The assessment movement within higher education will not meet its broadest objectives unless it pays more attention to educational processes through process management. Process management holds that quality suffers when those who produce the goods or services are not directly accountable to the stakeholders in the production enterprise. Within…

An approach to supervision and evaluation of student teachers includes identification of generic teaching competencies and a systematic appraisal with reference to established desirable teaching behaviors. Structured Classroom Observation Guides, focusing on particular skills during each week of the practicum experience and progressing from basic…

Since July 1, 1985, all new faculty appointed to tenure-track positions in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) have been subject to a promotion process which has been modified twice in the past 2 years. In addition, a new evaluation procedure and instrument have been adopted, and a competitive "Merit Step Advancement" feature has been…

During the 1985-86 school year an Intern-Mentor Program was implemented in all four regions of the District of Columbia Public Schools by the Incentive Programs Office. This program, designed to improve the teaching performance of first-year, beginning teachers, involved 90 new teachers and 10 specially selected mentor teachers. Mentors provided…

Use of nationally standardized tests to determine teacher competency continues to be a subject for review in state and federal courts. School district policies have promoted minimum score requirements as a basis for employment decisions concerning certification, hiring, renewal, promotion, and merit pay. Legal challenges to these policies focus…

A study tested the hypothesis that elementary school teachers who were less authoritarian in their beliefs were more effective in the classroom. The independent variable was the California F-scale score of the 142 subjects (all education graduates of Tennessee Technological University), while dependent variables were measures of classroom…

Instructional leadership studies are plentiful but have many shortcomings, including lack of definition of key variables, problems of causality, overrepresentation of exemplary schools, and lack of validity and reliability in research design and implementation. Definitions of "leadership" and "instruction" are needed. There is…

Describes (1) the rapid growth in the number of states requiring teacher competency testing prior to certification and (2) variations in teacher testing for other purposes. Discusses the perceived need for teacher testing and outlines some consequences of the testing movement. Widespread testing of school administrators may be next. (IW)

Presents a discussion of the legal context of evaluation systems upon which merit pay programs are based. Following the discussion of the law, a model merit pay program is presented. (MLF)

Examines the implications for educational labor relations in the recommendations from "A Nation at Risk." Reviews Michigan's and Wisconsin's employment relations acts and the National Labor Relations Act. (MD)

This publication assembles the most current research on professional development and change for teachers looking to accelerate their professional growth and the improvement of student learning. Designed as a how-to resource, it reviews the stages of building an effective professional development system. The seven chapters are: (1) "Developing a…

Discusses teachers' responses to a survey on teacher competency testing. Describes Georgia's competency test and its results. Investigates the use of classroom performance as a test factor. Presents Georgia's test development process. (MLV)

Examines the nature of the relationship between student teachers and associate teachers through a collaborative research project. The study utilized interviews, observations, and journal entries to determine positive and negative aspects. Benefits included new ideas, energetic presentations, and relief time for the teacher. Drawbacks included…

This paper presents the results of a study on faculty workload undertaken by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) as part of its ongoing interest in issues of cost and productivity in higher education. The survey not only included responses from SHEEO members in the 50 states, but also from multi-institutional system governing…

Higher education relies on student ratings to evaluate faculty teaching, partly because the alternatives (expert peer appraisals or objective performance criteria) are costly or unavailable. Because student ratings are crucial not only to improving instruction, but also in making or breaking faculty careers, it is important to assure that they…