In 1977, a task force on teaching evaluation was formed at the University of California to recommend means of implementing reliable, flexible and effective teaching evaluation for the improvement of teaching and the consideration of teaching in personnel actions. Surveys of faculty and department chairs revealed strong support for colleague…

Two studies surveyed teachers in elementary and secondary schools to discover the relationships among teachers' willingness to be evaluated, their perceived control over the activities being evaluated, their input into the evaluation process, and their trust in the evaluators' accuracy and expertise. The first study asked 150 teachers in an…

Suggesting that the university faculty members assigned extra-curricular duties with forensics have been denied proper evaluation procedures, this paper argues for the need to apply professional evaluation standards to forensics directors. It proposes four separate components to be considered in developing such standards: (1) professional…

This paper argues that the first step in research aimed at identifying what constitutes the effective reading teacher should be the establishment of criteria which deals with effectiveness. A conceptual model is presented which could be used to identify the effective teacher. The focal point of the model is that effective reading instruction…

This paper discusses resolution three passed in 1974 by the Conference on College Composition and Communication at Anaheim, which states,"...all retention and tenure decisions...be securely based on a thorough, balanced, and professional evaluation of teaching competence..." A system developed by the author which approaches the spirit of this…

The relationships between rankings of student teachers' effectiveness and the student teachers' and supervising teachers' satisfaction with a year-long student teaching program were assessed. Three independent rankings of student teachers were obtained from (1) 85 student teachers, (2) 46 supervising teachers, and (3) 10 university personnel. In…

In many cases the only solution to dealing with unsuccessful teachers is to encourage them to go into some other profession. However, it is also the obligation of principals to make certain the beginning teachers get all the assistance that can be provided them to avoid the pitfalls and difficulties that the challenge of the classroom presents.…

This study examined the validity and reliability of a newly developed instrument for performance assessment of teachers. The instrument was based on the "framework for teaching" proposed by C. Danielson, a framework that identifies the aspects of a teacher's responsibilities that have been documented through empirical studies and theoretical…

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

Teacher quality has become a top priority of our national agenda. There is empirical evidence that suggests that teacher inputs have impact on student outcomes. It is also believed that teacher dispositions are as crucial for student achievement as a teacher's pedagogical and content knowledge/skills. The National Council for Accreditation of…

This research, which defines teacher incompetence as an administrative problem with serious consequences, concentrates on one solution: cleansing the profession by dismissing incompetent teachers. Specifically, the study aimed to obtain information about the practices Arizona school districts use to identify and handle incompetent teachers. Data…

Classroom observation is one of the premiere data collection methods available to those interested in teaching behavior. Observational techniques can be classified on a continuum ranging from low inference to high inference depending on the level of judgment required by the observer making the observation. Central to the issue of any form of…

This paper explores the impact of the Texas Teacher Appraisal System (TTAS) through an analysis of interviews with 24 high school English teachers. The first part of the paper discusses the development of the TTAS and the second section describes the study. The teachers were asked if and how the TTAS had affected their teaching performance, what…

Many factors make it difficult to identify a teacher formally as incompetent and to act on that identification once it is made. These factors include time constraints, bureaucratic requirements, and reluctance to face emotional stress. Once a poor teacher is identified, efforts are rarely made to help the teacher improve. Unsatisfactory…

The common assumption that teacher evaluation has a positive impact on the improvement of teaching is challenged. Critical challenges to the assumed contribution of teacher evaluation to learning originate from at least three areas of scholarly work: (1) revisionist/Marxist literature, which describes educational structures including teacher…