assessment method

Evaluating Teacher Evaluations

As bosses, we demand competence, effort and excellence from our employees. As employees, we thrive under a system that clearly spells out expectations, evaluates our performance fairly, and rewards achievement. Simple enough. So why is this so difficult to implement … Continue reading

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assessment method

The Role of Trust in Teacher Evaluation

Unless there is a preponderance of evidence that a teacher is unwilling to learn, be coached, or to grow professionally – making dismissal is a real possibility – the sole purpose of any observation – informal observation, class walk-through, or formal evaluation – should be to help a teacher enhance instructional effectiveness. Continue reading

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assessment method

Teacher Evaluation: Thoughts from Educators

As part of our ongoing series on new problems and ideas in teacher assessments, www.funderstanding.com has reached out to rank-and-file educators for their input. Through both direct sources and a far-reaching social media shout-out, we have spoken to dozens of … Continue reading

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choice theory

Measuring Merit in the Classroom

I love the idea of merit pay for teachers.  If we try to give merit pay for cops, you might want to know how many criminals the officer had arrested.  The cop who works against the criminal only wins merit … Continue reading

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choice theory

Merit Pay: A Costly and Ineffective Initiative

Those who believe in the reward/punishment model (nearly everybody) are often attracted to the simplistic notion of giving merit pay to teachers whose students do well on standardized tests. I say “simplistic” for several reasons: 1. Standardized tests don’t necessarily … Continue reading

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