Assessing Teachers’ Effectiveness

The techniques used in evaluating effectiveness of teachers have changed over time together with the definition of effective teaching. These changes have been brought by increased federal and state supervision of accountability of teachers both in schools and in class. Most researchers concede that good teaching is crucial and a key factor in improving students performance. However, researchers have not agreed on the best way of measuring teachers’ effectiveness, because there is no consensus on what constitutes an effective tutor. Some of the traditional methods that have been employed in measuring teachers’ effectiveness include classroom observations meant to compare tutoring practices against certain standard measures (Gay, Mills & Airasian, 2009).

Researchers in education have proposed an integrated approach that measures teachers’ effectiveness from three related angles. Under this model, a teacher’s effectiveness is assessed by measuring inputs, output, and processes. Inputs refer to the individual factors a teacher possesses, and they are measured with respect to his/her background, expectations, belief, content knowledge, experience, educational achievement, and licensure and certification (Strong, 2009). These factors are sometimes popularly referred to as teachers’ qualities especially in the ‘No Child Left Behind Program’ that demanded high credentials and qualifications among teachers in the United States. The process is a measure of assessing teachers’ effectiveness, and it concentrates on the interaction between students and instructors in a classroom set up. Output on the other hand, refers to the outcomes of classroom processes like graduation rates, students’ attitudes as well as their achievements and behavior...

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