Let’s think about one idea that might be helpful: process versus event. Where do we see this in practice? A standard question we ask students when face to face is “What is the most difficult time of year?” Typically, at least one student will talk about the end of each quarter, semester, or marking period. When asked why that is so hard, the answer is always “The faculty are rushing to get work done so they can have ‘marks’ to report on."
Let’s talk exams. They are generally high-pressure assessments that happen at a traditionally prescribed time. Hence the labels “midterms” and “finals.” They are schedule-centric and grounded in the 20th-century learning model. No matter if students have had the time to master the material, exams happen when they are calendar-bound.
“Testing days back teachers into corners, often forcing them to either test before their class is ready or too late in the curriculum, restricting the class from moving on,” wrote Taylor Elias when he was a junior at Wayland High School in Massachusetts.
This speaks to assessment as an event rather than a process. In an organic system, it would be most unlikely for everyone to finish at the same time and evaluate on the same day. Process suggests that assessment is ongoing and not an event.
Wouldn’t this be good for everyone?
Another place where process versus event occurs is in the faculty member’s own life. The dreaded word evaluation is disliked precisely because it almost always falls into the event paradigm. Why is that so? Why should evaluation be all about one time in the month, semester, year when the Department Chair, a peer, the Division Head, or the School Head shows up to find out whether you are doing a great job (or not)? No wonder the word is not a friendly one, and not a valued one either. Such events are considered largely worthless.
When evaluation is placed within a process paradigm, however, the value changes. ISM’s new teacher evaluation model focuses on using a series of school-defined characteristics of excellence for faculty members, then working with the teachers to set professional goals and provide support. Evaluation is actually a long-term process involving conversation, professional development, evaluation, and corrective action processes.
Within this design, evaluation has the feel of ongoing support rather than periodic measurement.
Look for examples of process versus event in your own culture and try to always move toward process. It’s good for students, faculty, and the health of your culture overall.
Additional ISM resources of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 10 No. 8 Re-Designing Your Teacher Evaluation Process
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads Vol. 9 No. 6 Rethinking Exam Periods for Optimal Assessment
Additional ISM resources of interest for Consortium Gold members
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 37 No. 14 The 21st Century School: Exam Periods
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 37 No. 2 A 21st Century Teacher Evaluation Model
