Theory underlying a national teacher evaluation program.

The paper describes a study conducted to explicate the multiple theories underlying Chile's national teacher evaluation program. These theories will serve as the basis for evaluating the intended consequences of this evaluation system, while not losing sight of emerging unintended consequences. We first analyzed legal and policy documents and then interviewed fourteen representatives of the four stakeholder groups involved in the program's design and implementation, in order to gain insight into their respective conceptions of the program's functioning and intended effects. The results show that, as to be expected and despite the long and difficult negotiation process that preceded implementation of this program, multiple political stakeholders still view the program's intended effects differently. However, there was substantial overlap regarding a number of intended effects, such as building the capacity of, and triggering change in, teachers with shortcomings, and informing the selection of new teachers and facilitating the exit of unsatisfactory teachers from the system. It was difficult to get interviewees to talk about how exactly these intended effects are supposed to be achieved. The paper draws conclusions regarding theory elaboration process involving multiple stakeholders in a highly political context.

Evaluating school and parent reports of the national student achievement testing system (SIMCE) in Chile: access, comprehension, and use.

This evaluation examined school and parent reports of the national student achievement testing system (SIMCE) in Chile regarding three dimensions: access, comprehension, and use. We conducted phone surveys with a representative sample of directors (N=375), teachers (N=1145) and parents (N=625), and we collected more in-depth data through interviews and focus groups in 16 of these schools. The results indicate that access to the reports is not an obstacle to use for school actors, but it is for parents. While summative ratings of the reports in terms of their clarity and utility were generally very positive, the actual recall and interpretation of even basic information (assessed through case scenarios) was incorrect for a majority of teachers and parents, and reported uses of the information were both intended and unintended in nature. We also found some statistically significant differences regarding comprehension and use among subgroups of our sample. Our findings are especially relevant given the expectations attached to the use of the reports for school improvement on the one hand, and parents' behavior as critical consumers of education on the other hand.