Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 13

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 11 A STUDY OF TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE TEXAS TEACHER EVALUATION AND SUPPORT SYSTEM Julia M. Hyman, Ed.D. Introduction A perception exists that teaching quality and student performance are closely related. If students have exposure to better teaching, it seems logical that learning and student performance exhibit a corresponding improvement (Tucker & Stronge, 2005; Wright, Horn, & Sanders, 1997). Recent efforts to reform teacher evaluation systems have a foundation in this school of thought. Federal and state laws have guided the redesign of teacher evaluation systems with the goal of improving teaching quality. These new teacher evaluation systems have been based on teaching standards and have been designed to measure teacher effectiveness through multiple measures such as competency- based observations and student growth measures. Evaluation systems presume that teachers will use data generated by these measures to engage in professional learning and inform instructional practices. The recursive nature of this evaluation process is built upon continuous improvement practices designed to inform the efforts of teachers and school leaders in pursuit of improved student learning (Danielson, 2007; Darling-Hammond, 1999; Herlihy et al., 2014; Marzano, Frontier, & Livingston, 2011; Milanowski, 2011; Minnici, 2014; Popham, 2013; Weisberg, Sexton, Mulhern, & Keeling, 2009). The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), implemented in 2016-17, was designed to engage Texas teachers in an evaluation system, which included goal setting, analysis of observation and student growth data, self-reflection, collaborative coaching, and professional learning. The purpose of T-TESS was to provide teachers and districts the tools necessary to engage in continuous improvement efforts which would result in improved quality of teaching and student performance (Texas Education Agency, 2016). Summary of Study Educational reforms can be change agents that impact organizational systems and contribute to personal concerns on the part of teachers (Van der Vegt, Smyth, & Vandenberghe, 2001). Negative or positive perceptions of change often influence teacher commitments and actions regarding the implementation of systemic reform—ultimately impacting the outcome of efforts (Claudet, 1999). To obtain the intended outcomes of teacher evaluation reform, it is necessary that teachers believe there is a valid measure of effective teaching, ratings are reliable, feedback is useful, and there is a credible purpose for participation. If this does not hold true, teachers are likely to participate for purposes of compliance rather than with the intent to change instructional practices (Eisenhart, Cuthbert, Shrum, & Harding, 1988; Hampton, 2016; Heneman & Milanowski, 2003; Hill & Grossman, 2013; Minnicci, 2014; Nordin, 2014; Papay, 2012; Reddy et al., 2017; Stecker et al., 2018; Thomson, 2013; Van der Vegt et al., 2001). The purpose of the current study was to measure teachers’ perceptions in these key areas: 1) the validity of the T-TESS rubric descriptions of effective teaching, 2) the reliability of evaluators to accurately evaluate teacher performance, and 3) the usefulness of feedback data to influence instructional practice. Additionally, the current study set out to measure teachers’ understanding of the purposes for T-TESS and their willingness to participate in the evaluation process with the intent to change instructional practice. Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2019, VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd