This collection of papers by various authors offers varied comments on (1) a systems approach to accountability, (2) accountability and PPBES, (3) program evaluation, (4) the principal's role in clinical supervision, (5) some practical approaches to the evaluation of teaching, (6) teamwork within the school, (7) differentiated instruction, (8) the…

Case law indicates that termination of a teacher's services because of incompetence is justified for reasons including inability to control children, poor classroom planning, and ineffective organizational ability. Courts tend to rely on the judgment of school administration in determining teacher competence when charges are specific, well…

This paper discusses how the 2000 standards of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) can be used in state accreditation standards to promote accountability. It describes standards 1 and 2: candidate knowledge, skills, and dispositions and assessment system and unit evaluation, then presents a few examples of…

Suggests how administrators may reduce teacher incompetence. Teacher incompetence can be reduced if administrators fully understand and undertake appropriate preventive and remedial measures. Two sections comprise this article. First, a taxonomy of teacher incompetence reveals the magnitude of the problem. Second, preventive and remedial measures…

The newly established Center for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE) is described. CREATE--1 of 25 centers being funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement--will be a focal point in evaluating the performance of teachers, administrators, and programs in public schools and private schools. (SLD)

Implications of using alternative assessments for accountability in a high-stakes testing environment (using tests to make impact decisions for students, schools, or teachers) are examined. The psychometric properties of standardized alternative assessments are discussed, and the consequences of their use are considered. (SLD)

Teacher assessment programs of four Florida school systems that have attempted to link teacher assessment, development, and school improvement are described and their efforts evaluated. Common components are identified, with collaboration, professional development, and accountability being among the most important. Each system addressed school…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This California edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Arkansas edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Arizona edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Talking 'bout Evolution: High School Science Teachers Share Strategies for Dealing with Controversy in the Classroom (Nancy Walser); (2) Standards-Based…

Several methods by which teachers are able to make a useful assessment of their own instruction and prescribe improvements for their own teaching are described. The literature on these evaluation methods is also reviewed. These methods include: reflective evaluation, an important part of the new approach to teacher self-evaluation; action research…

At North Dakota State University annual follow-up studies have been conducted on teacher education graduates of the secondary teacher preparation program since 1963. Each year, survey forms are sent to all teacher education graduates of the previous year and to the principals or superintendents of graduates who are teaching. The purpose of the…

An eight-step organizational approach to the problem of identifying, remediating, and, if necessary, dismissing incompetent teachers is described. Addressed to school superintendents, the eight steps are as follows: (1) establish "excellence in teaching" as a high priority for the district, (2) adopt and publish reasonable criteria for evaluating…

The positive and negative factors that exist in the area of teacher evaluation are surveyed. The traditional aversions to evaluation which have created a negativistic environment of ambiguity and frustration in terms of educational improvement are discussed. The factors, processes, tenets, and characteristics of effective evaluation that have been…