Teacher Perceptions of the Impact of the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process on Teacher Effectiveness, Professional Growth, and Attitudes Toward Teaching

This study’s purpose was to examine teacher perceptions of the impact the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Process (NCTEP) has on their professional growth, effectiveness, and attitudes toward teaching. Literature review reveals a longstanding interest in teacher evaluation for ensuring teacher quality and enhancing professional growth. Controversy exists in public and educational arenas as to how both purposes can be accomplished within a single evaluation system.North Carolina evaluation reforms have mirrored nationwide efforts to use teacher evaluation as a tool for improving teacher effectiveness. The incorporation of value-added measures (VAMs) into teachers’ summative ratings and implementation of the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) for online data collection were outcomes of North Carolina’s Race to the Top grant.In this study, teachers from a midsized school district in western North Carolina completed the Teacher Evaluation Profile (modified). This online survey identified correlations among key evaluation attributes and outcome ratings for overall quality of NCTEP, its impact on attitudes toward teaching, professional growth, and teacher effectiveness. Narrative responses were generated through survey comments and follow-up interviews.Findings from this study supported the conclusions that teacher perceptions of the impact of NCTEP on professional growth, teacher effectiveness, and attitudes toward teaching differed based on years of teaching experience and grade level taught at the time of the last evaluation. Teacher attributes did not show significant relationships to outcome ratings.Qualitative data indicated that teachers perceive that NCTEP does not include all aspects contributing to teacher performance. Teachers report that student factors such as motivation, attendance, behavior, and intellectual qualities should be taken into consideration in NCTEP.