AN OVERVIEW OF TEACHER EVALUATION

Abstract

Although teacher evaluation is a crucial aspect of the educational process, there are many questions as to the best way to carry it out. Among the relevant issues that we discuss in this paper are the purposes, content, development, and administration and scoring of teacher evaluations. Important decisions are made on the basis of information obtained during the teacher evaluation process; hence it is of paramount importance that the assessment methods and instruments be both valid and reliable. In an effort to shed light on this vital area of pedagogy and program administration, we provide an overview of the professional literature regarding effective teaching, and critically evaluate various current methods and instruments. Finally, we recommend strategies for overcoming the many difficulties encountered by those implementing teacher evaluation processes.