This collection of nine papers was presented at a workshop on evaluation for excellence in education. "Why Evaluate?" by Madeline I. Hardy, contends that although reform is needed, evaluation must continue in order to measure educational change, bring improvement, and provide public accountability. In "Evaluation for Excellence in…

The Computerized Observation System (COS) is a software program which an observer can use with a portable microcomputer to document preservice and inservice teacher performance. Specific observable behavior such as appropriate questions and responses shown to increase student achievement are recorded as Low Inference Observation Measures. Time on…

In Tennessee, varied data-gathering devices have been employed in an attempt to determine whether an educator is qualified for a given level on the state's career ladder program and, thereby, should attain the meaningful financial benefits linked to that status. In its first year of operation, the Tennessee program employed several domains of…

Analysis of teacher evaluation instruments from 65 New Mexico school districts, concurring with nationwide studies, suggests that teacher evaluation is meant more as a tool for administrative decisions than for improving teaching. (JW)

This paper investigates the problem of developing judicially sound and workable standards for dismissing incompetent teachers. Numerous cases are cited to support the contention that there is a desperate need for stable standards of performance that will have the qualities necessary to withstand judicial scrutiny: (1) required teacher knowledge,…

Reports on a study of 5,000 student evaluations of teachers (SETs) and their relationship to the final grades the students received in introductory economics classes. Finds that there is little relationship between the rating of instructors and the grades received by students in their classes. Recommends that colleges and universities explore…

This paper reports on the investigation of the operation of the Teacher of the Year Award program in 28 states. It focuses on the method of selection for recipients of this award, and explores the nature of the judging process used in selecting candidates at both the state and national levels. Specific objectives are: (1) to determine the criteria…

This paper describes the scoring of the upper levels of the Career Ladder system for teachers in the Tennessee Career Ladder Evaluation Systems. The instruments used to evaluate teachers include classroom observation, dialogue with the teacher, a peer questionnaire, student questionnaires, a professional skills test, professional development and…

This paper explores the functioning of the low-inference observation system used as part of the Tennessee Career Ladder evaluation system, which provides teachers with the opportunity to qualify for additional pay on the basis of outstanding performance. The analysis of the functioning of this form is intended to provide the basis for the ongoing…

Teacher evaluation is required before, during, and immediately after preservice education to insure a high level of teacher accountability. Personal motivation must be understood before one chooses the profession. Admission criteria to teacher preparation programs must be strengthened so that only proper candidates are selected. Professional…

This book provides a catalog of observer systems that can be used to analyze interactive and environmental events that occur in physical education and athletic settings. These systems maximize opportunities for collecting data from many perspectives using different techniques for data sources to explain or modify instructional phenomena. The…

In 1977, the Dallas, Texas Independent School District modified its teacher selection criteria. In addition to the previously used evaluation criteria involving transcripts, references and evaluations, three new measures were employed: (1) a test of verbal and quantitative ability, the Wesman Personnel Classification Test (WPCT), which was later…

For Texas's Career Ladder System of rewarding good teachers, teachers' performance evaluations from 1981 to 1984 were used to rank teachers in the Austin Independent School District. Significant biases were noted between raters, between years, and between elementary and secondary teacher ratings. To adjust for these biases, each teacher's raw…

Of great concern among researchers is the effectiveness of holistic scoring, which is necessarily product-centered and decontextualized, in measuring writing quality, the mental processes necessary for writing, or teaching skill. The Committee on Teaching and Its Evaluation in Composition of the Conference on College Composition and Communication…

Presents a discussion of the legal context of evaluation systems upon which merit pay programs are based. Following the discussion of the law, a model merit pay program is presented. (MLF)