A comparison of teacher evaluation plans in K--12 Illinois public school districts with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to examine the characteristics of teacher evaluation plans in K--12 Illinois public school districts and compare their components to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards. A random selection of 150 teacher evaluation plans comprised the sample. Research questions investigated: (1) the alignment of teacher evaluation plans with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, (2) common characteristics of teacher evaluation plans, (3) statistical differences based on community type, (4) statistical differences based on school size, and (5) statistical differences based upon the year the teacher evaluation plan was adopted by the school district. A content analysis was conducted for each teacher evaluation plan. Inter rater reliability was set at 80%. The analysis of the data was completed using frequencies, one-way ANOVA, and descriptive statistics with a p value of 0.05.;Significant findings include the following elements. Overall, the public school district teacher evaluation plans aligned to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards less than 48% of the time. The majority of the teacher evaluation plans contained characteristics which addressed issues of classroom management, planning for instruction, and professional conduct; yet, characteristics which relate to content knowledge, human development, diversity, and collaborative relationships were not covered in the majority of the plans. Significant differences were present between suburban and urban school districts and between rural and urban school districts in the areas of diversity, planning for instruction, instructional delivery, and assessment. Based on school size, differences were also apparent in the areas of planning for instruction, collaborative relationships, self-reflection and professional growth, and professional conduct and leadership. Finally, the year in which the teacher evaluation plans were adopted by the school district had a direct relationship to their alignment with the standards. The later the evaluation plans were adopted or revised by the school district, the higher their correlation to the standards.