Education Commons^™

Disparity Of Principal Accountability, Mary Kathryn Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This study begins with a review of court cases that have helped shape public education in America. Following the review is an analysis of federal reform in education from 1965 to the present, paired with educational leadership literature to highlight a disparity in what federal mandates and state policies have in place for accountability measures. The study ends with a state analysis of Illinois and Iowa to find the strengths and weaknesses of state policy in the area of principal accountability.

As policymakers have worked to increase accountability in K-12 education, efforts have focused on a variety of measures to …

Teacher Effectiveness And Experience Comparing Evaluation Ratings And Student Achievement, Janice Marie Garnett

Student Work

The purpose of this quantitative study was to discover and describe the relationship of teacher experience and evaluation ratings aligned with student achievement results in a public school setting. The research question guiding this study: Is there a significant relationship between teacher effect data in elementary school mathematics and reading and a teacher’s years of experience and performance ratings?

Advocating A Successful Policy For Implementing State-Mandated Reforms To Teacher Evaluation Practices, Christina R. Heyde

Policy Advocacy

This Policy Advocacy paper is the third in a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010, as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. Beginning in 2012-2013, districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these rankings, instead of seniority, to make job-related decisions. In fall 2013, I completed a second round of the survey that I had conducted in …

Analysis Of Change Plans In Two Elementary School Districts For Teacher Evaluation Practices Following The New Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act Of 2010 (Pera), Christina R. Heyde

Change Leadership

This Change Plan paper is the second part of a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010, as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. Beginning in 2012-2013, districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these rankings, instead of seniority, to make job-related decisions such as reductions-in-force (RIFs) and teacher recalls. I interviewed administrators and teachers in two of …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Current Teacher Evaluation Practices And The Impact Of The New Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act Of 2010 (Pera), Christina R. Heyde

Program Evaluation

This Program Evaluation paper is the first in a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010 (Public Act 96-861), as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. During the 2012-2013 school year, Illinois districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these ratings, instead of relying on seniority, to make job-related decisions. Pub. Act 97-008 (2011), § 5, adding 105 …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of The Feedback They Receive And Their Teaching Efficacy In High-Performing Schools, Joshua D. St. John

Open Access Dissertations

As reform efforts are prescribed in every state through mandates and regulations in an effort to better prepare students to compete in a global economy, and as states like Indiana implement new evaluation plans for teachers based on a rigorous rubric and objective measures of student achievement, close attention to the ripple effects must be involved. While efforts such as professional learning communities and instructional coaches are aimed at building teacher capacity, maximum results can only be achieved when school leaders balance how they leverage their evaluative power while promoting these formative experiences. Absent in the drive for heightened accountability, …

Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model: Teacher Perceptions Of One Policy Implementation, Renee Melinda Moran

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher effectiveness has become a national conversation and an issue that is debated in both public and educational arenas. Recently, the notion has arisen to quantify teacher effectiveness through the measurement of both teacher and student performance. This study focuses on one state’s initial attempt to implement a policy reform that measures a teacher’s performance both qualitatively, through scored classroom observations, and quantitatively, through student achievement scores. Ultimately, the idea is that these scores could then be used to make important decisions about salary, retention, and tenure. Using qualitative ethnographic research procedures within a framework of critical theory, I studied …

Teacher Evaluation And Classroom Practice: Teacher Perceptions In Northeast Tennessee, Christopher D. Bogart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceptions of K-12 teachers as they relate to the implementation of the Tennessee Educator Acceleration (TEAM) evaluation framework. Survey links were sent to 1,115 K-12 teachers from 4 Northeast Tennessee school districts. The survey achieved a 24% return rate for a total of 270 participants. The research evaluated K-12 teachers’ overall perceptions of the TEAM evaluation framework, their perceptions of changes to their lesson planning processes, their perceptions of changes in the use of instructional strategies in their classrooms, and their perceptions of changes in the amount of time needed …

