• EEOC - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. See  Adverse Impact.

• Effective Teaching - those teaching practices that lead to desirable results such as student learning as measured by standardized tests. Often such practices are identified based on correlational research, referred to a process-product research, that does not indicate a cause-and-effect link between certain teaching practices and student learning. See  Correlation, Teacher Effectiveness.

• Effectiveness - an attribute of those schools, teachers, programs, and approaches that meet their stakeholders' needs. See   Efficiency, Stakeholders.

• Efficiency - an attribute of those schools, teachers, programs, and approaches that balance effectiveness against considerations of costs (i.e., are effective with a minimum use of resources). See   Effectiveness.

• Element - See   Criterion.

• Environment - See  Context (Teaching), Learning Environment.

• Equitable - that which is fair, impartial, and just, and which provides equal opportunity for all. See  Fairness.

• Equity - a quality or state that is fair, impartial, and just. See   Equitable, Fairness.

• Equivalence - the comparability of two or more parallel measures that have been designed to assess the same aspect of teaching and to yield similar evaluation results regardless of the measure used or the scoring/rating procedure applied (e.g., two different social studies textbook chapters to be analyzed as part of a semi-structured interview; two essay questions on teaching the same content area in math, but to different types of student groups). See  Comparability.

• Error - the extent to which a score, assessment, or calculation is incorrect or inaccurate. See   Accuracy, Error of Measurement.

• Error of Measurement - the difference between a teacher's obtained score and his/her true score on an assessment that is due to factors beyond the control of that teacher, including lack of reliability in the assessment instrument or process, variability of settings of the assessment, limited sampling of teacher performance, bias of the assessor, rater effects, and interactions among such factors. See   Assessor, Bias, Contamination, Obtained Score, Rater Effect, Reliability, Sampling of Performance, True Score.

• Estimate - an approximation of a true score, parameter, or value. A rating of a teacher's portfolio is an estimate of the quality of that portfolio and, indirectly, the performance of that teacher. Because no instrument or statistical procedure can provide an exact (or true) score or value, essentially all data are estimates. The smaller the error of measurement, the more precise the estimate of the true score or value. See  Error of Measurement, Measure (verb), Obtained Score, Score, True Score.

• Ethical - performing the evaluation or behaving in accordance with a moral code of conduct that addresses such issues as the well-being of the teacher and his/her students, the good of the school and its community, and the innate rights of individuals.

• Evaluand - that which is being evaluated (e.g., program, personnel, product, policy, proposal, procedure). See   Evaluator, Evaluee.

• Evaluation - the systematic process of determining the merit, value, and worth of someone (the evaluee, such as a teacher, student, or employee) or something (the evaluand, such as a product, program, policy, procedure, or process). See  Assessment, Teacher Evaluation.

• Evaluation Stages - the major steps in the teacher evaluation process (e.g., orientation meeting; distribution of copies of job descriptions, evaluation procedures, and timelines; scheduling of the first conference and the first formal observation).

• Evaluation System - See  Teacher Evaluation System.

• Evaluator - a person who assembles data and information collected about a teacher, analyzes them, makes judgments as to whether that teacher's performance level meets the pre-specified standards, prepares a summary report, writes recommendations, and may provide feedback to the teacher, directly or through another person. In general, one evaluator determines the overall merit, value, and/or worth of the evaluee. See   Assessor, Evaluand, Evaluee.

• Evaluee, Evaluatee - the person whose qualifications and performance are being evaluated. See   Evaluand, Evaluator.

• Evidence - the documentation and verbal statements by credible witnesses (e.g., students, peers, principal) concerning the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors of a teacher. Evidence is used both to generate and to justify judgments about a teacher's performance for purposes of evaluation. See  Corroborating Evidence, Credible, Data, Inference, Validity - Evidential Basis of.

• Excellence - a quality or state of high or superior performance, or of having virtues and values surpassing most others.

• Exemplary Teacher - a teacher whose level on some aspect of performance is regarded as deserving of imitation and modeling. See  Modeling.

• Exhibition - an inclusive demonstration of skills or competencies. The performance is judged against standards of excellence known to teachers ahead of time. Typically, these are live performances, often interdisciplinary, and may require individual creativity as well as a display of developed skills. Exhibitions can include individual or group/collaborative projects produced over an extended period of time. See  Demonstration (Performance), Group/Collaborative Product.

