The purposes of the study were twofold: first, to identify the causal variables of effective teaching as perceived by teachers and principals in selected Indiana elementary public schools; and secondly, to compare the compiled responses of elementary teachers with the compiled responses of elementary principals to establish areas of agreement and disagreement.A review of literature and related research pertaining to the perceptions of teacher effectiveness was conducted and categorized in terms of the historical development of the study of effective teaching. The population of the study consisted of an arbitrarily selected sample consisting of fourteen principals in Indiana elementary public schools, and 227 regular faculty members in the fifteen elementary public school buildings administered by these same principals.Data obtained from two questionnaires were analyzed, summarized, and presented in narrative form. Tables were developed to report the data.Findings of the study were based upon the data from the responses of fourteen principals in Indiana elementary public schools and 227 regular faculty members in the fifteen elementary public school buildings administered by these same principals, as well as a review of the literature pertinent to the topic of teacher effectiveness. Major findings were as follows:1. The mean percentage of agreement between teachers and principals was 36.6 percent regarding the selection of the same teacher as selected by the principal.2. The following characteristics of teachers that result in effective teaching were reported as most significant by 227 Indiana elementary public school teachers:a. Knowledge of Subject Matter b. Personal Interest in Each Studentc. Caring-Loving-Concern-Warm Atmosphere d. Enthusiastic with Students3. The following characteristics of teachers that result in effective teaching were reported as most significant by fourteen Indiana elementary public school principals:Instructional Planning/OrganizingChild-oriented Enthusiastic with Students 4. A comparison of the top ten rank ordered responses of teachers and the top ten, plus ties, rank ordered responses of principals regarding strongly supported characteristics of effective teaching resulted in the following findings:a. Instills a desire and willingness in the students to work and learn was most highly ranked by teachers (82%) and was fifth most highly ranked by principals (80%).b. Communicates a positive attitude about school was most favored by principals (93%) and was fifth choice among teachers (66%).c. Shows concern for students was ranked second most highly ranked by teachers (7896) and was third most highly ranked by principals (86%). The respondents had a high level of agreement on the importance of this item.Major conclusions based upon the findings of the study were:1. Teachers and principals do not have unanimity on what characteristics result in effective teaching.2. Teachers and principals should increase the amount of time spent on goal setting together to establish expectations for effective teaching.3. Teachers should be provided ongoing in-service in the area of staff development for the implementation of effective teaching.

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The focus of the present study was to determine the most effective assessment method to demonstrate beginning teacher competency as perceived by school administrators, teacher education faculty, and practicing teachers in Indiana. Earlier studies examined the compelling reasons why traditional assessments (such as Praxis I and II) were developed and the arguments that supported or negated their continued use. Research relating to nontraditional or alternative assessment (Assessment Portfolio) uncovered a different perspective toward teacher evaluation. The literature produced examples of portfolios used at a variety of levels to instruct and assess. Finally, several studies focused on the competencies needed by beginning teachers. The present study sought to investigate the perceptions of three categories of education experts as demonstrated by their selection of the assessment method(s) for each INTASC disposition competency. In addition, each participants' years of experience were included to allow a comparison between the method selected and the level of experience.Participants from 25 colleges and universities plus 119 school corporations (N=372) responded to the Beginning Teacher Competency Assessment Survey. The survey consisted of thirty-seven disposition competencies from the newly adopted INTASC Standards and a choice of one of the following assessment methods: Praxis, Indiana Beginning Teacher Internship Program, Assessment Portfolio, or None. Respondents were asked to select the best assessment method to provide evidence of each competency.The assessment method selected most frequently was the Indiana Beginning Internship Program (66%). Next, the Assessment Portfolio was selected by an overall 27%. Praxis was selected least by the participants (7%). Results revealed teacher education faculty were more likely to select the portfolio than either school administrators or practicing teachers for specific disposition competencies. No empirical evidence indicated that the level of experience influenced the assessment selection. Finally, differences within each category in relation to assessment method selection could not be computed through an interactive nominal logistical regression due to the low number of Praxis responses. However, a simple cross tabulated analysis suggested several within group differences. The meaningful differences within each category were between the Indiana Beginning Teacher Internship Program and the Assessment Portfolio based on four or more years of experience. / Department of Special Education