Things to avoid: Claiming that what the state and local school district believes is non-sense. Do not argue strongly against what is required. Things to stress: I will do the best I possibly can to help the students grow as a learner and as an individual. I will hold myself accountable, and will expect my students to do so as well. How I would respond: I would mention the fact that I feel the accountability system in place has its pros and cons, however, I will follow the guidelines expected, and will do my best to meet the expectations provided.

I would say that, while standardized tests are necessary as a measure of student and teacher success, I believe that they should be a smaller portion of the evaluation. In addition, they would more accurately reflect achievement if they were given a couple of times throughout the year and in smaller portions (the middle school I volunteer at had 2 whole weeks of FCAT testing). However, I would also stress that this is what is required currently and needs to be strictly adhered to and focused upon. I would not argue against it too strongly, but at the same time I would be sure to mention that there needs to be multiple facets of evaluation, rather than a single test given once per year.

As with any interview question, you want to be concise and specific in your answer. Avoid any comments that reflect a negative view of educational requirements, regardless of what you may think. It would be important to stress your working knowledge of the current Teacher Keys Evaluation System and list a few of the required evaluation standards you think are helpful in maintaining teacher accountability. Students are held accountable for behavior through communicating clear, concise expectations and consistent correctional actions. From an academic perspective, it is critical that teachers provide quick feedback on all assessments. Students need to be frequently assessed both formally and informally to gain an accurate reflection of the academic ability.