Classroom teachers in Hawaii public schools are evaluated by their students every year.

When you think about it, this is quite an empowering thing for students. Few professionals are regularly evaluated by the people they serve, and children are rarely asked in a formal way whether the adults in their lives are doing right by them.

Having been both a student and a teacher recently, I wondered how these surveys were done. As a grad student, I was made to fill out online evaluations of my professors before I could get my final grade. That seemed weird and slightly perilous. As a teacher, I had to come up with my own evaluation questions, which was hard.

So this is how it works: In Hawaii public schools, starting as young as third grade and all the way through senior year, students are asked to respond to statements such as:

» I like the way my teacher treats me when I need help.

» My teacher knows when students understand and when we do not.

» My teacher pushes everyone to work hard.

The Educator Effectiveness System, a method of evaluating teachers, was introduced in Hawaii schools in 2013. Only teachers rated as effective or highly effective are eligible for pay increases, while an unsatisfactory rating could lead to termination. Half of a teacher’s annual rating is based on student learning and growth, measured by standardized test scores. The other half is based on teaching practices, evaluated through classroom observations and these student surveys.

The students respond to the statements using a 5-point Likert scale, with options ranging from “Totally Untrue” to “Totally True.” Schools can do the surveys either on paper or online. Either way, the survey takes about 30 minutes.

Student anonymity is protected in a number of ways; for example, each student gets a blank envelope in which to put completed responses. Anonymity is important for honesty in the evaluation of someone who holds a position of power.

Teachers are asked to reflect on the students’ responses as part of the teaching practices section of their evaluation. However, there isn’t a direct connection between the student responses and teacher pay raises; therefore, a strict teacher who is effective but not necessarily beloved would not be penalized for demanding rigor.

The students’ evaluations of their teachers are not made public, though parents can ask to view copies of the responses in the office of their child’s school. The questions were developed through the Tripod Project, a partnership between Cambridge Education and Ronald F. Ferguson of Harvard University.

Among the questions on the survey are some particularly trenchant ones that seem to describe for students what good teaching looks like and what they should expect:

» In this class we learn to correct our mistakes.

» This class is neat — everything has a place and things are easy to find.

» If you don’t understand something, my teacher explains it another way.

» In this class my teacher accepts nothing less than our full effort.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.