A protocol for analyzing the activity structure of a classroom lesson was developed and field tested. The protocol can be completed on site by a person serving as both observer and analyst. Validity of the protocol was established by reference to the large body of qualitative research on activity structure and the analysis of teaching. The…

Following a brief overview of literature on excellence in the classroom, the shortcomings of objective tests as means for evaluating classroom excellence are discussed as well as the need for evaluation alternatives. Descriptions are given of evaluation alternatives, some of which focus upon reading and writing achievement: (1) observation of…

The Eco-Behavioral System for the Complex Assessment of Preschool Environments (ESCAPE) has been developed for the evaluation of preschool environments by way of the interactions of students with such aspects of the classroom ecology as activities, materials, and grouping configurations, as well as teacher behaviors. The system follows a momentary…

The major underlying assumptions of the Peer-Centered Coaching Model are that teachers are experts with respect to instruction and, because they believe that they can help each other with classroom problems better than help can be given from other sources, they trust each others' advice. The fundamental element of this coaching model is the use of…

Forms used for evaluating teachers from every geographic area to the United States were examined to determine common characteristics. Thirty of 75 forms received from school districts (local educational agencies) were analyzed. A synthesis of evaluation schemes across the country includes certain characteristics: (1) each teacher must have a…

This paper both reviews results of research related to teacher evaluation and then presents a suggested evaluation format to be used based on these research findings. The research reviewed falls into five general categories: format for evaluation, guidelines for evaluation, criteria for evaluation, problems with evaluation, and definitions of…

This paper discusses the creation of analytic categories that were applied to behavior in quite different, contrasting settings and that at the same time retained their ecological validity. In Project Follow Through, behavior stream observations were conducted on 20 second-grade children for an entire school day. To study the structure of behavior…

The Austin Independent School District's Research and Evaluation Office presents practical information concerning observational research. This paper focuses on five topics: (1) what makes a good observer (setting the ground rules, training observers in details, and practice, i.e., involving the observers in planning and providing rigorous…

Classroom observation represents a vital link among the student, teacher, and principal. Teacher observation strategies include the following: (1) give every staff member the option of a preobservation conference; (2) include the assistant principals in the process; (3) spend a day observing a particular department; and (4) make the…

Intended for teachers of the learning disabled (LD), the guide addresses philosophical and procedural issues in assessment. The first section introduces a philosophical framework which views assessment as an ongoing, goal-directed, integral part of the overall educational process. The remainder of the guide focuses on Wisconsin's procedures for…

The Certified School Personnel Evaluation Pilot Program (Outside Evaluator Project) has two primary purposes. The first is to compare evaluations performed by persons employed by an agency other than the units to which they are assigned with evaluations performed by locally-employed personnel. The second purpose is to determine the effectiveness…

In a microsupervision workshop experiment designed to investigate group differences in acquiring an indirect style of supervisory conference behavior, 18 elementary school inservice teachers were randomly assigned to a video-modeling, written-modeling and performance-feedback treatment or non-treatment. Criterion performances were the frequency…

This School Improvement Model study examined the efficacy of three methods to improve administrator judgments of teacher performance: the preliminary perusal of teacher lesson plans, the use of lesson plan evaluation instruments, and the use of low inference (as opposed to high inference) lesson plan evaluation methods. Subjects included 529…

A multitrait-multimethod design provided the basis for variable selection and analysis on the nature of cognitive impulsivity in natural classroom settings. Observational measures were developed for field dependence-independence, as well as for low- and high conceptual level to determine their ecological validity. They were designed to form an…

A framework for conceptualizing young children's theoretical and task-related strategies in everyday situations is presented in this Head Start final report. The first section of the report discusses the concept of strategies, reviews relevant literature, and presents a theoretical model of the organization of strategic behavior. The second…