In the research reported here, we study one approach to teacher evaluation: practice-based
assessment that relies on multiple, highly structured classroom observations conducted by
experienced peer teachers and administrators. While this approach contrasts starkly with
status quo “principal walk-through” styles of class observation, its use is on the rise in new
and proposed evaluation systems in which rigorous classroom observation is often
combined with other measures, such as teacher value-added based on student test scores …