The Role of "Informational Significance" in Shaping Louisiana Elementary Teachers' Use of High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation Data

• In Event: Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: Improving Educational Outcomes Through Human Resources and Teacher Evaluation

Abstract

One understudied aspect of high-stakes teacher evaluation systems concerns the use of these new sources of data in instructional decision making. Utilizing longitudinal data on the effects of Compass, Louisiana’s high-stakes teacher evaluation (HSTE) system, this chapter tracks the experiences of a group of Louisiana elementary-level teachers and leaders in their understanding and use of Compass-generated performance data for instructional decision making. Findings suggest that educators’ responses to HSTE data were shaped by various beliefs about their informational significance for practice—that is, the perceived utility of the data as actionable knowledge for decision making. We conclude that districts can attenuate perceptions of informational significance by withholding autonomy over key aspects of the HSTE process from practitioners.

Authors

• Timothy G. Ford, University of Oklahoma

• Mary Elizabeth Van Sickle, University of Louisiana at Monroe

• Michelle Fazio-Brunson, Northwestern State University of Louisiana