A Study of Administrator Perceptions of State Mandated Teacher Evaluation: The Student Achievement and Iowa Teacher Quality Law

Abstract

The problem: Because of the high stakes for teachers and the expected levels of achievement for students, there is a clear need for specific data about the current state of implementation and effectiveness of Iowa's Teacher Quality Evaluation Standards and Criteria. Procedure: A survey was electronically mailed to 333 lowa administrators who were randomly selected from a list of lowa administrators identified as having had first and second year teachers employed in their school district. One- Way ANOVAs were utilized to determine any significant differences between the means of administrative subgroups. Findinqs: Administrators with 0-3 years of experience believe at a significantly higher level than administrators with more experience that teacher evaluation has improved, and that they are better able to identify teacher effectiveness. Administrators from smaller schools believe at a significantly higher rate than larger school administrators that additional administrator training is needed on teacher evaluation and teacher effectiveness. In addition, 68% of lowa administrators believe teacher evaluation has improved, but that the time spent at this task has increased dramatically. Ninety-three percent reported they were spending increased time on teacher evaluation. The majority of administrators (52%) believe they do not need additional training about teacher effectiveness and evaluation, while 67% believe teachers need further training about teacher effectiveness evaluation. Eighty-six percent reported their school district would be ready for full implementation with all teachers by July 2005. Finally, only 39% expected student achievement in their school to improve because of implementing the lowa Teaching Standards and Criteria. Recommendations: Additional research is needed about the following topics: 1. Teachers' perceptions about the implementation of the ITS evaluation process, 2. Administrators' perceptions about teacher evaluation, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement after 2005-2006, 3. Administrators' perceptions about the time needed for teacher evaluation after 2005-2006, 4. The impact of teacher evaluation on student achievement.