The Stability of Teacher Performance and Effectiveness: Implications for Policies Concerning Teacher Evaluation

Authors

  • Grant B. Morgan Baylor University
  • Kari J. Hodge Baylor University
  • Tonya M. Trepinksi Texas A & M International University
  • Lorin W. Anderson University of South Carolina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v22n95.2014

Keywords:

teacher evaluation policy, effectiveness, teacher performance, teacher stability, value-added

Abstract

The last five to ten years has seen a renewed interest in the stability of teacher behavior and effectiveness. Data on teacher performance and teacher effectiveness are being used increasingly as the basis for decisions about continued employment, tenure and promotion, and financial bonuses. The purpose of this study is to explore the stability of both teacher performance and effectiveness by determining the extent to which performances and effectiveness of individual teachers fluctuate over time. The sample consisted of 132 teachers for whom both observational and state standardized test data were available for five consecutive years. Neither teacher performance nor effectiveness were highly stable over multiple years of the study. The observed relationship between teacher performance and teacher effectiveness was reasonably stable over time, but the magnitude of the relationship was quite small. Teacher performance was also likely to be inflated in low performing schools. We also discuss when different observed patterns may be acceptable based on the purpose for which the data are used.

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Author Biographies

Grant B. Morgan, Baylor University

Dr. Grant Morgan is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at Baylor University. His research interests include psychometrics, advanced quantitative methods, and classification/clustering using Monte Carlo methods.

Kari J. Hodge, Baylor University

Kari Hodge is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Psychology at Baylor University. Her primary areas of research include technology in teacher education as well as psychometric investigations of assessments.

Tonya M. Trepinksi, Texas A & M International University

Dr. Tonya Trepinski completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Educational Psychology at Baylor University and is now an assistant professor at Texas A&M International University in the College of Education. Her primary areas of research include applied behavior analysis in teacher education programs and autism spectrum disorders. 

Lorin W. Anderson, University of South Carolina

Dr. Lorin Anderson is a Carolina Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, where he served on the faculty from August, 1973, until his retirement in August, 2006. His recent research interests are focused on the quality of education provided for children of poverty throughout the world. His most recognized work is A Taxonomy of Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, which was published in 2001.

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Published

2014-10-06

How to Cite

Morgan, G. B., Hodge, K. J., Trepinksi, T. M., & Anderson, L. W. (2014). The Stability of Teacher Performance and Effectiveness: Implications for Policies Concerning Teacher Evaluation. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 22, 95. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v22n95.2014

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Articles