Measuring teaching ability with the Rasch model by scaling a series of product and performance tasks

Area of Science:

• Educational Measurement
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Traditional teacher ability assessment relies on dichotomous tests of content or pedagogy knowledge.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the complexity of teacher skills and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the early development of a partial-credit Rasch measurement scale for evaluating teacher ability.
• To introduce a novel approach for scaling teacher performance using a comprehensive set of tasks and criteria.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 42-task (performances and products) teacher-ability scale.
• Utilizing 348 rated items or criteria aligned with national and state teacher standards.
• Application of the Rasch measurement model for data analysis and scale development.

Main Results:

• The developed scale comprises 42 tasks and 348 criteria, designed to measure teacher ability.
• Tasks and criteria are aligned with established national and state educational standards.
• The scale is currently implemented in approximately two-thirds of Florida school districts and expanding to colleges of education.

Conclusions:

• Rasch measurement offers a viable solution for more nuanced teacher ability scaling.
• The developed partial-credit scale provides a robust framework for evaluating teacher performance.
• This approach is adaptable and shows potential for widespread adoption in teacher education and assessment.