Teacher Evaluation: Definition
Teacher evaluation is defined as a systematic procedure for reviewing the performance of a teacher in a classroom and analyzing the review to provide constructive feedback for the teacher’s professional growth.
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Details of a teacher evaluation survey may vary from district to district as they are governed by state laws. Principals and administrative staff members are traditionally involved in evaluating a teacher. Aspects such as student performance in terms of class work, records maintained by the teacher, daily or weekly lesson plans etc. are considered while evaluating a teacher. It is one of the most vital elements for a thorough career development of a teacher and maintains the quality of education.
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Purpose of Teacher Evaluation
Teacher evaluation gained momentum during President Obama’s tenure as he considered educational reform to be one of the most important areas of work. New and advanced teacher evaluation methods are being developed to enhance a teacher’s endeavor and efficacy. There are three main purposes of teacher evaluation:
- Improve the performance of teachers by evaluating them at regular intervals of time.
- Assignment of precise ranks to all the teachers according to their respective abilities and contribution.
- Unproductive teachers can be asked to quit and efficient teachers must be hired to maintain a quality of education.
- Collection of feedback to make well-informed decisions about appraisals and promotions.
- Creating a job description for prospective teachers.
- A school’s management is responsible for the all-round growth of their teachers and thus, the main purpose of conducting teacher evaluation is to empower all the teachers who contribute towards imparting education to their students in the best possible manner.
- The principal or management is in charge of empowering the teachers to perform better in the same manner as the teachers are responsible to empower the students.
- A teacher performs better in case the management communicates and appreciates his/her work which contributes to continuous improvement in their performance.
For Example: Attrition rate of the education staff is one of the highest in the world. It is becoming a major concern since the deficit of trained educational staff keeps increasing every years. In order to keep teachers satisfied with their jobs, make them perform better and retain them, there is a need to improve a few areas in the existing system. A survey can be helpful to understand the factors that influence the productivity of teachers, and allow you important insight into the the areas with risk and the areas where everything is good. Survey data collected using this sample questionnaire will enable schools and colleges to take decisions that will help reduce teacher attrition, improve retention and job satisfaction.
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Teacher Evaluation Models
Teacher evaluation models offer a systematic platform for educational institutes to evaluate teachers using fair means. There are three most popular teacher evaluation models:
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The Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson
This model is spread across 4 domains namely – Planning and Preparation, Instructions to the Class, Maintaining Classroom Environment, Fulfillment of Professional Duties. This model consists of 22 different components across all these four domains. It is adopted by various states such as Arkansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, South Dakota, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York etc.
This model is available for free download from the Danielson website and face-to-face trainings are also provided to interested authorities along with online training sessions as well. These trainings can be customized according to the educational site’s details such as history, culture and expected results.
Usually available at bundled pricing, the Danielson model is highly economical according to the services it offers. This model is not dependent on any technological equipment unless the interested candidates prefer online training mediums.
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CEL 5D+ Teacher Evaluation Rubric 2.0
This teacher evaluation model is psychometrically reliable as it relates one best practice per indicator and has 31 such indicators. It has been adopted across 100 districts in the US and this count keeps increasing. CEL model recommends a minimum of 5 days be spent in the initial stages of the model for administrative staff and principals.
This model can be downloaded free of cost from their website. CEL offers constant training for the CEL framework and its implementation. This framework is developed for instructional leadership. There are also tools assigned to enhance skills of central officers.
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Marzano Art and Science of Teaching Framework
This model has been launched in 2017 and has 60 different elements, out of which 41 belong to the same domain, i.e., classroom strategies and behaviors. 600+ districts have already implemented this framework. Currently, trainers are being appointed and trained for various parts of this model. There are no strict guidelines for the adaptation of this model as it follows a growth-oriented strategy for teachers and administrators.
This is a model designed for in-person training with a trainer as well as virtual training sessions and it is a highly electronic-free model. Self-study professional courses are also available for teacher training. Around 24+ elements are for principal and other officers to update their strategies with regards to the management and tools to encourage their teachers to perform better with each passing year.
It is recommended that principals, assistant principals and/or evaluators of the principals participate in this model.
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Teacher Evaluation Examples
Teachers can be evaluated using online quantitative and qualitative mediums such as surveys, polls, focus groups, etc. Some of the best examples of teacher evaluation are:
- Various component of proper planning can be evaluated. For examples, use of assessment information for proper planning – All the teachers will be evaluated on the effectiveness of the use of the assessment of information.
- Ineffective
- Scope of improvement
- Effective
- Extremely Effective
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- Observation of the teacher performance can be done using open-ended questions such as inputs for observation and feedback.
- Compliance of the teachers can be audited. This survey can contain multiple-choice questions such as “Are the strengths mentioned and are they relevant?”
- The school culture and management performance can also be evaluated. For examples, questions such as “I do feel welcome when I enter this school” can be asked to understand the school’s culture.
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