Improving teacher evaluation outcomes for special educators

What do the ‘gatekeepers’ say

Bibliographic Data

ID21722969
AuthorsGordon Brobbey (0000-0002-5784-5528, School of Education University of Washington Tacoma, corresponding author), Zaher Kmail (0000-0002-3411-9275, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences University of Washington Tacoma)
Year2022
Volume22
Issue1
Pages54-65
Publication date2022-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Research in Special Educational Needs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1471-3802 • E-ISSN: 1471-3802
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1471-3802.12532
OpenAlexW3195439936
LanguageEN
References cited27

Teacher evaluation has been at the forefront of accountability‐related reforms in the United States due to the realization that teacher effectiveness is a major contributor to student success. Data from evaluations have revealed vital insights into contributing factors to teacher effectiveness and generated valuable information for hiring, promotion, remuneration, and retention of teachers. Using existing evaluation systems to assess special educator performance, has, however, been challenging for a plethora of reasons, leading to disparate experiences for special educators. This study examined special educator knowledge of the process, perceptions about the applicability of existing teacher evaluation frameworks to their roles, responsibilities, and classroom contexts, as well as views about personal cost incurred. Findings reveal that special educators lacked deeper knowledge about the key components of evaluation systems and perceived the evaluation rubrics as impractical for their roles, responsibilities, and classroom contexts. The findings also reveal a strong preference for differentiated evaluation systems for special educators. Implications for practice, policy, and research are presented

Accountability · Mathematics education · Medical education · Pedagogy · Perception · Political science · Remuneration · Rubric · Special education · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Computer Science · Medicine · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Social Psychology · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

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