Date of Award

11-19-2008

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Gary Schnellert

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the introduction of mVal software and Charlotte Danielson Rubrics (CDR) as teacher evaluation tools to compare the process and outcomes of the new initiative with traditional systems and to evaluate the software from the perspective of participants in the system. Using a case study approach, the research focused on a single school district, first on the management of change, then on the experience of classroom practitioners and building principals as they adopted mVal and CDR for teacher evaluation in 2006-2007. The use of qualitative research techniques, empowering participants to decide the specifics of information relevant to the study within broad parameters, was a choice designed to enhance the validity of the final outcome. The use of constant comparative methodology involved the author in a long and productive process of on-going explanation and evaluation. Open-ended interviews conducted with the three building principals were coded and used to inform the second phase of the research. Interviews with six classroom practitioners and the content analysis of un-named evaluation reports, 10 generated with the aid of mVal software and 10 created before the implementation of mVal, inform a comparison of process and products. The study district has a practical interest in the evaluation of the process of teacher evaluation assisted by the new mVal software and Will use research data to decide on future policy. Educational professionals Will potentially benefit from a critical study of the use of standards-based criteria and the impact of the new technology on teacher evaluation and reflective practices.

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