Approaches to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: A Research Synthesis.

TLDR

Effective teachers are defined by components and indicators that extend beyond student achievement to include classroom, school, colleague impact, and other student outcomes. This synthesis examines current measures of teacher effectiveness and aims to guide the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality in evaluating teachers for formative and summative purposes. The authors review and evaluate various instruments, explaining their rigor and suitability for high‑stakes versus formative evaluation, and suggest how findings can inform national policy. The study presents findings with policy implications, showing how different measures perform and recommending their use for national conversations about teacher effectiveness. National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality: Approaches to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness—1.

Abstract

This research synthesis examines how teacher effectiveness is currently measured. By evaluating the research on teacher effectiveness and the different instruments used to measure it, this research synthesis contributes to the discussion of appropriate rigor and relevance of measures for different purposes (i.e., formative vs. summative evaluation). The findings are presented along with related policy implications. In addition, the synthesis describes how various measures have been evaluated, explains why certain measures are most suitable for certain purposes (highstakes evaluation vs. formative evaluation, for instance), and suggests how the results of the study might be used to inform the national conversation about teacher effectiveness. A comprehensive definition of the components and indicators that characterize effective teachers is provided, extending this definition beyond teachers’ contribution to student achievement gains to include how teachers impact classrooms, schools, and their colleagues as well as how they contribute to other important outcomes for students. Through this synthesis, the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) hopes to provide some practical guidance in how best to evaluate teacher effectiveness. National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality Approaches to Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness—1