Value-added metrics or models (VAMs) are an important component of the teacher evaluation process that evaluators use to determine the value teachers add to their students' academic achievement. VAMs are used to arrive at a score that is derived from the number of the teachers' students who pass and/or fail a standardized assessment. While prior…

Indiana K-12 teacher evaluations were lawfully mandated by Public Law (PL) 90 in 2012. PL 90 required all public-school teachers to be rated annually by their administrators using a state approved teacher evaluation rubric. Teachers were evaluated as highly effective, effective, needs improvement, and ineffective. Student achievement and growth on…

While instructional coaching has existed since the mid-1800s, such models became widespread in the 1950s. With so many annual federal mandates in educational legislation aimed to ensure high student achievement, there has been a nationwide increase in the use of instructional coaching models to improve the quality of instruction. The professional…

The evaluation, improvement, and accountability of teachers has been the topic of the nation throughout the era of No Child Left Behind. Where some critics point to a business model of measuring outputs (i.e., student achievement scores on standardized tests) to evaluate teacher performance, others will advocate for a fair evaluation system that…

Principals know that effective teachers are the greatest school-based contributors to improved student outcomes. What is not always clear is how principals can help teachers adapt their instructional practices to the increasingly diverse learning styles they find in their classrooms. Teacher evaluation practices are typically not seen as a tool…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…