Knowledge From the Field

Using Competency-Based Evaluation to Drive Teacher Excellence: Lessons From Singapore

Published: June 2010

Publisher(s): Public Impact

Author(s): Steiner, Lucy

Funder(s): Joyce Foundation

View Report (24 pages; 664KB; PDF)

Using Competency-Based Evaluation to Drive Teacher Excellence: Lessons from Singapore

Area of Focus: Teacher Quality and Leadership

Abstract

This report makes the case for why there is much to be learned about teacher evaluation from Singapore and provides key facts about Singapore’s competency-based teacher evaluation system.                          

Key Findings and/or Recommendations

+Ninety-eight percent of Singapore’s sixth-grade students pass mathematics exams more rigorous than the comparable eighth-grade NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress in the U.S.) mathematics test

=“Competencies,” or underlying traits that cause a person to be successful in a specific job or role, were identified and are measured in conjunction with performance outcomes to evaluate, track, promote, and pay teachers in Singapore

=Teachers in Singapore set annual competency achievement targets, identifying how they plan to accomplish these goals by reaching the next level of competence in a particular area

=Singapore offers three career tracks in education—teaching, leadership, and specialists—with advancement based on continued outstanding performance and a matching competency profile

Geographic Focus: National

Subjects/Keywords: Teacher improvement; teacher evaluation; competencies; Singapore; teacher retention; teacher effectiveness; high-performing teachers

+ Successful strategy
= Observation
– Challenge