The "Career Ladder Technical Manual: A Guide To Interpreting Your Scores. Teacher Edition, 1986," of the Tennessee Career Ladder Evaluation System, is reviewed. Intended as a guide for the teacher candidate to interpreting test scores, the manual explains the score report for a lay audience. Raw scores and standard scores are explained.…

An overview of a Personnel Evaluation and Support system is presented. Because it is critical for staff members to know what is expected of them and to know upon what basis they are being evaluated, the formulated Components of Instructions (COI) are disseminated and reviewed with the staff. This process allows staff to know what is expected of…

Recent studies indicate that the principal is key in planning for change and that innovations can succeed when the principal as change facilitator shares responsibility with others--assistant principals, teachers, and parents. This paper discusses two areas: (1) student learning enhanced through cultivation of critical thinking skills; and (2)…

This paper recounts the development of a cooperative teacher evaluation system by the Anchorage (Alaska) School District and presents the data that led Anchorage educators to conclude that cooperative evaluation is superior to either traditional supervisor-directed evaluation or minimal unstructured evaluation. In 1984, the district formed a task…

This report examines three performance-based funding (PBF) plans: (1) merit pay for teachers and/or administrators; (2) career ladders; and (3) formula-driven incentive payments to schools. The report contends that present-day problems in public schools result largely from the organizational structure of the educational enterprise. Being based on…

The difficulties of putting the findings of an evaluation into practice in a city school district are discussed with two emphases: the number and variety of the demands on the time and attention of the superintendent and administrative staff, and the complexity and detailed work required to implement a new or revised program. A hypothetical, but…

This study of urban elementary school personnel and their opinions of traditional teacher evaluation programs found that teachers and principals felt most comfortable with evaluation programs they considered most accurate. Teacher self-evaluation tended to be seen as accurate by both teachers and principals. Includes a five-page table of data…

This study evaluated the five most important sources of trained secondary teachers in Papua New Guinea: five different degree programs at Goroka Teachers' college. Neither increased amounts of professional training nor increased amounts of general education affected the professional acceptability of graduates, as judged by inspectors' judgments.…

In a research-based approach, the responsibilities involved in teacher evaluation, including unclear and conflicting areas, are reviewed. The author provides a set of six guidelines to consider when developing evaluation systems. (MD)

Do teachers' salaries reflect their ability to teach effectively? This is an important question given that teacher salaries account for approximately 37 percent of total education expenditures across the United States. Furthermore, the objectives of the "No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)" for increased student achievement and the presence…

The appropriateness of exit examinations for basic skills, general education and the teaching specialty in professional schools or departments in universities is examined. Holding departments and professors accountable for college and university standards is proposed. A variety of assessments of professional studies are suggested. (CM)

Goal setting is an essential part of an effective supervisory model. Suggestions are offered that have been effective in improving goal-setting activities in a variety of school settings. (Author/MLF)

Describes how a process of collaboration between teachers and administrators is necessary for successful teacher evaluation. Guidelines are presented and then applied to an observation model. (MLF)

A general model of pay-for-performance plans for academic institutions proposed by E. E. Lawler (1983) is presented, and its relevance for merit pay plans is discussed. Guidelines for increasing the likelihood of successful implementation are provided. Professional organizations must have democratic managerial styles in order for…

Analyzes the question of whether mentor teaching, career ladder, and teacher empowerment programs expand teacher opportunities. Describes several such programs now in place in American school systems. Concludes that teachers, teachers' organizations, administrators, and policymakers need to consider the long-range implications of teacher…