Page 241 - DEDU505_TEACHER_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Unit 26: Evaluation Mechanism in Teacher Education

• Unit Assessed: Who? The subject of the evaluation is the individual teacher but teacher Notes
evaluation is to be analysed as part of an evaluation and assessment framework which
includes other components such as student assessment, school evaluation and system
evaluation.
• Capabilities to assess and to use feedback: By Whom? This aspect concerns the preparation
to evaluate, to be evaluated and to use the results of an evaluation as well as the choice of
the groups undertaking these functions. It includes issues such as: the choice of the evaluators
and the development of the skills to perform the assessment of a teacher; the preparation by
teachers to be the subject of an evaluation; the development of competencies to effectively
use the results of an evaluation for the improvement of teaching practices; and the design of
agencies to review teacher evaluation results with a view to hold agents accountable and to
inform policy development.
• Aspects assessed: What? Teacher evaluation processes concentrate on the core activity of
teaching, typically covering areas such as planning and preparation, the classroom
environment and instruction itself. But they also cover the remaining responsibilities of
teachers such as their contribution to school development, links to the surrounding
community and professional development activities.
• Evaluation 'technology': How? This aspect refers to the features of a given approach to
teacher evaluation, that is the mix of instruments, criteria and standards, purposes, knowledge
and skills used in a specific teacher evaluation model. For instance, the latter may be based
on a range of instruments such as self-evaluation, classroom observation and a teacher
portfolio; be focussed on teacher instruction; be undertaken in relation to reference standards
for the teaching profession; have both improvement and accountability purposes; and be
based on experienced peers. Hence, this aspect refers to the way different aspects are combined
to produce a given teacher evaluation model.
• Purposes: For what? This encompasses the objectives of a particular teacher evaluation
process and the mechanisms designed to ensure that evaluation results are used in a way
such objectives are reached. The objectives of a teacher evaluation process typically consist
of improvement and accountability. Examples of mechanisms to use evaluation results
include performance feedback, professional development plans, and financial and other
rewards.
• Agents involved: With whom? This mostly deals with the implementation aspects of teacher
evaluation procedures. It relates to the involvement of a range of stakeholders such as
parents, students, teachers, school leaders, teacher unions, educational administrators and
policy makers in the development and implementation of teacher evaluation and assessment
processes.
Teacher evaluation issues cannot be studied in isolation. Societal, school system, and school-level
factors all influence the design of teacher evaluation mechanisms. These factors influence the
design of approaches to teacher evaluation in terms of the needs for new policy initiatives, the
factors that constrain policy opportunities, and the factors that influence policy implementation,
impact and cost. Without an adequate understanding of the range of factors involved, and the
ways they influence the impact of teacher evaluation policies, there is a risk of developing
ineffective approaches to teacher evaluation.
Examples of societal factors are:
• Political environment
• Demography and cultural diversity
• Economic conditions, labour market trends
• Role of media and general perceptions of schooling and teachers
• Public and private resources for schooling
• Evaluation and assessment policies in the public sector

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 235