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)

A survey of sociology departments revealed that good teaching is not taken seriously in evaluation of candidates for new positions and in decisions regarding promotion and merit pay increases. The relative weights given to teaching and research and how to overcome resistance to rewarding teaching excellence are discussed. (Author/RM)

To ensure that teacher evaluation and supervision systems encourage improved job performance, there must be high expectations for teachers. Job descriptions and evaluation forms must have specific performance criteria and standards. The article discusses development and implementation of performance criteria and standards which can lead to…

Discusses assessment of student learning and teacher autonomy in the United Kingdom, describing two projects in which collaborating teachers developed criteria for assessing student performance. These criteria, compared to those devised by examination boards, indicated a need for better, quicker feedback, pupil self-assessment, and teacher…

Campus teaching is not independent of campus politics. Quality of teaching is partly a function of who cares. The complexity of the disciplines taught is not justification for indifference to the needs of students--and the needs of the public, and the state, and the campus administrative offices, and the instructors. Teaching is not merely a…

Teacher self-evaluation encourages teachers to examine their personal teaching activities in order to understand and improve their practices. This publication explains what teacher-self evaluation is, why it is important, self-evaluation methods and procedures, the role of the principal's evaluation, influential factors, self-evaluation standards…

The performance evaluation of tenured teachers in the public schools raises significant legal issues particularly in the context of recent education reform efforts. Collective bargaining has expanded to become a central part of labor relations in public schools and has served often to neutralize threatening evaluations. As reform efforts demand…

The objectives of this document are to assist teachers in understanding the holistic evaluation process, in developing a sound evaluative process for the school physical education program, in effectively communicating progress to students and parents, and in self-evaluating teacher performance and the program. The document includes basic…

In the United States today, policymakers and citizens believe that the quality of their schools must be improved. Reform policies and strategies are the focus of the first section of this report. The four areas identified are the perception and interpretation of the problems of quality, the methods of preparing reform or ad hoc measures, the main…

This model evaluation program was developed to help marketing education teachers in Missouri to evaluate their courses and plan improvements. Following an explanation of the rationale and nature of the evaluation, the guide consists of six sections: (1) a marketing education course enrollment summary form and directions for completing the…

This report presents the results of an initial, iterative performance standards-setting (SS) task of a comprehensive on-the-job statewide teacher assessment system--the System for Teaching and Learning Assessment and Review (STAR). The 1990-91 STAR assesses and makes inferences about the quality of teaching and learning on sets of assessment…

This paper presents the results of ongoing analyses of the reliability of the System for Teaching and Learning Assessment and Review (STAR) as a comprehensive measure of classroom teaching and learning for making teacher certification decisions. Focus was on the effects of high stakes assessment conditions for certification on the generalizability…

A study explored teacher responses to prevailing staff reduction criteria and procedures during a period of widespread layoffs. Questions asked by researchers included: (1) If performance evaluations are used, will teachers seek participation in staff employment and assessment decisions? and (2) Will teachers pressure administrators to apply…

The peer evaluation model of university teaching is composed of three domains of behavioral and cognitive skills which, in combination, represent the elements expected of professionally competent teachers. These domains are: (1) the conception of the professional role for which students are being prepared; (2) instructional design; and (3) the…

The Tennessee Career Ladder Program is a statewide evaluation system designed to pay teachers for teaching well. The system is based on a set of objectives called Domains of Competence, which are subdivided into Indicators. Early in the design of the system, it was decided to use multiple data sources, including a variety of instruments, to assess…