This Data Point compares the sources of information in evaluating teacher performance and how the information is used by traditional public school and public charter school principals in the United States. It uses data from the public school principal questionnaire from the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), a nationally…

Grounded in the renewed focus on research on evaluation (Coryn, Noakes, Westine, & Schröter, 2011; Mark, 2007; Peck, Kim, & Lucio, 2012), which is motivated, in part, by a desire for evidence-informed practice, this paper calls attention to the need to discern larger patterns across studies. It argues that without clarity and consistency…

The purpose of this sequential transformative study was to elucidate the negative experiences of teachers with performance evaluations and to juxtapose the intended use of current popular teacher evaluation reform movements to the evident implementation. One may quickly assume that negative experiences with evaluation are a result of…

To address nationwide concerns about overtesting, Achieve developed the "Student Assessment Inventory for School Districts" (see ED603651) which can be used by education leaders to make decisions about the appropriate amount of testing and to be more transparent with parents about assessments in schools. Since its launch in 2014, the…

Although data-based individualization (DBI) has positive effects on learning outcomes for students with learning difficulties, this framework can be difficult for teachers to implement due to its complexity and contextual barriers. The first aim of this synthesis was to investigate the effects of ongoing professional development (PD) support for…

Although data-based individualization (DBI) has positive effects on learning outcomes for students with learning difficulties, this framework can be difficult for teachers to implement due to its complexity and contextual barriers. The first aim of this synthesis was to investigate the effects of ongoing professional development (PD) support for…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to check the veracity of educators' apprehensions about peer assessments by comparing them with the actual peer assessment scores. It also explores the levels of satisfaction and current usage of peer assessment tools among educators. Design/methodology/approach: The first phase of this study aims at providing…

Clinical Question: When assessing a kindergarten student in the area of early reading skills, does dynamic assessment provide additional classification accuracy over and above static, standardized assessments when determining if the student exhibits a difference in early learning experiences or a true disorder? Method: Systematic Review. Study…

In "The Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better", the author's new book from which this article is drawn, the failures of test-based accountability are documented and some of the most egregious misuses and outright abuses of testing are described, along with some of the most serious negative effects. Neither good intentions…

This chapter explores the role that research and evaluation play in supporting comprehensive reform in community colleges, focusing on lessons from two major initiatives: Achieving the Dream and Completion by Design.

As theory-based evaluation (TBE) engages in situations where multiple stakeholders help develop complex program theory about dynamic phenomena in politically contested settings, it becomes difficult to develop and use program theory without ambiguity. The purpose of this article is to explore ambiguity as a fruitful perspective that helps TBE face…

The second article in this series on the history of evaluation use has three sections. The first and longest develops a functional definition of the term "use," noting that a thorough definition of evaluation use includes the initial stimulus (i.e., evaluation findings or process), the user, the way people use the information, the aspect…

Increasing the use of learning outcome assessments to inform educational decisions is a major challenge in higher education. For this study we used a sense-making theoretical perspective to guide an analysis of the relationship of information characteristics and faculty assessment knowledge and beliefs with the use of general education assessment…

In an era of ever-deepening budget cuts and a concomitant demand for substantiated programs, many organizations have elected to conduct internal program evaluations. Internal evaluations offer advantages (e.g., enhanced evaluator program knowledge and ease of data collection) but may confront important challenges, including credibility threats,…

This study examines the perceptions of Jordanian science teachers' conceptions of assessment, and how these perceptions are affected by the teacher's gender, length of experience, and subject variables. The teacher conception of the assessment questionnaire was completed by 488 teachers. It consisted of 27 items spread over four dimensions: school…