In response to the federal Race to the Top grant initiative that aimed to increase teacher accountability, the state of Tennessee created the Tennessee Student Growth Portfolio Model (TSGPM) to evaluate its non-tested teachers. This optional alternate evaluation model for non-tested teachers was developed and piloted by fine arts educators in the…

In an era of test-based accountability, school inspections can offer a more nuanced understanding of why schools fail. Yet, we have limited knowledge of how inspectors arrive at their decisions on school quality. Analyzing inspectors' decision-making can reveal the underlying views regarding school accountability and open opportunities for school…

Chronic absenteeism is the most extreme form of truancy and includes students who miss more than 10% of the school year (Conry & Richards, 2018). The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2015 required states to choose a non-cognitive measure to evaluate school performance. Tennessee has chronic absenteeism selected…

Educational leaders are increasingly expected to use school climate data to improve outcomes and promote equity for all learners, including in California where school climate is included in state accountability policy. In this study, beliefs towards school climate assessment were explored in a sample (n=298) of California superintendents using a…

Shifts in the education system to more student-centered learning will require state and local education agencies to rethink how they do their work. Current accountability systems focus on compliance with standards, as demonstrated in annual summative assessments. Mark Elgart explains that a new approach to accountability will offer more authentic…

Since US state policy makers reformed their teacher evaluation systems in the mid-2010s, the scholarly literature has paid little attention to the classroom-level measures of student learning growth that many states repurposed as teacher performance measures. This study addresses the gap by documenting teachers' and principals' experiences with…

In this study, the South Korean policy of evaluating the nation's entire teacher education programmes regularly, which was introduced amid the globalization and rising popularity of neoliberal education reforms, was examined. Over the years, this policy has been criticized widely for its minimal impact on transforming teacher education. Employing…

This study shows findings of an investigation into the forms of institutionalizing academic rankings as accountability tools for Brazilian public universities. The absence of institutional conditions which allowed the rise of these league tables in other countries - competitive admission markets and incorporation into public policies - evinces the…

This paper explores Indonesian secondary school teachers' conceptions of assessment in the context of assessment reform. Teachers working at different school level were interviewed both individually and in groups and their responses were analysed using the content analysis approach. Detailed examination of teachers' assessment propositions…

Evaluating the superintendent is the paramount duty of the school board. Current evaluation practices are inconsistent and meaningless for providing effective feedback. The researcher was interested in understanding this issue from the school board's perspective. Research questions addressed were: '(1) What current evaluation practices…

This study examined the experiences of accreditation professionals, specifically SACSCOC staff members, visiting committee members, and accreditation liaisons, who participated in virtual site visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accountability pressures in higher education have placed scrutiny on the accreditation process, and little is known…

This study challenges persistent misrepresentations of evaluation as a value-neutral inquiry process by presenting an empirical study that deepens understanding of evaluators' values and how they "show up" in evaluation practice. Through semistructured interviews and inductive analysis, we examined the values advanced by a sample of…

In education research test scores are a common object of analysis. Across studies test scores can be an important outcome, a highly predictive covariate, or a means of assigning treatment. However, test scores are a measure of an underlying proficiency we can't observe directly and so contain error. This measurement error has implications for how…

The present qualitative action research study was conducted to gain further understanding of administrator and teacher perceptions about grading systems in elementary schools, administrators' and teachers' ability to ensure consistent and fair practices and any correlation that grades may have to students' social, emotional, and/or academic…

In this paper we explore the concept of the middle tier in education systems, outlining how it is a crucial element that links high-level education policy to the practices that are carried out in schools. Reflecting on the similarities and differences in the profiles of the middle tiers of the four nations of the United Kingdom (UK), we observe…