Week 7 Discussion 1 – Formative and Summative Teacher Evaluation

After completing this week’s Readings and Resources, access the link below and read the article below by Dr. W. James Popham.

(See attached if unable to access Link above – On Serving Two Masters: Formative and Summative Teacher Evaluation Principal Leadership, March 2013)

Dr. Popham has done a lot of research and written several books on the topic of assessment. In this article, he talks about formative and summative evaluation of teachers. While he mentions there is plenty of good that can come from these, they can also do plenty of harm if they are not used appropriately. He believes both formative and summative teacher evaluation can make significant contributions to instruction, and should be implemented widely — but separately.

Respond to the following questions:

• What are the distinctions between the two and do you agree with Dr. Popham in his conjecture that they should be done separately if they are to contribute to instruction?
• If you have been in a school where both formative and summative evaluation has been implemented, did you see significant contributions to instruction as Dr. Popham suggests?

Your initial responses are due by 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday and should be between 200-250 words. The initial posting should be a statement of your point of view on the question, supported by the required readings.