Teacher Appraisal In London Schools: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Jeri Chi, Arianna Aquilino, Ali Davidson, Kayla Everson, Sarah Harris, Bob Janes, Lauren Midgette, David Pyrch, Jessica Reynolds, Callie Theodoss, David Thibodeau, Abbey Smith, Kelly Soule, Kelsea Whittemore, Neag School Of Education, London Program

TERC Documents

The overarching aim of our study was to develop a portrait of educator perceptions of the appraisal processes in London schools. We collected survey and interview data from educators in four disparate London schools. Data across schools represented a generally positive view of the appraisal processes, yet educators advocated for improvements, including more frequent classroom observations, immediate feedback, the establishment of an ongoing, reflective document and individualized targets for professional growth. The new SEED model of evaluation for teachers in Connecticut closely resembles the 2012 English teacher appraisal policies. We propose that the aforementioned improvements would also positively influence the …

Evaluating The Validity Of Mcas Scores As An Indicator Of Teacher Effectiveness, Jenna M. Copella

Open Access Dissertations

The Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) has implemented an Educator Evaluation Framework that requires MCAS scores be used as a significant indicator of teacher effectiveness when available. This decision has implications for thousands of Massachusetts public school teachers. To date, DESE has not provided evidence to support the validity of using MCAS scores to make interpretations about teacher effectiveness. A review of the literature reveals much variation in the degree to which teachers use state-adopted content standards to plan instruction. The findings in the literature warrant investigation into teacher practice among Massachusetts public school teachers. The research …

Volusia System For Empowering Teachers (Vset): Influence On Teacher Practice And Student Achievement, Lesley Sileo-Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study provides an empirical analysis of the primary assumptions of a newly implemented teacher evaluation system, namely that the specific teaching practices evaluated are related to student achievement, and that teacher-directed professional growth plans effectively shape teacher practices in a particular domain. Results of the study are intended to inform the interpretation and the refinement of the Volusia System for Empowering Teachers (VSET), which aims to build capacity in the Volusia teacher work force and ultimately to improve student performance (School Board of Volusia County Team Volusia, Race to the Top application, 2011). This study focused on 14 pilot …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Marzano's Causal Teacher Evaluation Model And Student Achievement At Nine High Schools In A Large Suburban School District In Central Florida, Dana Jacobson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the relationship between student achievement and teacher evaluation during the first year of implementation of the Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation model in a large suburban school district in Central Florida. The population included high school level teachers and students. Teacher evaluation and performance data were collected and analyzed for relationships using Spearman Rho and Chi-Square Analysis. Variables reviewed included: (a) Marzano‟s Causal Teacher Evaluation Model iObservation© protocol, (b) categorized teacher years of experience, (c) student growth scores based on a teacher‟s student success on statewide assessments as calculated using VAM or an administered pre- and posttest, …

An Analysis Of The School Board Of Brevard County Instructional Personnel Performance Appraisal Instrument And The Validity Of Its Components, Carol Mela

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between the professional practices components of the School Board of Brevard County Instructional Personnel Performance Appraisal System Instrument and student achievement as measured by a teacher’s valueadded measurement score. A Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was the statistical test used to analyze the data. The population included Brevard Public School instructional personnel assigned to Grades 4-10 who taught reading and/or mathematics measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test during the 2011-2012 school year and who received teacher aggregated value-added measurement scores. Findings indicated that there was a small to moderate statistically significant, positive relationship between all eight …

A Study Of The Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model And Student Achievement At 24 Elementary Schools In A Large Suburban School District In Central Florida, Amy Flowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to examine the initial year of implementation of the Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model and iObservation®tool (Learning Sciences International, 2012) as it related to student achievement in the School District of Osceola County, Florida and to determine if the Marzano model improved the ability to determine teacher effectiveness with more accuracy than previous models of teacher evaluation used in the school district. Twelve research questions guided this study concerning the relationship and predictability between the variables of teacher instructional practice scores, number of observations reported in the iObservation®tool, and student achievement in Grades 3-5 using …