Through the horns of a dilemma between instructional supervision and the summative evaluation of teaching

Abstract

This article offers a rich case study of a district-level alternative to a state-mandated, administratively oriented, observation-based, summative evaluation of teaching. The alternative formative evaluation process, available to experienced teachers who have consistently demonstrated competence on the state's observation instrument, consists of teacher-developed Professional Development Plans (PDPs). PDPs are described as supporting practices of ‘professional inquiry’—namely: reflection, innovation, collaboration, and research—that are consistent with a professionalized view of teaching. Findings describe these practices as being incorporated into the PDP process in ways that formalize the formative evaluation process, thus resolving what has often been construed as a dilemma between evaluation of teaching as a process devoid of trust and professional growth, and instructional supervision as a process without accountability.