• Expectation - the anticipated performance of a teacher. The performance of a teacher can be affected by the expectations that the assessor or evaluator has for the teacher being evaluated. If the evaluator has high expectations for the teacher being assessed, there is an increased likelihood of the teacher performing at a higher level than he/she might otherwise; holding low expectations for a teacher can reduce performance levels. Sometimes the opposite impact can occur. Too high expectations can undermine a teacher's confidence, while too low expectations can impel the teacher to strive for greater performance. The same applies with regard to teachers' expectations of students.

• Experience - that which is acquired through exposure to or participation in an activity or process. See  On-the-Job Training, Track Record.

• Expert - one who has demonstrated a high level of proficiency in a knowledge area or skill. See  Credible, Proficiency.

• Extant Data - existing data, information, and observations that have been collected or that are available for use in the assessment and evaluation processes. See   Data.

• Face Validity - See   Validity.

• Fairness - impartiality. Fairness refers to such aspects of the assessment program and evaluation system as equal opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills to be assessed, use of developmentally appropriate assessments, sound procedures, appropriate use of evaluation results, and reasonable demands on the teachers being evaluated in terms of such factors as time, costs, and personal resources required. See  Adverse Impact, Bias, Comparability, Developmentally Appropriate, Equitable, Equity.

• Feasibility - (1) the likelihood or extent to which appropriate data and information are readily available or can be obtained, produced, or interpreted with available resources such as staff, expertise, time, and equipment. (2) one of four areas of standards in The Personnel Evaluation Standards: How To Assess Systems for Evaluating Educators  by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. This area has three sets of standards: Practical Procedures, Political Viability, Fiscal Viability. See  Accuracy, Administrative Feasibility, Propriety, Utility.

• Feedback - the information and recommendations provided to a teacher about his/her performance based on the results of that teacher's evaluation and designed to help the teacher improve his/her performance and make decisions concerning professional development and improvement. See  Reporting.

• First-Impression Effect - a rater effect in which an assessor or an evaluator tends to base judgments and evaluations on early opinions rather than on a complete picture and tends to distort subsequent information to fit the initial opinion. See  Halo Effect, Rater Effect.

• Floor - the lowest limit of performance that can be assessed or measured by an instrument or process. Individuals who perform near to or below this lower limit are said to have reached the floor, and the assessment may not be providing a valid estimate of their performance levels. Such individuals should be given a less difficult assessment of the same attribute if it is necessary to differentiate between lower levels of performance. See   Ceiling, Functional-Level Testing.

• Forced-Choice Response - a format for a test, assessment, rating, or survey item where the respondent is given a limited number of options from which to select an answer. In cases where there is a correct or best answer, the other options are referred to as distractors. Examples of forced-choice items are multiple-choice questions, true/false items, checklists , and a five-point rating scale. See   Open-Ended Response.

• Forced Resignation - a termination of employment in which the teacher leaves against his/her will, but which is recorded as voluntary (e.g., early retirement instead of layoff). See  Dismissal, Reduction in Force, Tenure.

• Formal - the conducting of an assessment or evaluation activity in accordance with a prescribed plan, structure, or advance notice. See  Informal.

• Format - the structure of assessment instruments, evaluation forms, and materials. Format includes shape, size, mode of delivery (e.g., paper versus computer, in-person versus telephone, audio tape versus video tape), and general design or layout of the materials and equipment.

• Formative Teacher Evaluation - an evaluation conducted primarily for the purpose of improving the teacher through identifying that teacher's strengths and weaknesses. Formative evaluation is usually done by a supervisor or another teacher rather than an administrator and is typically part of professional development. See   Professional Development, Summative Teacher Evaluation.

• Foundation - the rationale for the attributes and domains covered by the teacher evaluation. Foundations can include teacher duties and professional responsibilities, research on teaching, governmental policies, professional expertise, and theories of teaching and learning. Through descriptive or prescriptive analysis, foundations become the basis upon which the domains to be covered by the evaluation are determined and the elements, indicators, and descriptors are identified. This approach will help ensure that the criteria reflect the school's and district's missions and policies. See  Criterion, Model.

• Frequency of Evaluation - how often an evaluation is conducted (e.g., every year for a tenured teacher, three times a year for a non-tenured teacher). See  Schedule, Timeline.

• Functional-Level Testing - the administration of an instrument or assessment process whose difficulty level is appropriate for the individuals being tested, but not necessarily for the age or grade level or group membership of that individual. Functional-level testing refers to the individual being tested, not to the group for whom the assessment was designed nor the group to which the individual belongs. See   Ceiling, Floor.

