This commentary was written in response to the Rink (2013), McKenzie and Lounsbery (2013), and Ward (2013) articles published earlier on teacher effectiveness in physical education (PE). The historical analyses of teacher effectiveness research in PE (TER-PE) presented in those 3 articles are briefly described, particularly as they represent a…

In his focus article "How Is Testing Supposed to Improve Schooling?" Ed Haertel distinguishes between seven uses of educational tests as a function of the intended action and what or who will be influenced by the intended action. He then applies Mike Kane's interpretive argument approach (Kane, 2006) as a basis for speculating about the validity…

In this article, the authors provide a methodological critique of the current standard of value-added modeling forwarded in educational policy contexts as a means of measuring teacher effectiveness. Conventional value-added estimates of teacher quality are attempts to determine to what degree a teacher would theoretically contribute, on average,…

This commentary on the article titled "Examining the Internal Structure Evidence for the Performance Assessment for California Teachers: A Validation Study of the Elementary Literacy Teaching Event for Tier 1 Teacher Licensure" provides an overview of Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT), its relationship to edTPA and…

Concerns about the professional development of teachers have a political dimension as governments around the world engage in the discourse on global standards and want to improve the quality of their school education. Increasingly, teachers are feeling the pressure of securing high achievement scores and large-scale assessments of student learning…

This article reports on an interview with Marcia McCaffrey, the state arts consultant for the New Hampshire Department of Education and current president of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE). The discussion revolved around how the new arts standards may interact with evolving structures of arts teacher evaluation…

Hyper-accountability, corporatization, deficit ideology, and Ruby Payne's preparation of teachers to comply with these and other atrocities are not merely markers of philosophical shifts in education. They are manifestations of a neoliberal remaking of public schooling into a private and corporate enterprise. Collectively, these trends are seen…

Argues that even though flawed, value-added assessment of student achievement can revolutionize the way public schools hire, promote, and compensate teachers, and the way schools are governed and managed. Draws parallels with measuring productivity in private industry. Asserts that providing better education, not ensuring teacher justice, is the…

Presented are excerpts from speeches delivered at the New Jersey Education Association's Symposium on Teacher Evaluation. (SJL)

Teacher evaluation programs are discussed including teachers' fears about the uses of evaluation, abuses of such programs, the uses of subjective vs objective competency criteria, and the relationship of evaluation to current demands for accountability. (JMF)

Reviews ways in which performance data are currently used within the England and Wales education systems. Uses research evidence to critique many of these uses. Presents some alternative proposals for a more rational approach. (BT)

Argues that effective English instruction cannot be measured with quantifiable scales nor in terms of behavioral objectives, but rather must be measured in terms of students' ability to adapt, decide wisely, and function within society. (AYC)

Political calls for accountability reflect a desire for real evidence on effective teaching, but these proposals tend to focus on the teacher, not teaching. Educators should create their own structure for the intraprofessional evaluation of teaching, emphasizing empirical examination of teaching intentions, processes, and outcomes. (SJL)

The implications of regarding teachers as accountable for student progress in learning are discussed with reference to teacher work, teaching as a profession, and the meaning of "reasonable and defensible" standards of student performance. A realistic balance of teachers' ethical obligations, citizen reliance on teacher accountability,…

Several models of curriculum and staff development are described to provide guidance toward the goal of harmoniously blending a humanized curriculum and humanized instruction. The author compares the "explosive" and "implosive" designs for program development and instruction and argues that the implosive design should be adopted and that…