The development and implementation of an accurate teacher evaluation system continues to be a controversial topic in public education. Educational researchers study a variety of teacher evaluation systems searching for a fair and balanced method. Policy makers searching for an accurate form of evaluation believe that student achievement data should be included in teacher evaluations. Performance- Based evaluation was created in order to test the effectiveness of teachers and hold them accountable for student achievement, but questions continue to arise as to the validity of this evaluation method. This study examined the perceptions of elementary school teachers on performance-based evaluation. Four research questions were developed based on the components of performance-based evaluation. Nine interview questions were generated to investigate teacher perceptions of teacher evaluation and student achievement, sources of information for teacher evaluation, the accuracy of performance-based evaluation, and types of teacher incentives that may be included as part of performance-based evaluation. Four teachers, two of which currently participate in performance-based evaluations were interviewed. Their responses were coded to discover overarching themes and commonalities. Through the analysis of the responses, this researcher found that teachers are searching for a fair and balanced method of teacher evaluation and believe that performance-based evaluation could be the answer, if it is implemented correctly.
Performance-based assessments can provide an adequate and more direct evaluation of teaching ability. As performance-based assessments become more prevalent in institutions across the United States, there is an opportunity to begin more closely analyzing the impact of standardized performance assessments and the relationship to variables such as success entering the workforce, program re-visioning for participating institutions, and the perceptions and efficacy of teacher candidates themselves. Performance-Based Assessment in 21st Century Teacher Education is a collection of innovative research that explores meaningful and engaging performance-based assessments and its applications and addresses larger issues of assessment including the importance of a balanced approach of assessing knowledge and skills. The book also offers tangible structures for making strong connections between theory and practice and offers advice on how these assessments are utilized as data sources related to preservice teacher performance. While highlighting topics including faculty engagement, online programs, and curriculum mapping, this book is ideally designed for educators, administrators, principals, school boards, professionals, researchers, faculty, and students.
This quantitative dissertation explored the association between teacher self-efficacy and teacher perceptions of the Illinois teacher performance evaluation process. It also examined how the teacher evaluation system's procedures, the evaluative feedback received by the teacher, and the context of the evaluation process related to teacher self-efficacy in the areas of student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. Teachers from two different Illinois suburban public elementary school districts were surveyed. One school district employed the Charlotte Danielson Model and the other a more traditional evaluation model. The study results showed teachers who reported using a high quality teacher evaluation process also reported greater levels of self-efficacy. An association was not found among teacher perceptions of the evaluation system's procedures, evaluative feedback received, the context of the evaluation and self-efficacy in student engagement. An association was found between perceptions of the evaluation procedures and a teacher's reported self-efficacy in instructional strategies. A similar association was not found between the quality of evaluative feedback and teacher perceptions of self-efficacy in instructional strategies. Also, no associations were found among teacher perceptions of the evaluation system's procedures, evaluative feedback received, the context of the evaluation and self-efficacy in classroom management. The first exploratory research question found the type of performance evaluation tool used in the district does not impact teacher perceptions of self-efficacy. The second exploratory research question found significant differences in teacher perceptions of various aspects of performance evaluations depending upon whether a teacher is evaluated using the Danielson Framework or not. Specifically, teachers evaluated with the Danielson Framework have better perceptions of their own personal attributes, evaluation procedures, the quality of feedback received, and the context of the evaluation. This study showed teachers in school districts that implemented the Danielson Model perceived the evaluation procedures, the quality of feedback received, and the context of the evaluation more positively than teachers in school districts that were not utilizing the Danielson Model. Teachers who reported using a high quality teacher evaluation process also reported greater levels of self-efficacy. This was significant because it suggested the quality of the teacher evaluation process quality might be linked to teacher self-efficacy.
