Standards of Teaching Competence in the Evaluation of Student and Teacher

Abstract

The potential educational benefits of student assessment might not fully materialize, teachers' professional organizations began work in 1987 to develop competency standards for teachers in student assessment. This was done to ensure that the full benefits of student assessment are realized. After evaluations of earlier drafts by members of communities interested in measuring, teaching, preparing and certifying teachers, the commission tasked with working on this project completed its work in 1990, too far in the future to provide equivalent qualifications to principals, school, counselors, examiners, supervisors, teacher educators and other educators. Initial and ongoing preparation of trainers, “accreditation of preparation programs and future certification of all” trainers should be guided by these statements.

“Reference is made in this text to a principle widely recognized by the professional organizations responsible for this publication as a standard. Evaluation is defined as the process of gathering information used to make educational decisions about students, to provide students with feedback on their progress, strengths and weaknesses, to assess the effectiveness of teaching methods and the adequacy of the curricular offer and to inform policy. Various methods of assessment include, but are not limited to, formal and informal observation, qualitative analysis of student performance and products, paper-and-pencil tests, oral questioning and analysis of student records. Observations can also be made in a variety of settings, such as classrooms, laboratories and other learning environments. The assessment skills mentioned in this article include the information and skills essential to the educator role of a teacher. Teachers are known to have to learn a variety of skills in addition to assessment skills to be successful”.