Evaluating Educators

By: Fedor Gaponenko

How do you distinguish a good teacher from a great teacher? It seems like it is nearly impossible to objectively evaluate and rate teachers to learn who our superstars are and who is just barely getting the job done.

Teacher reviews are largely based on single 45-minute observations. According to the New York Times, teachers themselves see shortcomings with the evaluation system. They are rated “exceeds expectations,” “proficient,” “below expectations” or “unsatisfactory” across eight areas — including student participation, time management in the classroom and overall campus academic achievement — but are offered little 

specific guidance on how to improve.

Most of these observations are very subjective and “proficient” is usually the rating teachers get.

Another way many parents want teachers to be evaluated by is through standardized testing. The problem is that this method also leaves a lot to be desired. Most standardized tests have Math and reading as their main topics, but some teachers don’t even teach those subjects. Also some students do better on tests and it doesn’t have anything to do with their teachers.

There needs to be a system developed calculating all the different reviews, test scores, student’s reviews and improvements, to get a better understanding of just how good each teacher truly is. Teachers who do struggle with certain aspects should also be given the feedback to work on and improve those areas.