Modern Teacher Evaluation

A Central Issue in Modern

Education
Chris Weber
Getting Started
- Teacher Evaluation: The process of judging whether or not an educator is
doing an effective job, it is the measurement of their job performance.

- Issue: Not so cut and dry, depends on a multitude of factors.

- Why is it important? It is essential that teachers are doing effective work as

their students represent the future of society and the quality of their
education is pivotal to the success of our nation in the future.
Lesson Review
- A review or analysis of a teachers class session or the lesson plan itself,
normally by a chairperson, principal, or administrator.

- Purpose: Making sure the teacher is covering the correct material and doing
so in a clear and coherent manner.

- Example: TAP(Teacher Advancement Program)- Announced observations

are preceded by in-depth teacher conferences during which the evaluator and
teacher examine the lesson to identify a strength, weakness, and specific plan
for improvement(Culbertson, 2012, para. 6).
Impact of Student Assessment
- Mixed reviews, is this a clear or accurate indication of teacher performance?

- Race to the Top Initiative 2009: Goal was to improve teacher efficiency, giving
grants to states who are performing well.

- Cons of student test scores: In practice no test meets this stringent

standard, and it needs to be recognized, most VAMs predict only performance
on the test and not long-ranging outcomes(Strauss, 2015, para. 8).

- Pros: 2005 in Louisiana- The state takes student test scores in grades 4-9
and traces them back to their teachers, who are then traced back to whatever
institution gave them their training and certification(Navarette, 2011, para. 8).
Student Polls/Surveys
- Course Evaluations: Students are afforded the opportunity to give feedback
to their school on their educators and classes(Molloy is an example of this).

- Rate My Professors/Teachers: Students write their reviews of certain

teachers, along with the class they took them with. This is informal but it can
potentially reflect attitudes towards particular teachers.

- This feedback must be carefully considered but is a valuable tool, given the
students are the main recipient of the educators teaching, and the focus of
the education system
Colleague Review
- Teacher to teacher, much like peer review, where co-workers guide and
assist each other in their efforts.

- Example: Columbus Peer Assistance and Review Program in Ohio

- The PAR program requires all new teachers to work with a consulting, or
mentor, teacher. Struggling teachers can enter the program either voluntarily
or through administrator recommendation(Hertling, 1999, para. 8).

- Results: Eighty percent of new teachers are still on the job five years later,
while in other urban districts without peer review, 50 percent of new hires
leave after five years(Hertling, 1999, para. 8).
Classroom Observations
- This is when an individual sits in on a class session, and observes a teacher.

- Gives the observer a first-hand look at the teacher, seeing their performance
for themselves.

- Example: TES in Cincinnati Public Schools, 2000-2001. Teachers are typically

observed in the classroom and scored four times: 3 times by an assigned peer
evaluator and once by the principal or another school administrator(Taylor &
Tyler, 2012, para. 12).

- Results: Student math achievement was .09 standard deviations higher for
teachers whose overall evaluation score was 1 standard deviation
higher(reading was .08)(Taylor & Tyler, 2012, para. 12).
In Conclusion
- We can all agree that teachers need to be evaluated and held accountable,
but how?

- The whole process can be intimidating to many but as aspiring educators we

have a major advantage.

- We actually have first-hand experience of the profession, fourteen years

myself!

- We have actually seen effective and ineffective teachers over the course of
time and have thought about how we would approach our possible job
References
Hertling, E. (1999). Peer Review of teachers. Teacher Librarian, 27(2), p.26.

Navarette, R. (2011, January). Teacher-Training Program Evaluation Should Be

Based on Student Test Scores. Opposing Viewpoints: School Reform.

Culbertson, J. (2012). Putting the Value in Teacher Evaluation. Phi Delta Kappan
Magazine, 94(3), pp. 14-18.doi:10.1177/003172171209400304

Taylor, E.S. (2012). Can Teacher Evaluation Improve Teaching? Education Next,
12(4), pp.78-84.

Strauss, V. (2015, April). How students with top test scores actually hurt a
teachers evaluation: You wont believe how convoluted -- and, frankly,
ridiculous - - this teacher evaluation process is. Washington Post- Blogs.