Designing teacher evaluation systems : new guidance from the measures of effective teaching project / Thomas J. Kane, Kerri A. Kerr, and Robert C. Pianta, editors

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Why measure effective teaching? Using data for feedback and evaluation -- Grade level variation in observational measures of teacher effectiveness -- Improving observational score quality : challenges in observer thinking -- How framework for teaching and Tripod 7Cs evidence distinguish key components of effective teaching -- Making decisions with imprecise performance measures : the relationship between annual student achievement gains and a teacher's career value added -- To what extent do student perceptions of classroom quality predict teacher value added? -- Connecting evaluation measures with student learning. Combining classroom observations and value-added for the evaluation and professional development of teachers classroom observation and value-added models give complementary information about quality of mathematics teaching -- Does the test matter? Evaluating teachers when tests differ in their sensitivity to instruction -- Understanding instructional quality in English language arts : variations in PLATO Scores by content and context -- How working conditions predict teaching quality and student outcomes -- The properties of evaluation systems. Issues of quality, underlying frameworks, and design decisions -- Evaluating efforts to minimize rater bias in scoring classroom observations -- Scoring design decisions : reliability and the length and focus of classroom observations -- Assessing quality teaching in science -- Evidence on the validity of content knowledge for teaching assessments -- Optimizing resources to maximize student gains -- Conclusion : measuring effective teaching -- The future starts now

WHAT IS EFFECTIVE TEACHING? It s not enough to say I know it when I see it not when we re expecting so much more from students and teachers than in the past. To help teachers achieve greater success with their students we need new and better ways to identify and develop effective teaching. The Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project represents a groundbreaking effort to find out what works in the classroom. With funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the MET project brought together leading academics, education groups, and 3,000 teachers to study teaching and learning from every angle. Its reports on student surveys, observations, and other measures have shaped policy and practice at multiple levels. This book shares the latest lessons from the MET project. With 15 original studies, some of the field s most preeminent experts tap the MET project s unprecedented collection of data to offer new insights on evaluation methods and the current state of teaching in our schools. As feedback and evaluation methods evolve rapidly across the country, Designing Teacher Evaluation Systems is a must read and timely resource for those working on this critical task