Debbie Barnes, Lee Ann Burrow, Sue Farris and Mary Mosley of UCA’s College of Education received a $20,000 grant from the Arkansas Department of Education to study the Pathwise Classroom Observation System, which is one component of the Arkansas Mentoring Program.
The Pathwise system is an assessment tool for the evaluation of the classroom performance of student teachers and first-year teachers, and it is grounded in 19 essential teaching criteria, research, and good teaching practices.
“This system is responsive to an individual’s personal teaching style, and gives all prospective and new teachers an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities naturally, in a variety of ways,” according to the study’s authors. “It is a constructive assessment that fosters growth and the professional development of student and first-year teachers by recognizing their strengths as well as their weaknesses. When weaknesses are identified, observers can provide coaching to the teacher.”