Subject Specific and General Observation Protocols As Tools for the Evaluation and Improvement of Teaching

Many districts adopt “general” observation protocols, or protocols that can be used with all subjects, to support the evaluation and improvement of teaching. However, the adoption of general protocols departs from research showing the importance of subject matter in the improvement of teaching. Using observer notes from three different protocols, this study finds that there is not a simple relationship between the subject being taught, the observers’ background knowledge, the subject specificity of the protocol, and the nature of the notes recorded by the observer. Our findings suggest that while the use of subject specific protocols may improve the specificity of observers’ notes, there are other factors that shape protocol use and may mitigate the efficacy of any protocol.