The Teacher Quality Assurance Program, an integral part of the Houston, Texas, Plan for Excellence, addresses renewal and professional growth opportunities for current staff. The program is administered by a bi- or tri-dimensional assessment team that may consist of the principal, an instructional supervisor, and the associate and/or deputy…

The Counselor Quality Assurance Program, part of the Houston, Texas, Plan for Excellence, addresses the renewal and professional growth opportunities for school counselors. The program is administered by a bi- or tri-dimensional assessment team that may consist of the principal, a supervisor or appropriate central office administrator, and the…

The Quality Assurance Program for Learning Resources Specialists is part of the Houston, Texas, Plan for Excellence and addresses the renewal and professional growth opportunities for the specialists. The program is administered by a bi- or tri-dimensional assessment team that may consist of the principal, an instructional supervisor, and the…

The final result of this inquiry study will be the compilation of a Literacy Portfolio on a targeted reader. The data included within the portfolio will come from strategies and tools teachers were introduced to in Year One of the Reading Initiative and for which teachers gathered data both on themselves and on younger learners. The study revisits…

Peer observation has become a feature of university practice over the last decade, the primary impetus for its introduction being the political drive to raise teaching quality via the development and sharing of 'good practice'. Peer observation within higher education (HE) involves observing colleagues in the classroom and has the further aim of…

This manual describes a training program for teacher evaluation. The purpose of the program is to provide educators who evaluate classroom instruction with the tools that result in professional growth for the teachers and improvement of classroom instruction. Joint participation by teachers and administrators is encouraged in all phases of the…

Presents an edited version of the script of an oral presentation by three symposium participants (Noreen Garman, Carl Glickman, and Madeline Hunter) that highlights their conflicting conceptions of clinical supervision. Provides a commentary that puts the responses in philosophic perspective. (IW)

Beginning teachers often experience "transition shock," a paradoxical situation in which they do not know how to apply theories they learned to classroom situations. A case is described showing a young teacher's dilemma regarding disciplinary actions to be taken with a student. (JN)

This article focuses on one element of staff development, and applies to classroom observation an interactive process between staff developer and teacher that leads to a better understanding and acceptance of individual teaching styles. The emphasis is on professional growth rather than on institutional regulation. (Author/KC)

In China, classroom observation has acquired a bad reputation in the English-as-a-Second-Language profession. A project designed to change this negative image and promote observation as a powerful means of improving both teaching and teachers' self-development efforts is described. A British teacher and Chinese counterpart developed a partnership…

Looks beyond the threatening and remunerative aspects of teacher appraisal in the United Kingdom to the contribution that evaluation can make to professional and school development. Considers five sound reasons for appraisal, the roles and behaviors to be appraised, and some workable approaches and techniques. Effective leadership is the key.…

A teacher professional development program in Virginia identified 15 performance indicators of effective teaching. Teachers are given 5 years and 30 observations (during which only teacher strengths are documented) in which to demonstrate and assess their proficiency. Peer evaluations and monetary incentives are successfully utilized. (MLF)

This report describes an experiment to provide an inservice program involving problem solving and inquiry, in line with the new Scottish National Guidelines in mathematics, that would have a lasting effect on teachers. The program featured two stages: (1) In the first year teachers were involved in a pair of workshops, were visited at their…

To overcome teacher isolation and help make teaching a more attractive profession, educators might consider a peer support system based on the Stanford Collegial Evaluation Program. This paper describes the program's background, functioning, barriers to successful implementation, and how to neutralize them. The Stanford program uses a peer…

This manual gives teachers information about the score reports they receive after participating in the Tennessee Career Ladder evaluation process. It also contains a discussion of the scoring and equating process used to calculate the results. The score report consists of the following: (1) a summary; (2) results by domain; (3) results by…