Making the conceptual shift: teacher performance appraisal as professional growth

Often, the traditional forms of performance assessment are incongruent with the emerging view of schools as learning organizations. In this pilot study, the authors explored the use of action research as an alternative means of teacher performance appraisal. The findings suggest that action research holds great promise in incorporating teacher learning, continual growth and teacher ownership into the appraisal process. However, this process also necessitated a conceptual shift to connect teacher performance appraisal practices with professional learning.