Teacher education has long relied on locally-developed assessments that lack reliability and validity. Rigorous performance-based assessments for preservice teachers have been advanced as one possible way to ensure that all students receive instruction from a high-quality teacher. Recently, performance-based assessments have been developed which focus on the application of knowledge of teaching and learning in a classroom setting. Our book explores factors related to the implementation of teacher performance assessments in varying state and institutional contexts. The contributors, teacher educators from across the country, focus on what was learned from inquiries conducted using diverse methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, self-studies, and mixed methods). Their research encompassed faculty, supervisors, cooperating teachers, and students’ perceptions and concerns of teacher performance assessments, case studies of curricular reform and/or resistance, analyses of experiences and needs as a result of the adoption of such assessments, and examinations of the results of program alignment and reform. The chapters showcase experiences which occurred during high-stakes situations, in implementation periods prior to high-stakes adoption, and in contexts where programs adopted performance assessments as an institutional policy rather than as a result of a state-wide mandate. Endorsements The chapters compiled for Implementing and Analyzing Performance Assessments in Teacher Education edited by Joyce E. Many and Ruchi Bhatnagar, present a thoughtful look at the challenges and solutions embedded in the adoption of teacher performance assessments for preservice teachers. Most chapters feature edTPA, the most commonly used performance assessment now mandated in numerous states and used voluntarily by other programs across the country, and reveal how such assessments shine a bright light on the problems of practice in teacher preparation (stressful timelines, faculty silos, communication with P-12 partners, etc.) when new requirements disrupt the status quo. Each chapter tells a valuable story of performance assessment implementation and approaches that offset compliance in favor of inquiry and educative experiences for candidates and programs alike. Andrea Whittaker, Ph.D edTPA National Director Stanford University Graduate School of Education UL-SCALE Many and Bhatnagar launch the AAPE book series with a curated volume highlighting the contexts in which teacher educators implement and utilize performance assessments in educator preparation. Together, the chapters present research from various viewpoints—from candidates, faculty, university supervisors, and clinical partners—using diverse methodologies and approaches. The volume contributes significantly to the program assessment research landscape by providing examples of how performance assessments inform preparation at the intersection of praxis and research, and campus and field. These chapters provide a critical foundation for teacher educators eager to leverage performance assessments to improve their programs. Diana B. Lys, EdD. Assistant Dean of Educator Preparation and Accreditation School of Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A study was conducted to determine the extent to which public school teachers of kindergarten through grade 6 have experienced formal evaluations in their current school and the procedures employed in evaluating teacher performance. The nationally representative Survey on Teacher Performance Evaluations was administered to approximately 1,000 elementary school teachers in the spring of 1993. Findings include the following: (1) most teachers (89 percent) believe their last performance evaluation provided an accurate assessment of their teaching performance; (2) 94 percent reported that evaluation criteria were known to them prior to assessment; (3) 92 percent reported that their most recent evaluation included classroom observations; (4) while 99 percent said that subject matter knowledge should be a consideration in performance evaluation, only 65 percent said it had been considered in their most recent evaluation; (5) most teachers perceived that their evaluators were competent to judge performance in selected aspects of teaching; and (6) three-fourths of the sample indicated that determining teachers' pay levels was not an objective of evaluations at their school, and 50 percent agree that this should not be an objective. Fourteen statistical tables of estimates and standard errors and a sample copy of the survey instrument are appended. (LL)
This study features a collection of eight case studies of exemplary cases from secondary schools as well as international literature reviews and policy analysis related to formative assessment.
In recent decades, changes to federal and state accountability policy and related teacher evaluation systems occurred in the United States with minimal input from two of the largest groups of stakeholders impacted: principals and teachers. For this case study, I explored principals' and teachers' perceptions of their experiences with the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), specifically the role of leadership practices and use of the evaluation rubric as a policy tool within an evaluation process. The study took place at one elementary school. Teachers perceived the evaluation process as carrying out its intended purpose of improving instruction through professional growth. Principals and teachers viewed the teacher evaluation system and the teacher evaluation rubric, a policy tool designed to facilitate and inform the processes and practices used to improve instruction in their districts and schools, as effective. Important district-level decisions also impacted how principals and teachers perceived the T-TESS. District-level decisions included policy related to frequency of required observations, methods of including student performance data, decisions related whether to issue a single rating or multiple ratings, and evaluation of specialized teachers. School-based leadership behaviors and practices were also found to influence teachers' perceptions related to the effectiveness of teacher evaluation which included a focus on school culture, leadership style employed, evaluation training, and use of the evaluation rubric. The findings of this study have implications for policy decisions, district-leadership decisions, and school-based leadership practice related to teacher evaluation, both in Texas as well as the nation.
