An Examination of Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation Systems in Five States. Issues & Answers. REL 2012-No. 129

• Published in: Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands
• Main Authors: Shakman, Karen, Riordan, Julie, Sanchez, Maria Teresa, Cook, Kyle DeMeo, Fournier, Richard, Brett, Jessica
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands 01.02.2012
• Subjects: Delaware; Evaluation Methods; Federal Programs; Georgia; Grants; Measures (Individuals); North Carolina; Observation; Race to the Top; Rating Scales; Scoring Rubrics; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Evaluation; Tennessee; Texas; North Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Georgia; Delaware

This study reports on performance-based teacher evaluation systems in five states that have implemented such systems. It investigates two primary research questions: (1) What are the key characteristics of state-level performance-based teacher evaluation systems in the study states?; and (2) How do state teacher evaluation measures, the teaching standards the evaluations are designed to measure, and rating categories differ across states that have implemented statewide systems? To answer these questions, the study team reviewed state education agency websites and publicly available documents for all 50 states to identify states whose performance-based teacher evaluation systems met the following criteria: (1) Was required for practicing general educators; (2) Was operational statewide as of the 2010/11 school year; (3) Included multiple rating categories; and (4) Used multiple measures of teacher effectiveness, such as observations, self-assessments, and professional growth plans. Five states (Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas) met these criteria. Key study findings include the following: (1) Of the five states that met the criteria, three have new systems (1-3 years old), and two have systems that are more than 10 years old; (2) One state (Georgia) requires full annual evaluations for all teachers. In the other states, evaluations are annual for teachers whom the state defines as novice and less frequent or less comprehensive for more experienced teachers; (3) All five states include self-assessments and observations of classroom teaching as part of teacher assessment. States differ in who conducts the observations, how often evaluations are conducted, and what scoring parameters are used; (4) In each of the five states, teacher evaluation rubrics and scoring forms reflect most or all of the 10 teaching standards set forth by the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC). These teachers' understanding of how students learn, content knowledge, instructional practice, and professional responsibilities. All 10 standards are reflected in the teacher evaluation rubrics in North Carolina and Texas, 9 are reflected in Georgia, and 8 are reflected in Delaware and Tennessee. One InTASC standard--specifying that teachers demonstrate an understanding of how students learn--is absent in two states' evaluation rubrics (Georgia and Tennessee); and (5) States differ in the number of rating categories used and how they compute scores and determine passing scores. Appended are: (1) State profiles; and (2) Methodology. (Contains 3 boxes, 18 tables and 2 notes.) [For "An Examination of Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation Systems in Five States. Summary. Issues & Answers. REL 2012-No. 129," see ED529809.]