• Generalizability - the appropriateness of using results from one context or purpose in another context or for another purpose. See  Context (Teaching), Situational Specificity, Transferability, Transportability, Validity, Validity Generalization Study.

• Goal - a statement of intent or an end that a person or a group strives to attain. A goal tends to be more general than an objective. See   Desired Outcomes, Instructional Goal, Objectives, Performance Goal.

• Grievance - a claim by a teacher who has been evaluated that the results misrepresent the teacher's level of performance. A grievance may lead to the filing of an appeal and possibly to a formal hearing. See  Appeal Process, Hearing.

• Group/Collaborative Product - the outcome or result of two or more teachers working together to complete an assessment task for use in evaluation (e.g., a team of teachers preparing a joint review of prospective field trips). See  Exhibition.

• Halo Effect - a type of rater effect in which an assessor or an evaluator tends to base overall judgments or evaluations on selected pieces of information rather than on all available relevant information. See  First-Impression Effect, Rater Effect.

• Handicapping Condition - a disability (auditory, visual, other physical, emotional, learning) that affects a teacher's or student's performance on an assessment if the assessment is administered under standard conditions. Adjustments made for such disabilities include use of an amanuensis, computerized testing, large-print materials, and extended time limits.

• Hearing - an opportunity for a teacher facing dismissal to appeal the decision by presenting arguments, proofs, evidence, and testimony by others. The process includes several steps such as discovery, direct examination, cross and re-direct examinations, closing arguments, deliberation, and the issuance of a written ruling. See  Appeal Process, Collective Bargaining Agreement, Dismissal, Due Process, Grievance.

• High Inference - the types of judgments, decisions, and conclusions that are based on complex inductive reasoning and that require a high degree of subjectivity on the part of the individual (e.g., since the classroom noise level is excessive, students are off task). See   Inference, Low Inference, Subjective.

• High-Stakes Testing - an assessment to which important consequences, such as licensure or hiring, are attached to the results. See  Test Score Pollution.

• Holistic Scoring - the assignment of a single score that reflects an overall impression of performance on a measure. Scores are defined by prescribed descriptors of levels of performance, or scoring rubrics. See  Analytic Scoring, Benchmark, Primary Trait Scoring, Scoring, Scoring Rubric.

• Incentive Pay - the allocation of special payments or salary increments to a teacher who does different types of work or assumes additional responsibilities (e.g., coaching an athletic team, being a mentor teacher, teaching a particularly challenging group of students or a difficult course). See  Bonus Pay, Longevity Pay, Merit Pay.

• Incompetence - the intentional or unintentional failure to perform the duties and professional responsibilities of the teaching job in a minimally acceptable manner as specified by the employing district. Incompetence usually results in remediation, reassignment, or dismissal. See   Dance of the Lemons, Dismissal, Remediation.

• Inconsistency - a type of rater effect in which an assessor or an evaluator tends to rate or to interpret similar data and information in different ways. See   Consistency, Rater Effect.

• Indicator - See   Criterion.

• Induction - an initial period of exposure to a school or work setting during which the teacher learns local policies and practices and the norms of teaching in that setting. See  Context (Teaching), Teacher Norms.

• Inference - a logical conclusion or judgment that is explicitly supported by data, evidence, and information gathered as part of the teacher evaluation process. See  Data, Evidence, High Inference, Information, Low Inference.

• Informal - the conducting of an assessment or evaluation activity without a prescribed plan or structure, or with little or no advance notice. See  Formal.

• Information - the knowledge about the attributes and performance of a teacher, based on assessments, documentation, and data sources used in the assessment and evaluation processes. See  Data, Evidence, Inference.

• Informed Consent - the agreement between concerned parties about the data-gathering process and/or the disclosure, reporting, and/or use of data, information, and/or results from a teacher's assessment and evaluation. See  Confidentiality, Consent, Reporting.

• Input Variables - the activities, materials, and teacher behaviors designed to improve student learning and behavior. Examples include lesson plans, teacher knowledge of the topic being taught, preparation of equipment, and teacher awareness of student misconceptions. See  Outcome Variables, Process Variable, Variable.

• Instruction - the systematic provision of information, opportunities, and resources to promote the development of a repertoire of knowledge and skills. See   Training

• Instructional Goal - a statement of what students are expected to learn in a given lesson, unit, course, program, or across educational and training programs. See   Goal, Objectives, Performance Goal.

• Instrument - a device used to collect data, information, and evidence. These devices can include tests, questionnaires, application forms, interview schedules, checklists, rating scales, and observation records. See   Measure (noun), Test (noun).

