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The Five Key Components of an Effective Evaluation System

The National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based think tank that advocates for measuring teacher effectiveness through objective data like test scores, studied evidence of the outcomes of teacher-evaluation reform in six places: Denver; the Dallas Independent school district; the District of Columbia; Newark, N.J.; New Mexico; and Tennessee.

Each of these systems evaluates all teachers every year with both objective and subjective measures. Each ties professional development to evaluation results and, significantly, each system links evaluation results to opportunities to earn more money.
 
NCTQ says the five key components of an effective evaluation system are:

1. Multiple measures for rating a teacher, including classroom observations, student surveys, and measures of student achievement.
2. At least three rating categories. 
3. Annual observations and evaluations for all teachers.
4. Written feedback after each observation.
5. Professional development and compensation tied to evaluations.

The success of these six systems can be tied to these core principles. 
 

And, their ability to link evaluation to key personnel decisions.