FFT, schools ensure a consistent process for evaluating teacher effectiveness that is based on a solid foundation of research and is demonstrated to be strongly correlated to student growth.

"The Framework for Teaching is already the only recommended framework for classroom observations in New York City schools and we are very pleased that the FFT's benefits are extending statewide," said Charlotte Danielson. "The FFT provides schools with a consistent process for evaluating teacher effectiveness in part because it creates a common language around instructional improvement during mentoring, coaching, professional development and teacher evaluation processes."

To facilitate the effective adoption of the FFT, Charlotte Danielson has entered into a partnership with Teachscape, the leader in delivering web-based professional learning content, innovative technologies, and expert services to improve teaching practice. The partnership is focused on developing tools based on the FFT that enable fair and reliable evaluation, actively engage teachers in the process, and train evaluators to conduct reliable and accurate evaluations.

"The Teachscape technology makes the FFT more accessible for day-to-day professional learning," said Danielson. "With it, coaches, mentors and evaluators can provide more meaningful ideas and feedback to educators."

The FFT was recently embedded into Teachscape Reflect, the first solution to combine 360-degree video capture hardware and online software, to enhance the professional learning process by providing educators with a research-based framework against which classroom videos can be evaluated.   "The integration of the FFT with Teachscape Reflect has improved the way that our technology can be used in the classroom," said Mark Atkinson, founder and chief strategist of Teachscape. "Crafting a common language for evaluating teaching practice is at the heart of our incorporation of the FFT into Reflect."

More Teachscape products are scheduled for release this fall, including the Danielson Proficiency System, which is based on the FFT and helps districts and states ensure inter-rater reliability and fair evaluations. Developed in partnership with Charlotte Danielson and ETS, the evaluator training, practice videos, and proficiency test provide districts with a rigorous and robust research-based tool to certify evaluators.

New York joins a growing list of states to adopt the Danielson Framework for Teaching.  The FFT is the default teacher evaluation framework in Illinois. It has also been adopted statewide in Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho and South Dakota and approved in Florida, New Jersey, and Washington. In addition to statewide adoptions, the FFT has been adopted by hundreds of districts in other states including Los Angeles Unified School District, Pittsburgh Public Schools and Hillsborough County Public Schools.

About Charlotte Danielson
Charlotte Danielson is an internationally recognized expert in the area of teacher effectiveness, specializing in the design of teacher evaluation systems that, while ensuring teacher quality, also promote professional learning. She advises State Education Departments and National Ministries and Departments of Education, both in the United States and overseas. She is frequently a keynote speaker at national and international conferences and is as a policy consultant to legislatures and administrative bodies.

Ms. Danielson's many publications range from defining good teaching ("Enhancing Professional  Practice: a framework for teaching," 2007), to organizing schools for student success ("Enhancing Student Achievement: a framework for school improvement," 2002), to teacher leadership ("Teacher Leadership that Strengthens the Profession," 2006), to professional conversations ("Talk about Teaching! Conducting Professional Conversations," 2009), to numerous practical instruments and training programs (both onsite and online) to assist practitioners in implementing her ideas. For more information on Ms. Danielson and her work, visit the Danielson Group at http://www.danielsongroup.org/index.htm.

About Teachscape
Teachscape uniquely combines innovative technology, engaging content and expert services to develop great teachers. From its Classroom Walkthrough technology, to its powerful web-based content delivery platform, to its online masters programs, Teachscape's award-winning products and services have been inspired by its dedication to sparking transformative change in teaching practice.  Since 1999, Teachscape has worked with schools and school districts, charter networks, archdioceses, universities and state education departments to measurably and continuously improve the effectiveness of teachers and instructional leaders to produce gains in student achievement. Teachscape's partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stanford University, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Charlotte Danielson to help shape its vision, its products, and its strategies. To learn more about Teachscape and its complete collection of professional development offerings, go to http://www.teachscape.com.

SOURCE Teachscape