The purpose of this study was to determine how K-12 public school teachers perceive the use of student performance data in teacher evaluations. The proprietary, utility, feasibility, and accuracy standards created by the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation served as a framework for the study. An online survey was deployed to a…

Teachers crave yet rarely receive qualitative performance feedback. Though student feedback has been studied, we know little about what kinds of feedback are useful to teachers for improving practice. This study begins to address the need in research on the nature of feedback teachers receive from classroom observations as well as on how teachers…

Staff evaluation is a high-interest area for all members of the school community. Since there is no definitive research that lights the way to a "perfect" evaluation system, the development of a plan falls upon the local school administrator's shoulders. Guidelines and a checklist may provide some assistance in this endeavor. (Editor/RK)

Suggests ways for ensuring that teacher evaluation methods used by principals when dismissing teachers will stand up to the challenges posed by hearings: Did the principal try to help the teacher improve? Were evaluation criteria relevant? Was the decision to terminate arbitrary or capricious? Was the evaluation process confidential? (PGD)

Evaluators should help teachers promote professional excellence, improve student learning, and realize classroom consistency. Consistent evaluators possess certain skills, including gathering factual data, observing objectively, gauging teachers' effectiveness at reinforcing lesson plans, establishing ameliorative guidelines through clinical…

Describes a process of supervision that the author used successfully when he was a principal. (Author/MLF)

Administrators seeking effective teacher evaluation should be cautious about using extensive evaluative formats without first examining whether they encourage two-way communication between the administrator and the teacher. (Author/MLF)

Effective teacher performance evaluation systems are fair, objective, job-specific, reliable, clear, provide for teacher development, and are oriented toward both the teacher's processes and the teacher's products. Loyola Academy involved teachers in developing an evaluation system exhibiting these features as well as a performance compensation…

The process of personnel analysis is one of the few viable vehicles in the educational environment that can lead to the improvement of instruction and professional growth, the authors contend. Such analysis must, however, be implemented in a non-threatening manner. (Editor)

Performance standards help define more clearly the behaviors necessary for evaluated persons to perform their jobs successfully. This article discusses how performance standards differ from criteria; outlines formats; and presents a behaviorally anchored rating scale. (MLH)

Coaching occurs in many fields, including music, drama, and various sports activities. Building a "coaching" metaphor might help clarify differences in coaching roles that principals and teachers find confusing. Most head coaches recognize that responsible evaluation is more helpful than absolute power in helping each player be the best…

These authors see teacher evaluation as a cooperative process, one that evaluates competency from both internal and external frames of reference. Meeting initial resistance, determining who evaluates, and outlining necessary conditions are all part of this article. (Editor)

Teacher evaluation should be implemented as a meaningful way to continue improvement of instructional practice. Evaluation criteria must be carefully defined and measured to eliminate ambiguity. (Author)

Presents a 30 item teacher evaluation instrument along with a discussion of its application. (Editor/RK)

A survey of Connecticut high school teachers, principals, and other supervisors about the concepts considered important in observing a class. (Author/MLF)