Special Education Teachers' Perceptions of the Evaluation Process

• In Event: 58.082 - Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 58.082-16 - Special Education Research SIG Roundtable Discussion 4

Abstract

Special education teacher evaluation is complex and is currently fraught with implementation issues (CEC, 2012; Jones & Brownell, 2014; Semmelroth & Johnson, 2014; Woolf, 2014). This study explored the perceptions of special education teachers of students with moderate to severe disabilities on the design and implementation of the current teacher evaluation methods. Twenty-eight special educators from three districts in the Washington DC area were interviewed following the tenets of basic qualitative research (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using open and axial coding. The following themes emerged: (1) issues of relevance; 2) issues of training; 3) issues on feedback received; 4) issues of validity; and 5) suggested changes to the process.

Authors

• Reina Anfone Guartico, Prince George's County Public Schools

• Elisabeth K. Hess Rice, The George Washington University