Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

First Advisor

Shaireen Rasheed

Abstract

New York State’s Education Law §3012-c (2010) calls for rigorous performance reviews of classroom teachers to assess how curriculum is disseminated in the classroom as part of the educational process. Teacher ratings in New York are derived from a combination of measures, including a state component based on student tests, and a heavily weighted district component that is often more subjective. The current debate about evaluation systems is that student test scores have been used as a measure of teaching abilities that can and has had a detrimental effect on a teacher’s career. Because of such a heavy focus on student test scores, parents and several educational groups believe this kind of pressure on teachers is damaging the learning experience for both teachers and students. This study compared quantitative to qualitative data to gauge discrepancies in scores in the category of critical thinking skills rated categorically by district administrators per the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) rubric and how they scored on a self-reporting critical thinking assessment called the Watson-Glaser II Critical Thinking Appraisal. The data verified that categorically rated “Effective” teachers had a higher mean score on the Watson- Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal than did the categorically rated “Highly Effective” teachers, which suggested a revamping of the kinds of data school districts should be using in the assessment of teacher skills

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