• Interdisciplinary - the covering of knowledge and skills from several academic subject areas and/or domains.

• Intern - a new teacher who receives support from a mentor teacher as part of a professional development process. See  Mentor Teacher.

• Interview - a series of orally-delivered questions designed to elicit responses concerning attitudes, information, interests, knowledge, and opinions. Interviews may be conducted in person or by telephone, and with one teacher or a group of teachers. The three major types of interviews are: (1) structured, where all questions to be asked by the interviewer are specified in advance; (2) semi-structured, where the interviewer can asked other questions and prompts in addition to the specified questions; and (3) unstructured, where the interviewer has a list of topics, but no or few specified questions. See  Conference, Debriefing Interview, Prompt, Responses.

• Interviewer - the assessor who conducts the interview, either in a face-to-face setting or by telephone, and makes a record of the responses.

• Investigation - a systematic examination, observation, or inquiry. Investigations can be: (1) a type of assessment task or activity; or (2) a process conducted during or after the administration of an assessment as part of a quality check (e.g., examining a teacher's portfolio that has been assigned discrepant ratings by two raters, comparing the observation summary record with the notes collected by the observer).

• Irregularity (Procedural) - a variation form established rules, standards, principles, or procedures in a manner that can lead to unjustifiable actions or indefensible decisions. See   Procedures, Standardized Conditions.

• Job Analysis - a technique for studying a teaching job in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform the job in a minimally acceptable manner as well as the functions and tasks that are performed as part of the job. This process may involve observation of teachers while they are doing their jobs as well as interviews with these teachers, and possibly their supervisors, and review of such documents as job descriptions, school procedures, and teacher products.

• Job Assignment - the designated position of a teacher, including the grade levels and the students to be taught, the curricular areas to be covered, the work location, the duration of employment, and non-instructional responsibilities.

• Job Description - a summary of the qualifications, duties, responsibilities, physical and mental demands, and working conditions associated with a specific job.

• Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation - a group of professionals that developed 21 standards in the areas of accuracy, feasibility, propriety, and utility for use in assessing personnel evaluation systems (listed in the References ). See  Accuracy, Feasibility, Propriety, Utility.

• Journal - a daily or weekly record of events which teachers may be asked to keep as part of their teaching, self-assessment activities, training, and/or professional development. See  Log (Teacher).

• Judge - the person who makes judgments for use in evaluating the teacher. See  Assessor, Evaluator, Judgment.

• Judgment - an appraisal, decision, or opinion about the performance level of a teacher with respect to the knowledge, skill, ability, behavior, or attribute being assessed.

• Knowledge - the sum of the information and experience the teacher has acquired or learned and is able to recall or use. See  Competency, Prerequisite Knowledge.

• KSAs - an abbreviation for knowledge, skills, and abilities. See  Job Analysis.

• Learning Environment - the setting in which student instruction occurs. See  Context (Teaching).

• Learning Outcomes - the products of instruction or exposure to new knowledge or skills. Examples include the mastery of a new skill or successful completion of a training program.

• Legally Defensible - an action, conclusion, or statement that can be upheld under current legislation, governmental mandates, and court decisions. See Defensible.

• Leniency - a type of rater effect in which an assessor or an evaluator tends to rate a teacher too high or to judge the performance level as better than it actually is. See  Rater Effect, Stringency.

• Lesson - the content that is to be taught or the activity that is to be done during a specific period of instructional time. See  Instruction.

• License - the approval by a governmental agency, usually at the state level, for an individual to be a teacher in the designated state, grade levels, subject areas, and specialties. Licensure indicates that the candidate has met a minimum level of requirements, designed to ensure the protection of student, public health, safety, and welfare interests. See   Certification, Credentialing.

• Log (Teacher) - a journal or diary, maintained by the teacher, supervisor, assessor, or administrator, that includes such topics as decisions, plans, activities, results, changes, and reflections. The log can serve as a source of information for self-assessment or an evaluation or can be included as part of a portfolio. See  Journal, Portfolio, Reflection.

• Longevity Pay - the salary increases that are based solely on accrued time of service. See  Bonus Pay, Incentive Pay, Merit Pay.

• Low Inference - the types of assessment tasks, judgments, decisions, and conclusions that require a low degree of subjectivity on the part of the judge or evaluator (e.g., teacher emphasizes recall questions, based on a count of the types of questions asked of students during a classroom observation and the questions on the teacher's unit test). See   High Inference, Inference, Objective.

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Glossary References

Agencies and Associations with resources related to teacher evaluation.