Re-imagining teacher assessment: How teachers are encouraged (or not) to pursue ongoing professional learning in New Brunswick

Many conventional methods for evaluating teachers focus heavily on holding them accountable for their performance, often overlooking the importance of their personal and professional growth. This approach may have the unintended consequence of discouraging teachers from pursuing further development, as they may perceive that their efforts could be more valued or compensated more. As a result, it is crucial to adopt a more balanced approach that values both accountability and growth, which can help foster an environment that encourages teachers to be more engaged in their professional development. This paper re-imagines teacher assessment as a tool to foster ongoing learning. It explores how current assessment practices in New Brunswick, Canada, impact teachers’ engagement in professional development and learning. Using the case study approach, this paper incorporated semi-structured interviews and document reviews to investigate existing assessment frameworks, teacher perspectives, and the relationship between assessment and professional development participation. The key findings of this study highlight teachers’ willingness to enhance their professional expertise by participating in professional development and learning programs. However, teachers’ lack of participation in the selection and decision-making process of their preferred professional development and learning programs limits the effectiveness and relevance of meeting individual teacher’s needs.