AES 2015 International Evaluation Conference

Janet Clinton (Centre for Program Evaluation), Kathryn Cairns (Centre for Program Evaluation), Anna Dabrowski (Centre for Program Evaluation)

There has been a recent movement within OECD member nations towards the introduction of professional standards for teachers. These have been used as a policy mechanism to enhance teacher quality by articulating the dimensions of effective teaching, competencies of accomplished teachers and rubrics for the measurement of quality (Clinton et al., 2013). Standards have been used in different ways in different countries, for example to articulate a common language and measurement framework for professional development, to raise the status of the profession, and for accountability-based purposes. While there are clear advantages to be derived by teachers and schools, a common criticism that is levelled at these frameworks is that they are disconnected from the 'coalface', or practice of teaching, and are thus difficult to interpret and apply in the classroom. 

In this paper we will showcase a tool that is being used to bridge the gap between teaching standards and what teachers do in the classroom. With reference to the Australian, US and UK education systems, we will illustrate how the 'Visible Classroom Teacher Evaluation' system can support educators and school leaders to monitor their progression in relation to quality standards within their unique schooling context. In so doing, it connects the often disparate worlds of education policy and practice, in a tangible, defensible way. The Teacher Evaluation system allows for the provision of rigorous, timely evidence to teachers and school leaders about where teachers are at in relation to the quality standards that apply within their local context, and facilitates progression towards those standards. The rubric which underpins the system can be adapted and aligned to various international professional standards frameworks, ensuring that the evaluative lens that is applied is sensitive to the nuances of different educational systems. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to develop an international dataset of effective teacher practice to inform future research into teacher practice.