Does Special Educator Effectiveness Vary Depending on the Observation Instrument Used?

In this study, we compared the results of 27 special education teachers' evaluations using two different observation instruments, the Framework for Teaching (FFT), and the Explicit Instruction observation protocol of the Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers (RESET) observation system. Results indicate differences in the rank-ordering of teachers depending on which instrument was used. Overall scores on RESET were higher on average than those on FFT. Item-level analyses showed that across 125 correlations, 73 were significant, low-moderate, and 52 were nonsignificant. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Automated summary

The study compared evaluations of 27 special education teachers using FFT and RESET observation instruments, revealing differences in teacher rankings. RESET scores were higher than FFT, with 73 out of 125 correlations being significant and 52 being nonsignificant. The implications for research and practice were discussed.