Evaluation or Appraisal?
When settling into that new job in your first school district, you might be wondering how your
performance is going to be assessed. School districts use a myriad of processes and instruments to
assess teacher performance. However, most processes boil down to either evaluation or appraisal.
Evaluation
Evaluation, in the strictest traditional sense, implies a relatively “lock step” process. It
usually relies on clinical methods, including pre- and post- conferencing. In many instances,
evaluation is a snapshot type of assessment, focusing on the class period where the observer
monitored the teacher's behavior.
Evaluation sometimes carries a negative connotation of having someone looking over another’s
shoulder.
Appraisal
Appraisal, on the other hand, is a relatively new concept. Appraisal systems focus on
identifying goals and acquiring the skill sets. Individual teachers or groups of teachers may
assess the colleague's progress. It continues to use observation, but focuses on professional
development as its primary goal.
Appraisal is less concerned with what happens during a particular class period, focusing more
on the “total picture” of a teacher’s behavior. Appraisal is grounded in a framework of teacher
behaviors.
These behaviors, called domains, encompass everything a teacher does from the minute they
arrive at school to the time they leave to go home.
Appraisal systems advocate the notion that true professional growth among teachers occurs
when they are supporting and working with each other. This is in marked contrast to evaluation
systems, where visiting administrators provide suggestions for improvement of instruction based on
the observation of a single class period.
Resources
Two very good resources for teacher appraisal systems are Enhancing Professional Practice, A
Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson and Teacher Evaluation To Enhance Professional
Practice by Charlotte Danielson and Thomas L. McGreal.
These publications are must reading for both teachers and administrators.