A new system of teacher appraisal and feedback would improve teacher effectiveness, recognise our best educators and lift the outcomes of Australian students to the best in the world.
This report combines an analysis of international research with extensive interviews with educators in order to propose a new system of appraisal and feedback to meet teacher, parent and public concern.
It examines eight methods of teacher appraisal and suggests that schools use at least four of them to effectively appraise teachers’ performance through a balanced scorecard approach. It argues that teacher appraisal and feedback must be decentralised, with individual schools given autonomy and responsibility so that they can assess their own teachers.
Better teachers are the key to producing higher performing students. The report shows that systems of appraisal and feedback directly linked to improved student performance can increase teacher effectiveness by as much as 20 to 30% — with a big impact on the outcomes of Australian students, which are currently in decline.