Outlines five myths used as arguments against teacher merit pay. While teacher preparation, salaries, and evaluation are essential elements of performance pay plans, they should not be isolated from related issues. Includes a sidebar on problems the Fairfax County (Virginia) merit pay plan is encountering with the teacher union. (MD)

The recent national report on the quality of education in the United States has noted the need for effective methods of evaluating teaching performance. These evaluations are best done by administrators. The pros and cons of various approaches to evaluation are discussed. Includes five references. (Author/MD)

Teacher dismissals are made more difficult by administrators who do not understand their roles as teacher evaluators. To establish thorough, grievance-free teacher evaluation procedures, a successful series of strategies and techniques developed by the Pinellas County (Florida) schools is presented. (MD)

Presents effective methods of conducting and documenting teacher interviews. Provides an outline for developing interview skills and documenting the selection process. (MD)

Offers suggestions to help secondary school administrators develop evaluation schemes that support the improvement of instruction, including separating accountability and supervisory functions, basing observation criteria on research, and making evaluation criteria specific. (FL)

Observation is important in evaluation, but artifact collection should also be used as a supplement to observation. This article includes a framework for analysis of content, design, and presentation of such material in teacher evaluation. (MD)

Presents a proposal for effective teacher supervision and evaluation that puts the responsibility for supervision on someone close to the teachers, while the responsibility for evaluation remains the principal's. Includes diagrams outlining supervision and evaluation procedures. (MD)

An effective teacher evaluation program geared toward instructional improvement is described. It includes frequent interaction between administrators and teachers and is participatory, diagnostic, and cooperative. (MD)

This book shows how a school district's local teacher evaluation committee can design evaluation systems in which educators can achieve the dual purposes of accountability and professional development and even merge these purposes. A structural framework for designing the evaluation is proposed that locates teachers in one of three tracks: the…

A reduction in force (RIF) policy not exclusively based on seniority includes appeal procedures and provisions for teachers nearing retirement. A point system determines RIF order: supervisors assess teachers' planning and organization, instructional techniques, classroom and school environment, and professional attitude. Education, teaching…

Suggests a method of evaluating teachers that includes a daily lesson plan form to be completed by the teachers being evaluated. The form lists the general and specific objectives of the class period, the concepts involved, teaching methods and teaching materials, and the methods for testing the students. (Author/RW)

Suggests ways of judging teacher performance based on the five basic steps in the teacher evaluation process: (1) gathering information and making judgments; (2) holding the evaluation conference; (3) identifying areas needing improvement; (4) providing assistance; and (5) guiding the teacher out of teaching if improvement cannot be made.…

Traces the history of teacher assessment and of research on classroom interactions. Lists key elements in an assessment program. Discusses the need for trained assessors, teacher cooperation, and reevaluation. (WD)

Lists 12 performance standards, each with defining behavior indicators, that constitute competencies for instructors at the Bell System Center for Technical Education and that support goals and objectives of the Center's training program. Included is the Instructor Effectiveness Feedback Checklist used by training managers during observations of…

Presents a round-robin technique (in which each faculty member is evaluated by all the others in a single session) developed by a small, highly specialized faculty group to meet a new peer evaluation requirement. Notes that this technique does not require classroom observation, but still provides comprehensive and useful critiques. (SR)