Teacher evaluation systems are being overhauled by states and districts across the United States. And, while intentions are admirable, the result for many new systems is that good--often excellent--teachers are lost in the process. In the end, students are the losers. In her new book, Linda Darling-Hammond makes a compelling case for a…

As teachers who care deeply about the quality of their own teaching and the development of teaching as a profession, the authors write this article from their conviction that performance assessments in teaching are a critical strategy for developing teachers' expertise and for improving the quality of teacher preparation. They note that the…

There is a growing consensus that evidence of teachers' contributions to student learning should be a component of teacher evaluation systems, along with evidence about the quality of teachers' practice. Value-added models (VAMs), designed to evaluate student test score gains from one year to the next are often promoted as tools to accomplish this…

As a major policy focus, teacher evaluation is currently the primary tool promoted to improve teaching quality. But evaluation alone is not enough. What will most transform teaching quality--and the profession--is the creation of a larger system that supports teaching and learning through on-the-job evaluation and professional development, and…

Parents, practitioners, and policymakers agree that the key to improving public education in America is placing highly skilled and effective teachers in all classrooms. Yet the nation still lacks a practical set of standards and assessments that can guarantee that teachers, particularly new teachers, are well prepared and ready to teach. This…

Content and performance standards can underlie high-quality assessments that provide useful information about how students and schools are doing. These data should be used to inform teaching decisions, trigger special supports for students' learning, and evaluate school practices, rather than simply allocating mechanistically determined rewards…

Del Schalock, Mark Schalock, and David Myton suggest that the education profession is stuck on an "input" teacher-assessment approach that fails to consider effects on student learning. They offer the Oregon Work Sampling Methodology as an exemplary alternative to portfolios and performance assessments. Although the Oregon WSM is a…

Shortcomings of current testing policies have heightened interest in alternative assessment methods. Authentic assessments truly represent performance, evaluate against openly expressed standards, help students learn to evaluate themselves, and require public presentation and defense of their work. (SK)

Teacher educators and teachers must be leaders in developing learner-centered standards for preparing teachers. Standards can help teachers build their own knowledge and understanding of what helps students learn. As schools undergo restructuring, teachers will be responsible for students, not just subject-matter information; for understanding how…

Central Park East Secondary School (New York) is a school committed to authentic and learner-centered education. The school has developed an approach to assessing student performance that is active, authentic, and learner-centered. Students in the school's Senior Institute, a division comparable to the traditional grades 11 and 12, prepare 14…

This paper offers highlights from the final report of Stanford's School Leadership Study, which should be available in January 2007. It discusses various policy and resource factors that enhance or impede the implementation of exemplary programs that develop and support principals. Among the research questions that guided this study were a set…