Teacher Evaluation Kit
Glossary Overview

This glossary addresses the increasingly complex vocabulary of teacher evaluation. It lists over 350 terms that are frequently used in the process of evaluating practicing teachers, particularly in elementary and secondary schools, and provides brief explanations of the meanings of these terms. The explanations are based upon the references listed at the end of this file, as well as the professional experiences of the staff and consultants of the Center for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE) at Western Michigan University.

The entries in this glossary include new terms as well as ones that are well established. The terms were selected for frequency of use in the field, as well as their importance in understanding key concepts related to teacher evaluation as used in the Teacher Evaluation Kit. Special attention has been paid to assessment terms, the roles of various people involved in the teacher evaluation process, and key evaluation concepts. Since this is a glossary and not a thesaurus or encyclopedia, the explanations are brief and have been written using neutral language so as to minimize any appearance of bias toward a particular approach or perspective. Additional information about and explanation of many of these terms are given in the Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Many of these definitions are directly from or slight modifications of those in the Teacher Evaluation Glossary by Patricia Wheeler, Geneva D. Haertel, and Michael Scriven, published by CREATE, and the Resource Handbook on Performance Assessment and Measurement, copyrighted in 1993 by Patricia Wheeler and Geneva D. Haertel. The Drs. Wheeler and Haertel have granted permission for these definitions to be used in the glossary of the Teacher Evaluation Kit.