Reshaping Teacher Evaluation: Promoting Teacher Involvement to Effective Evaluation

Abstract

Can a potentially successful career in teaching be interrupted and even terminated by the not very simple act of evaluation? In an effort to find out why teachers are placed on probation, the Eastern Washington University Education Department sent out a random sample questionnaire to 1500 superintendents of school districts throughout the United States. The survey used the nine criteria found in the Washington State Law concerning teacher evaluation: 1. Instructional Skill 2. Classroom Management 3. Professional Preparation 4. Professional Scholarship 5. Effort Toward Improvement When Needed 6. Handling Student Discipline and Attendance 7. Interest in Teaching 8. Knowledge of Subject Matter, and 9. Other (see Figure 2). The response of superintendents (230/1500) shows that many teachers’ successful longevity can be dramatically shortened by evaluative processes designed to be prescriptive by placing teachers on probation. According to the 230 responding districts, 139 teachers were placed on probation the first year. The number of teachers placed on probation the second year increased to 156, and then declined to 64 the third year.