A recent study by the American Educational Research Association, "Instructional Alignment as a Measure of Teaching Quality," found little to no correlation between quality teaching and appraisals teachers receive, says the Washington Post. The study, published Tuesday, May 13, 2014, casts doubt on whether states could use empirical data to evaluate and identify "good" or "bad" teachers based on student performance. 

Morgan S. Polikoff, assistant professor of education at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, worked on the analysis. 

"The concern is that these state tests and these measures of evaluating teachers don't really seem to be associated with the things we think of as defining good teaching," says Polikoff. 

The number of states using these teacher evaluation systems based on student performance has "surged" over the last five years, the article says. Many states and schools use this system to make decisions on firing, hiring and compensation. 

Read more here. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor