The general purpose of a teacher evaluation system is to ensure that teachers are meeting the requirements of being effective educators by providing feedback on their instructional practices. The evaluation is comprised of data collected by an evaluator (often an administrator) in regards to the teacher’s preparation, classroom management, teaching methods/strategies, instructional materials, and interactions with students. In theory, administration will visit the classroom several times a marking period informally, and at least twice a year formally. At the conclusion of the second formal observation, the administrator would then review their findings with the teacher using an evaluation rubric.

Approximately 180 teachers, school principals and education advocates assembled at the U.S. Department of Education’s headquarters on Friday, August 3, 2012 to discuss the importance of transforming the education profession. Several topics were discussed here, including a new initiative called the RESPECT Project. In addition, there were several suggestions that were considered by the attendees.

On June 28th, Pennsylvania legislation sponsored by Rep. Ryan Aument (R., Lancaster) was approved by the state House that would count student performance as 50 percent of teacher evaluations. There are several measures of student performance that will be evaluated, including graduation rates, attendance, and state and local test scores. The other 50 percent will come from classroom evaluations, which will include planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities.