A descriptive study of teacher assistance programs in Virginia

The way in which a school division addresses the problem of an unsatisfactory teacher varies. A school division may choose to tolerate the problem, dismiss the teacher, or provide assistance to foster the development of the skills needed to meet minimum performance standards. The design of teacher assistance programs varies in the type of personnel who provide remediation and the extent to which events in the program are documented.

This study describes the status of teacher assistance programs that were operational in Virginia during the 1988-89 school year. A survey instrument was distributed to each school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia. First, all of the existing programs were identified. Each program was classified by degree of formality: informal, semi-formal, and formal. Each program was further classified by the type of staff utilized: school-based and central office-based staff. Secondly, the categories were developed into a model of teacher assistance programs for comparison.