The document discusses various methods and definitions for measuring teacher effectiveness, primarily focusing on the relationship between a teacher's impact on student achievement and multiple evaluation techniques, including value-added models, classroom observations, and student evaluations. It emphasizes that while academic outcomes can indicate effectiveness, they should not be the sole measure due to the complex nature of learning. A comprehensive definition of effective teaching is proposed, which includes high expectations, diverse resource utilization, and collaboration for student success.

1. Testing of Teacher
Effectiveness

2. Contents
u Defining Teacher effectiveness
u Methods of measuring teacher effectiveness
1. Value-Added Models
2. Classroom Observation
3. Evaluation by the administrator/academic head of the school
4. Analysis of Classroom Artifacts
5. Portfolios
6. Self-Report/Appraisal of Practice
7. Student Evaluation

3. DEFINING TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS
u In its narrowest sense Teacher effectiveness can be defined as
a teacher’s ability to enhance student academic achievement
measured against a standardized achievement test.

4. u But this is not sole parameter to judge a teacher’s effectiveness due to the following
reasons
1. Other factors than a teacher are also contributory in the learning process of a child’s
learning. Teachers are not exclusively responsible for students’ learning
2. Test scores are insufficient to gauge a teachers effectiveness. Besides teaching, a
teacher also does many more things to the all round development of her/his student. It
does not capture teachers’ out-of-classroom contributions to making the school more
effective as a whole.
3. Learning is more than average achievement gains.
u Conclusion: So measuring a teacher’s effectiveness in terms of a student’s academic
achievement can be one of the parameters to measure her/his effectiveness and not the
exhaustive parameter.

5. u The following five-point definition from Goe, Bell, & Little (2008, p. 8) can widely be
accepted as exhaustive parameter to measure a teacher’s effectiveness:
1. Effective teachers have high expectations for all students and help students learn, as
measured by value-added or other test-based growth measures, or by alternative
measures.
2. Effective teachers contribute to positive academic, attitudinal, and social outcomes for
students such as regular attendance, on-time promotion to the next grade, on-time
graduation, self-efficacy, and cooperative behavior.
3. Effective teachers use diverse resources to plan and structure engaging learning
opportunities; monitor student progress formatively, adapting instruction as needed; and
evaluate learning using multiple sources of evidence.
4. Effective teachers contribute to the development of classrooms and schools that value
diversity and civic-mindedness.
5. Effective teachers collaborate with other teachers, administrators, parents, and
education professionals to ensure student success, particularly the success of students
with special needs and those at high risk for failure” (Goe et al., 2008, p. 8).

6. Value-Added Models
u Definition
u Value-added models provide a summary score of the contribution of various factors
toward growth in student achievement (Goldhaber & Anthony, 2004).
u Interpretation of the definition: If students perform better in comparison to previous
class a teacher is said to be effective and vice versa. Value-added models directly assess
how well teachers promote student achievement as measured by gains on standardized
tests
Note: Value-added models are relatively new measures of teacher effectiveness, and still
are not well understood.

7. Classroom Observation
u Types:
1. Planned and announced Observations
2. Unannounced and sudden observations
u They have to be done on a valid and appropriate tool like a checklist
u It has to be done by a well trained expert observer
u A larger sample has to be recorded
u Rater’s bias has to be avoided
u Two observation protocols that are widely used and have been studied on a relatively large
scale are
1. Charlotte Danielson’s Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework
for Teaching (1996) and
2. the University of Virginia’s Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Pianta, La
Paro, & Hamre, 2006a).

8. Evaluation by the administrator/academic head of the school
u The administrator or an authorised academic head of the school can also evaluate the
effectiveness of a teacher both for formative and summative purposes. (Heneman et al.,
2006)
u It can be an informal unannounced round of observation in which they can ensure:
1. Punctuality of the teacher
2. Timely finishing of course content
3. Whether revision classes are being taken
4. Whether practice questions are being shared
5. How a teacher is spending time in class
6. It can be more frequent in nature
7. To what extent students are satisfied with the delivery of content by the teacher
8. Whether difficulty removal classes are being given etc.

9. Analysis of Classroom Artifacts
u Introduction of following measurements:
1. Academic calendar which includes Learning outcomes in terms of student behaviour on
every topic, methods to be used for each topic, resources to be used per topic,
evaluation techniques to be used for each topic, number of periods for each topic.
2. Filling up of weekly progress diary reporting the progress of the activities/whether
academic calendar is being followed or not/whether timely course completion is being
ensured or not.
3. What learning opportunities are being given in the class on day to day basis
4. Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) developed by
UCLA’s National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing
(CRESST). IQA rubrics use classroom assignments and student work to assess the
quality of classroom discussion, rigor of lesson activities and assignments, and quality
of expectations communicated to students.

10. Portfolios
u Portfolios are a collection of materials compiled by teachers to exhibit evidence of their
teaching practices, school activities, and student progress.
u Materials are collected and created by the teacher for the purpose of evaluation.
u The portfolio process often requires teachers to reflect on the materials and explain why
artifacts were included and how they relate to particular standards.
u They may contain exemplary work as well as evidence that the teacher is able to
1. reflect on a lesson,
2. identify problems in the lesson,
3. make appropriate modifications, and
4. use that information to plan future lessons.

11. u Examples of portfolio materials include
1. teacher lesson plans,
2. schedules,
3. assignments,
4. assessments,
5. student work samples,
6. videos of classroom instruction and interaction,
7. reflective writings,
8. notes from parents, and
9. special awards or recognitions.

12. Self-Report/Appraisal of Practice
u On a well developed format the teachers can prepare a self report and submit to the
higher authorities. They may evaluate and appraise their teaching effectiveness.
u These can be in the form of a check list, rating scale, open end & closed end questions.
u

13. Student Evaluation
u Student evaluations most often come in the form of a questionnaire that asks students to
rate teachers on a Likert- type scale (usually a four-point or five-point scale).
u Students may assess various aspects of teaching, from course content to specific
teaching practices and behaviors.
u Advantages of the practice:
Given that students have the most contact with their teachers and are the most direct
consumers of teachers’ services, it seems that valuable information could be obtained from
evaluations of their experience.

14. Limitation of the practice:
1. Students lack knowledge about the full context of teaching,
2. Their ratings may be susceptible to bias.
There is concern that students may rate teachers on
1. personality characteristics
2. or how they are graded rather than instructional quality.
3. Students are considered particularly susceptible to rating leniency and “halo” effects.
For example, if they rate a teacher highly on one trait or aspect of teaching, they might
be influenced to rate that teacher highly on other, unrelated items.