Inverness Research has served as the external evaluation group for the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) since its inception in 2003. As evaluators, Inverness conceptualizes projects as investments in improvement, and it examines the returns on those investments. The direct services of projects and their immediate outcomes…

It is the purpose of this manual to present suggested steps and procedures for use by individual onsite evaluators or by the Utah State Office of Education or any other similar agency charged with responsibility for arranging or conducting onsite evaluations. Although many of the examples used in this manual are drawn from materials developed in…

Methods of probability modeling to analyze rater agreement are described, emphasizing their basic similarities and viewing them as variants of a common methodology. Statistical techniques for analyzing agreement data are described to address questions such as how many opinions are required to make a medical diagnosis with necessary accuracy. Kappa…

This paper addresses the question: What is proper conduct for an internal evaluator? Selected ethical issues are examined, and strategies for responding effectively are proposed. Issues examined are: (1) pressure to downplay negative and emphasize positive findings; (2) reinforcement for nonthreatening evaluation activities; (3) greater interest…

This document consists of four separate handouts all related to the appraisal of audiovisual (AV) materials: "How to Work with an Appraiser of AV Media: A Convenient Check List for Clients and Their Advisors," helps a client prepare for an appraisal, explaining what is necessary before the appraisal, the appraisal process and its costs,…

This paper shares the outcomes of a developmental process designed to create a comprehensive teacher assessment program within a local school district. The paper includes a rationale that helps to explain the need for developing teacher evaluation systems different from most current models, the processes used to create the assessment program, and…

Five elements contribute to success of the NASSP assessor training program: (1) participants are totally involved; (2) preparation supports the overall training design; (3) preselection and orientation of assessor trainees ensures qualified participants; (4) training models assessors' subsequent role; and (5) follow-up training at individual…

A well-planned and well-conducted evaluation can provide useful information to funding agencies, sponsoring institutions, instructors, and participants. Evaluating an instructional program, such as a workshop or institute, involves collecting, organizing, analyzing, and reporting data about several features of the program and its impact on the…

Research and evaluation staff members in schools and school districts are frequently called on to answer questions about the quality of schools. Responding merely with test scores is not sufficient, because it is important to communicate information about the total educational program in the district. Additional measures are available.…