Title on signature form: Relationship between teacher evaluations and student achievement : an investigation of teacher quality

Using the teacher evaluation scores and other teacher quality data from three suburban high schools near a large Midwest city, this study investigated the relationship between teacher evaluation scores, teacher experience, and teacher education, and student achievement results for the End-of-Course assessments for Algebra I, Biology, and English 10. This study was a quantitative correlational design using archival data. To analyze the relationship between teacher evaluation scores and student achievement on the End-of-Course Assessments for Algebra I, English 10, and Biology the Pearson product-moment (r) was performed. One-way ANOVA was selected to analyze the differences in student achievement between teacher experience groups. A t test was used to analyze the differences in student achievement between teacher certification groups. The results of this study were mixed but did indicate several instances of students performing better when assigned to teachers with higher evaluation scores and a higher level of performance for students assigned to English teachers with at least a master’s degree. The implications discussed include encouraging principals to assign evaluators with experience in the designated content area(s) to assess their teachers, providing targeted professional development for veteran teachers to increase knowledge of current best practices, and high school principals giving consideration to assigning English teachers with a master’s degree in English to courses that culminate with the students taking a state end-of-course assessment.Department of Educational LeadershipThesis (D. Ed.