Assesses the use of seven common faculty evaluation methods (teacher interviews, competency tests, student evaluation, student achievement, classroom observation, peer review, and self-evaluation) for English-as-a-Second-Language teachers. A developmental orientation to evaluation is outlined that considers different stages of teaching careers and…

The articles of this special issue propose two methods of deriving an initial standard and one method for determining the extent to which the standard should include compensation. Much work remains to be done on further development of the methods and the larger issues of policy regarding performance assessment. (SLD)

Reports on a survey of experienced teachers to assess their knowledge of the structure of spoken and written language. Results reveal pervasive conceptual weaknesses in the very skills needed for direct, language-focused reading instruction. The importance of specific linguistic knowledge for instruction is illustrated, and policy changes for…

Summarizes conclusions authors of the papers in this theme issue have drawn about the measurement quality and potential for linkage with teacher pay of three sets of teacher assessments and the feasibility of using these assessments as the framework for a knowledge-and skill-based pay system. (SLD)

A history of teacher testing in South Carolina was presented to serve as a context within which the current teacher evaluation system might be interpreted. Legislation in 1940 mandated that renewal of certificates and issuance of new certificates to teachers be predicated upon the applicant's completion of a comprehensive and objective…

This document reviews effective teaching behaviors that have been identified through research. The four categories in which these behaviors are examined are instructional strategies, classroom management, the presentation of subject matter, and the establishment of an appropriate learning environment. These four categories also make up four of the…

This booklet examines the cost implications of reward-for-performance plans for teacher compensation. The growing acceptance of plans that recognize effective teaching with financial or other rewards is noted in the introduction, and some of the arguments against such plans are expressed. The first chapter reviews the origins and aims of the…

This bulletin summarizes: (1) the Indiana law (HB 1360) that requires public schools to implement teacher performance evaluations as a condition of accreditation, (2) a recent study of teacher evaluation plans and techniques commissioned for the Indiana Department of Education by the Consortium on Educational Policy Studies at Indiana University,…

This paper both reviews results of research related to teacher evaluation and then presents a suggested evaluation format to be used based on these research findings. The research reviewed falls into five general categories: format for evaluation, guidelines for evaluation, criteria for evaluation, problems with evaluation, and definitions of…

The twin issues of reliability (consistency) and validity (relevance) of student ratings of teacher performance, and the overall issues of generalizability, continue to arise in assessing the usefulness of this faculty evaluation technique. Recent literature addressed four basic questions regarding these issues as they pertain to two faculty…

A review of several studies reveals factors affecting the success of teacher evaluations: frequency of observations; teacher involvement in planning and operating the process and coaching peers; definition of expectations; fairness of incentives; and suitable supervisory techniques. Teacher autonomy and the value of evaluations in personnel…

This paper focuses on Alberta, Canada's 1998 "Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation" policy, examining its origins and adoption along with the significant shift in images of teaching and supervision that it conveys. Both the process and substance of the policy are analyzed within the context of Alberta's larger plan to restructure…

The Houston (Texas) Independent School District's plan requires that teachers demonstrate competence in four areas: (1) functional academic skills; (2) content area knowledge; (3) methodology; and (4) new technology. Proficiency-based techniques used in teacher selection and in diagnosing needs of inservice teachers are described. (PP)

Disagreement about what constitutes good teaching persists because people's perceptions of education and of teaching are often bound up in their ideologies and undisclosed prejudices. Concentration on the form of the educational enterprise--on what is universal, as opposed to subjective--is urged. Implications for supervisors and for evaluation of…

Reviewed is literature on teacher evaluation. It is suggested that evaluation frequently arouses fear and activates defensiveness on the part of teachers. Some of the alternatives to resolve this dilemma are described. (KC)