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In a massive effort to overhaul teacher evaluation methods, nearly two thirds of states have made changes to their teacher evaluation policies since 2009. Many states now require annual teacher evaluations, often based on the results of multiple measures of performance.

A collaboration between the Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd (REL West) and the Arizona Department of Education, this descriptive study explores how new teacher evaluation systems were implemented in 10 volunteer school districts in Arizona following  a shift in state policy.

The study describes:

• Challenges or unintended consequences from the first year of implementation of new teacher evaluation systems
• Teacher perceptions of the accuracy and usefulness of the piloted evaluation measures
• Perceived changes in teachers’ instructional practices and/or in collaboration between teachers and administrators

Key Findings

• Time constraints limited implementation of the teacher evaluation models, but principals indicated that online resources eased the time burden
• Participating teachers and principals had mixed feelings about their training in preparation for implementation
• Responding teachers and principals viewed classroom observation results as the most credible evidence of teacher effectiveness

WestEd’s Stephen Ruffini, Reino Makkonen, Jaclyn Tejwani, and Marycruz Diaz wrote the report.