Teacher Evaluations: What’s the Big Deal?

Is student achievement a valid part of teacher evaluation?

Using student achievement as a part of teacher evaluation is perceived as a threat by many teachers. Why? Because teachers know that there are many factors that affect student learning that are beyond their control. Parent involvement, for example, is critical to student success.

Some doctors are better than other doctors, and the word gets around by the successes they have in practicing their crafts. Doctors have to treat patients who often do all the wrong things where health is concerned. Nevertheless, they do what they can to make life better for those in need of medical care. They can lose their licenses for breaching the Hippocratic Oath.

Some teachers are simply not qualified to teach and they can do great harm. Yet bad teachers can be very hard to remove from a classroom as long as they don’t make waves. Bad teachers, like bad cops, weaken respect for a noble profession.

Student achievement will eventually become a routine part of teacher evaluation. Count on it! And it should be. No, student standardized scores should not be the sole determining factor of teacher effectiveness. Yes, teachers should have considerable input into the development of an evaluation instrument. Spend time in staff development constructing examples of what would seem like a fair evaluation instrument that includes student achievement and other factors.

Perhaps by doing so, teachers will be ready when the inevitable happens. Perhaps schools that have developed evaluations might ultimately influence instruments used in their districts, states, or nation.


Links: 
Chicago Teachers' Strike

Making New York State a National Leader on Teacher Accountability