What we know about educator evaluations
let’s sum up what we know:
1. There is variation in educator effectiveness (teachers aren’t all the same).
2. The components of effective teaching are known.
3. Effective teaching can be validly and reliably measured.
4. Effective teaching has an impact on students’ lives.
5. We, for the most part, ignore all of the above.
Jason Glass via http://educationelements.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/on-evaluations
I think most people might agree on these broad points. The devil is in the details, however. For example, people disagree on exactly which measures are valid and reliable for assessing teacher effectiveness. Similarly, there are squabbles over which of the many components of effective teaching are worth assessing or emphasizing. These disagreements are not just educational but also have become politicized.
Time matters. Are we drawing a box around effective using a specific duration of time? Within a school year?
This is far more complex than an input output system.