Nothing will inspire a teacher to attempt a new technique or strategy like the success that another teacher has had with that same strategy or technique. The Role of Evaluation Even with the use of successful alternatives, evaluation still has an important role to play. Evaluation is a valuable tool to help make sure that beginning teachers, prior to gaining tenure, meet all competency requirements. I worked with one district that said they expected their beginning teachers to meet minimum competencies somewhere within the second year. These teachers then had another year to show how far beyond minimum competency they could go.
Evaluations can also provide contract language to spell out just what minimum competencies are.
It is the only way to have contract-board policy that deals with competencies. Alternatives to standard evaluations are intended to help teachers to grow and strive for excellence. Perhaps then, students will wow others with their work.