Date of Award
10-17-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education
Program
Educational Leadership
Capstone Instructor
Brian Boothe
Second Reader
Theresa Starkman
Keywords
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Teacher Evaluation Framework, Value Added Models (VAMs), Professional Development
Abstract
This paper examined articles to support the reform of teacher evaluation frameworks. Four themes emerged from the research: current teacher evaluation frameworks and how policy change affects them, teachers’ and principals’ thoughts around current teacher evaluation systems, the qualities of effective evaluation frameworks, and how to support teachers post-evaluation through professional development. 15 qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies were used to analyze the qualities of effective teacher evaluation systems. The studies were conducted across all grade levels. They were focused on schools in the United States, however studies from abroad were included when applicable. The majority of studies focused on teacher and administrator interviews and feedback around current evaluation frameworks and improvements they would like to see. The studies took feedback and made suggestions to improve teacher evaluation frameworks. The suggestions included using multiple measures of evaluation, knowledgeable evaluators, transparency, trust, teacher input, and differentiated methods to meet diverse teaching roles. They also discussed the importance of actionable and ongoing feedback through professional development. Suggestions were made on ways districts can create well-rounded evaluation systems and future studies to conduct to ensure effectiveness of new evaluation systems.