Clarity Precedes Competence: The Impact of a Revised Classroom Teacher Evaluation Instrument on Teaching and Learning

This study is a program evaluation to determine the impact of evaluators’ use of the revised Classroom Teacher Evaluation Instrument on instructional practice in a mid-sized, public school district serving approximately 43,000 Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth-grade students. The primary research question explored in this program evaluation is what theory of action for the evaluation system will establish reliable effectiveness measures to gauge teacher quality in the school district under study. Employing a mixed-methods approach, with data gathered from a principal survey, focus group transcriptions, and instructional practice and student achievement data, this study informed and improved current practices surrounding observation and evaluation processes. Policy implications and recommendations support a multidimensional view of teacher effectiveness through the inclusion of multiple measures of data, including deliberate practice and self-assessment, classroom observations, student voice, student achievement and growth, and school performance growth