Restates his earlier criticisms of the North Carolina Teacher Performance Appraisal Instrument. The instrument is not content specific and is built on an epistemology valuing propositional thinking and devaluating suppositional thinking at a time when other initiatives are promoting teachers' feelings of worth and sense of autonomy. (MLH)

Outlines the research involved in the development of a new set of standards in teacher assessment by the Teacher Assessment Project at Stanford University (CA). The program is based on a conception of teaching as a unique activity that is more than the generic skills of pedagogy and that cannot be observed in any single setting. (MD)

Studies of the validity of principals' ratings of teachers show there is little correlation with student achievement. Reviews of research show considerable weakness in the research designs of these studies. Outlines results from a new study with no weaknesses in design. (MD)

Presents four steps to follow in the process of evaluating incompetent teachers that will induce them to resign. (MD)

Describes how Arizona educators fear that the threat of noncertification will be used, under a new performance-based'' program, to dictate what and how they will teach. (Author)

Suggests that, although collective negotiations have had little overall effect on teachers' salaries, they have had significant impact on other issues. (JF)

In a study of teachers and administrators seeking advanced degrees and certification, over 78% of teachers reported negative rewards that included larger classes and more duties and committee assignments. Over 85% of administrators were given more responsibilities with no pay increase. While such rewards seemed positive at first, they led to…

By separating accountability-driven and growth-oriented teacher evaluation, school systems can remove numerous organizational obstacles to professional development. Teachers are not penalized for failure to meet challenging goals. Personal barriers to change (lack of awareness, disillusionment, distrust, pessimism, and other problems) may be…

The Teacher Assessment Project at Stanford University focused on both simulation exercises and portfolios. Although portfolios are messy to construct, difficult to score, and vulnerable to misrepresentation, they provide a connection to the contexts and personal realities of real teaching and help document teaching and learning over time.…

Teachers acknowledge the need for supervision and evaluation in the schools, and they want to take part in developing or selecting evaluation instruments so they will be familiar with the criteria against which they are to be judged. (Author/IRT)

Promotes the use of basic skills testing in the certification of new teachers and the recertification of veteran teachers. Presents the belief that better teaching will result from mandated teacher testing. (MD)

A proposal for setting up an accountability program for teachers. (RA)

A comparison of a modern teacher certification exam with one administered more than a century ago suggests that teachers in 1876 were required to exercise a greater range of mathematical skills, concepts, and principles. (Author)

The sparsity of significant positive relationships between the National Teacher Examination (NTE) scores and teaching performance ratings, when coupled with the presence of a few significant negative relationships, tends to undermine confidence in the relationship of NTE scores to teaching performance ratings. (Author/IRT)