Teacher Evaluations Should Include Students' Test Scores, Researchers Say
Unions often help determine criteria for evaluating teachers
The quality of teaching would improve if local school districts included students' test scores and grades teacher evaluations, according to a report released Thursday.
California law sets out general guidelines for teacher evaluations, but local school districts vary widely as far as the criteria and rating they use to measure teacher performance. Researchers for the Mountain View-based think tank EdSource recommended that districts tailor teacher evaluations to meet the educational goals of their school districts, which could vary depending on student demographics.
“One of the lessons from our report is that teacher evaluations must be overhauled on a local level,” said Mary Perry, EdSource’s deputy director. “Teacher evaluations are not as helpful as they should be because they are often too vague, and don’t provide useful feedback.”
The 21-page report was based on a comprehensive literature review and interviews with nearly a dozen leaders representing the state’s various education concerns, including the powerful California Teachers Association and the Association of California School
Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12Agt)