Teacher Self-Assessment: A Facilitative Process for Principal Instructional Support

Background: Currently, junior high school teachers are evaluated by administrators using summative assessment methods. There is an absence of teacher self-assessment in the evaluation process and rarely are students directly part of the feedback process. There is a need for teachers to be empowered in the evaluative process by receiving meaningful student feedback and participating in effective self-assessment with a facilitative administrator. Purpose: This exploratory case study provides data using the Person-Centered Learning Assessment (PCLA), with four experienced junior high school teachers with and without instructional support. PCLA usage included classroom digital audio, student narrative, and numerical feedback of the same lesson, with teachers self-assessing their teaching and students’ learning perspective. The teachers analyzed their results using the PCLA. The research identified changes between two separate teaching lessons. The study analyzed possible variations of results. The research data has the potential to be used to assist teacher evaluation and pedagogical improvement. Methods: Four participating teachers audio recorded their classroom instruction, received feedback from students, and self-assessed using the PCLA on two occasions. Using these three points of data, the teachers wrote reflection summaries and were interviewed by the researcher after each PCLA lesson. Carspecken’s interview protocol and critical ethnography methods were used for analysis. The researcher, also a campus assistant principal, provided instructional support to two of the teachers. Results: The four teachers had individual approaches in organizing their PCLA survey to meet their needs. The various tactics did not limit the feedback that each teacher received from students nor did it limit self-reflection. The results suggest the value of audio recording in self-assessment, student feedback, and the administrator in the role of facilitator. Conclusion: This study revealed the significance of teachers hearing directly from their students and self-assessing their own learning, using real-time data.