WHAT IS EFFECTIVE TEACHING? It's not enough to say"I know it when I see it" - not when we'reexpecting so much more from students and teachers than in the past.To help teachers achieve greater success with their students weneed new and better ways to identify and develop effectiveteaching.The Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project represents agroundbreaking effort to find out what works in the classroom. Withfunding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the MET projectbrought together leading academics, education groups, and 3,000teachers to study teaching and learning from every angle. Itsreports on student surveys, observations, and other measures haveshaped policy and practice at multiple levels.
This book shares the latest lessons from the MET project. With15 original studies, some of the field's most preeminentexperts tap the MET project's unprecedented collection ofdata to offer new insights on evaluation methods and the currentstate of teaching in our schools. As feedback and evaluationmethods evolve rapidly across the country, Designing TeacherEvaluation Systems is a must read and timely resource for thoseworking on this critical task.
PRAISE FOR DESIGNING TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEMS
"This book brings together an all-star team to providetrue data-driven, policy-relevant guidance for improving teachingand learning. From student achievement to student perceptions, fromteacher knowledge to teacher practices, the authors address keyissues surrounding the elements of a comprehensive teacherevaluation and improvement system. Highly recommended for anyoneseriously interested in reform."
--PETE GOLDSCHMIDT, Assistant Secretary, New Mexico PublicEducation Department
"This book is an invaluable resource for district andstate leaders who are looking to develop growth and performancesystems that capture the complexity of teaching and provideeducators with the feedback needed to develop in theirprofession."
--TOM BOASBERG, Superintendent, Denver Public Schools
"A rare example of practical questions driving top qualityresearch and a must read for anyone interested in improving thequality of teaching."
--ROBERT C. GRANGER, Former President (Ret.), The William T.Grant Foundation
"This will be the 'go to' source in years tocome for those involved in rethinking how teachers will beevaluated and how evaluation can and should be used to increaseteacher effectiveness. The superb panel of contributors to thisbook presents work that is incisive, informative, and accessible,providing a real service to the national efforts around teacherevaluation reform."
--JOHN H. TYLER, Professor of Education, Brown University

About the Editors ix
About the Contributors xi
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation xix
Chapter 1: Why Measure Effective Teaching? 1
Jeff Archer, Kerri A. Kerr, and Robert C. Pianta
SECTION 1: Using Data for Feedback and Evaluation 7
Chapter 2: Grade-Level Variation in Observational Measures ofTeacher Effectiveness 9
Kata Mihaly and Daniel F. McCaffrey
Chapter 3: Improving Observational Score Quality: Challenges inObserver Thinking 50
Courtney A. Bell, Yi Qi, Andrew J. Croft, Dawn Leusner, DanielF. McCaffrey, Drew H. Gitomer, and Robert C. Pianta
Chapter 4: How Framework for Teaching and Tripod 7Cs EvidenceDistinguish Key Components of Effective Teaching 98
Ronald F. Ferguson with Charlotte Danielson
Chapter 5: Making Decisions with Imprecise Performance Measures:The Relationship Between Annual Student Achievement Gains and aTeacher's Career Value Added 144
Douglas O. Staiger and Thomas J. Kane
Chapter 6: To What Extent Do Student Perceptions of ClassroomQuality Predict Teacher Value Added? 170
Stephen W. Raudenbush and Marshall Jean
SECTION 2: Connecting Evaluation Measures with StudentLearning 203
Chapter 7: Combining Classroom Observations and Value Added forthe Evaluation and Professional Development of Teachers 205
Erik A. Ruzek, Christopher A. Hafen, Bridget K. Hamre, andRobert C. Pianta
Chapter 8: Classroom Observation and Value-Added Models GiveComplementary Information About Quality of Mathematics Teaching234
Candace Walkington and Michael Marder
Chapter 9: Does the Test Matter? Evaluating Teachers When TestsDiffer in Their Sensitivity to Instruction 278
Morgan S. Polikoff
Chapter 10: Understanding Instructional Quality in EnglishLanguage Arts: Variations in PLATO Scores by Content and Context303
Pam Grossman, Julie Cohen, and Lindsay Brown
Chapter 11: How Working Conditions Predict Teaching Quality andStudent Outcomes 332
Ronald F. Ferguson with Eric Hirsch
SECTION 3: The Properties of Evaluation Systems: Issues ofQuality, Underlying Frameworks, and Design Decisions 381
Chapter 12: Evaluating Efforts to Minimize Rater Bias in ScoringClassroom Observations 383
Yoon Soo Park, Jing Chen, and Steven L. Holtzman
Chapter 13: Scoring Design Decisions: Reliability and the Lengthand Focus of Classroom Observations 415
Jilliam N. Joe, Catherine A. McClellan, and Steven L.Holtzman
Chapter 14: Assessing Quality Teaching in Science 444
Susan E. Schultz and Raymond L. Pecheone
Chapter 15: Evidence on the Validity of Content Knowledge forTeaching Assessments 493
Drew H. Gitomer, Geoffrey Phelps, Barbara H. Weren, HeatherHowell, and Andrew J. Croft
Chapter 16: Optimizing Resources to Maximize Student Gains529
Catherine A. McClellan, John R. Donoghue, and RobertPianta
Conclusion: Measuring Effective Teaching--The Future StartsNow 583
Robert Pianta and Kerri A. Kerr
Author Index 591
Subject Index 599