Huss 1 Courtney Huss Megan Keaton English 112-15 25 April 2013 Argumentative Paper Recently teacher evaluations seem

to spark the interest of many individuals in various discussions. Teacher evaluations have always been accompanied with a wide variety of opinions. People are more than willing to express their feelings towards this system. Some believe that the teacher evaluation system should be solely focused on a teachers classroom methods and skills determined by classroom observations. With this system, schools are able to gain the best understanding of an individual teachers potential. On the other hand, others strongly believe that a teacher should be evaluated based upon his/her students standardized test scores. Schools are then able to provide physical proof of how effective a teacher exactly is. Arguing for the perfect system of teacher evaluations will not only affect teachers but students and schools across the nation. An accurate and effective system will benefit all individuals associated with any school systems. This will allow every individual to receive the academic effectiveness that they deserve. In this paper, I will thoroughly explain the importance of teacher evaluations. I will cover two specific opinions about this subject and explain each sides argument as well as the importance of it. Then I will come to a solution of how we can fix and improve the system of teacher evaluations by both sides coming to a compromise. After the argument is clear and the best system is determined I will explain what is next needed that will put our system into affect across the nation.

Huss 2 One side of the argument that is well worth arguing for is the system of evaluations in which teachers are being evaluated based upon their own individual teaching methods and skills. With this system of evaluations teachers are fairly being evaluated based on their own classroom environment and teacher effectiveness. With this system of assessments schools are then able to determine exactly what a teachers potential is and if he/she is meeting all requirements and criteria needed. Thomas Kane is an author that is on board for this type of evaluations. Kanes reports find that evaluations based on well-executed classroom observations do identify effective teachers and teaching practices (Kane). Classroom observations are a source of evaluations where an individual can physically examine and observe a teacher in their teaching environment. This procedure allows for most accurate evaluation scores because grading someone on their abilities will be the most accurate in finding teacher effectiveness. He believes that the only way to determine if a teacher is teaching a student at the best of their ability is to be able to physically view it. Being able to determine an accurate examination of how well teachers methods are schools are then able to provide them with the correct grade that they deserve. Kane also explains that teacher evaluation systems need not be based on test scores alone in order to provide useful information about which teachers are most effective in raising student achievement (Kane). Kane reports this because he wants schools to realize that using students test scores alone will not give schools an accurate evaluation score due to the fact that teachers have no control over how well their students test. The most fair and productive way to evaluate a teacher would be to examine and observe the teacher while teaching instead of determining it based on his/her students standardized test scores.

Huss 3 Jennifer Goldstein is another author that shares this same opinion. She also believes that assessments of teachers will be most accurate with the use of classroom observations. Goldstein is so intrigued with evaluations that she wrote a book explaining a new system that supports the idea of teacher evaluations based on classroom observations that can widely affect schools and students. She introduces a system called PAR (peer assistance and review). In this system there are specific individuals determined that will be observing classrooms on a regular basis without informing the teacher. This way the group assigned for observation will be highly trained in order to determine an accurate and fair evaluation. Her goal is to pull away from the traditional form of evaluations and propose a new standardized way of assessments to schools across the nation. Goldstein notes PAR avoids some of the opacity of traditional evaluations in multiple ways (Goldstein 78). With that being said we are able to use a traditional form of evaluations that have been proven effective but with a new form. Goldstein believes this may intrigue those who are in disagreement with the traditional system but want a change. Another side of the argument of how should teachers be evaluated is the evaluation based on students standardized test scores. Many believe that teacher reviews based on students test scores will be the most accurate form of evaluations. Test scores provide physical evidence of a students achievement which will determine how effective a teacher actually is. By examining students test scores for each individual teacher school systems will be able to trace which teacher is giving the full academic effect to his/her students and which teacher is not. This form of the evaluations system will benefit schools because they will be able to correctly determine which students are receiving the full potential of their teachers methods and skills.

Huss 4 Marcia Clemmit and Steven Glazerman are authors that are completely for this form of teacher evaluations. They believe that with evaluations based on students standardized test scores we are then able to have proof of how well a teachers teaching skills really are. This way schools are able to accurately see how beneficial a teacher is to his/her students. Glazerman has also brought up another form of teacher evaluations based on students test scores. He reports A statistical method known as value-added modeling has enabled educational systems to estimate teachers impacts on student learning by comparing student test scores at the beginning of the year to those at the end of the year, making statistical adjustments for factors outside the control of teachers (Glazerman). This change in the system of evaluations could be an exact determination of teacher effectiveness. Camille Esch is another author that highly supports this system of evaluations. She believes that this system would not only be beneficial to schools and teachers but also to students and parents. Parents will be able to physically see how well their child is succeeding and the effect their teacher has had on them. Parents will then feel more confident in their school system to provide their children with a teacher that will best benefit their child. Esch has also proposed an idea of using standardized test scores for evaluations. She states that a standardized test could be created specifically for the use of determining a teachers evaluations score. This test would consist of information learned throughout the school year. Esch acknowledges that To build a better system of evaluating teachers, it is worth the investment to design tests that measure how much individual students learn over the course of a year on the material the teacher is expected to teach (Esch). She makes it aware that including these tests will create the best form of evaluations which will benefit each school system.

Huss 5 Both sides of this argument are extremely affective and beneficial. All school systems want to have the best system for teacher evaluations to fit their goal of helping all students succeed. The help and effect of a useful and determined teacher can drastically benefit students and school systems. Every school wants what is best for the student so why not critique the system of evaluations to the best of our ability. Evaluating teachers on their own skills and teaching methods along with a students standardized test score could be the perfect form of evaluations. By combining both opinions and systems we could create the most accurate and effective evaluations. Schools will be able to physically observe how well a teacher is impacting his/her students by classroom observations but will also have physical evidence of how well students are being affected by looking at test scores. Putting both opinions together could create a better system that is ultimately better than each opinion individually. Having both methods of evaluation included into the final score of a teacher will make the evaluation completely accurate. Now that the perfect system of evaluations is determined I believe it is time to put this system into effect. To do so the board of education needs to be aware of this proposal to the new system of teacher evaluations. If the board of education will take the time to listen and understand this proposal it can benefit them and our nation tremendously. Even though not all boards of education throughout the nation can be contacted it only takes one school system to listen and make a difference. Once the board of education for one school systems adopts this new evaluation system schools throughout the nation will be noted and aware of this change. Hopefully when other schools see the positive outcome of this evaluation system they will be more than willing to also make it their own. By both sides contributing their opinions to this

Huss 6 argument we were able to determine the ultimate compromise which determined the most effective and accurate use of an evaluation system. This is going to ultimately benefit school systems and the change of the system of evaluations for the better.

Works Cited Clemmitt, Marcia. School Reform. CQ Researcher 29 Apr. 2011: 385-4 08. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Esch, Camille. Student Test Scores Should Be Part of Teacher Evaluations. School Reform. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from Put Teachers to the Test Los Angeles Times 23 Mar. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Glazerman, Steven. "Value-Added Modeling Is the Best Tool to Measure Teacher Effectiveness." Standardized Testing. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Evaluating Teachers: The Important Role of Value-Added." Brookings Institution, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Huss 7 Goldstein, Jennifer. "The Work of the PAR Panel: Supporting and Assessing Teacher Evaluation." Peer Review and Teacher Leadership: Linking Professionalism and Accountability. New York, NY: Teachers College, 2010. 78-96. Print. Kane, Thomas., et al. Evaluating teacher effectiveness: can classroom observations identify practices that raise achievement? Education Next 11.3 (2011): 54+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.