Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!nic.MR.NET!srcsip!haarlem!shankar
From: shankar@haarlem.SRC.Honeywell.COM (Son of Knuth)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: teacher competence
Message-ID: <15633@srcsip.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jan 89 21:11:09 GMT
References: <1461@trantor.harris-atd.com> <5908@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> <1470@trantor.harris-atd.com>
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Reply-To: shankar@haarlem.UUCP (Son of Knuth)
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Organization: Honeywell Systems & Research Center, Camden, MN
Lines: 39

In article <1470@trantor.harris-atd.com> ferguson@x102c (ferguson ct 71078) writes:
>some suggestions for improving teacher appraisals:
>  o  appraisal by students -- this option could yield questionable
>     results since some students will dislike their teachers and score
>     them badly.  ...

Additionally, this can lead to appraisal results based mainly on the grade
distribution of the teacher.  

>  o  appraisal by other teachers -- i suspect many teachers know which
>     of their peers are doing the job and which are just along for the
>     ride.

I think this should be weighted most heavily among the four, since peers
are the best judge of a teacher (as well as in jobs in industry).

>  o  appraisal by student improvement -- teacher appraisal would be
>     determined by the cumulative percent improvement of their
>     students on some standardized achievement test.  

Nah.  Simply encourages teachers to teach from sample tests.
Surest way to deter any creativity and original thought left in
the student.  Not to mention the difficulty in constructing such
an achievement test.

>  o  increased classroom monitoring -- a basic problem with the
>     existing appraisal system is that the principal only attends
>     class one day a year and that day is known by the teacher in
>     advance.  impromptu visits by the principal on an irregular basis
>     might give a more accurate picture of teacher performance.  the
>     high-tech, big-brother variation of this approach is to install
>     video cameras in the classrooms to allow unintrusive observation.

Hmm, if I were a teacher I wouldn't take too kindly to such an intrusion.
I also wonder if this doesn't violate tenure rules/guidelines.
---
Subash Shankar            Honeywell Systems & Research Center
voice: (612) 782 7558     US Snail: 3660 Technology Dr., Minneapolis, MN 55418
shankar@srcsip.uucp    {umn-cs,ems,bthpyd}!srcsip!shankar