Test scores are a reflection of teacher quality as they show a general report of how well students absorb materials, retain and relay information and how effective teachers are at communicating to their students.
Teachers are generally responsible for the performance of their students. It reflects how effectively they can engage students and convey information through their teaching. While teachers cannot necessarily control the work students do to understand the course outside of their classroom or school, they should adjust their classes accordingly and put in the effort needed to guarantee good test scores. They should be informed of their curriculum and remain engaged and ready to alter their teaching methods to best suit their students.
In theory it makes sense to assume that there is at least some correlation between teacher quality and test scores, because they quantitatively indicate how well students are grasping the material. Assuming the student is willing to learn and put in effort then this information is at least somewhat indicative of teacher effectiveness.
Additionally, teaching styles and learning styles may vary for each student and teacher. While teaching is often a demanding and labor-intensive career, it is ultimately a teacher’s job to ensure that students are effectively learning the material and they should recognize if the needs of one group of students are different from another. Teachers should be willing to adapt their teaching styles based on the needs of their students.
For example, a group of students are assigned to read pages of a math textbook without teacher guidance. While this worked for last year’s class, these students simply can’t absorb the information without a guided explanation. The teacher refuses to accommodate this and continues teaching the same way, eventually yielding a class of failing scores. Would you say that this is the teacher’s fault or the student’s fault?
While it is true that teachers inevitably have their own methods of teaching, tradition should not outweigh effectiveness. Ensuring the students learn the curriculum is ultimately the teacher’s responsibility. Students have to be willing to learn and come to school with an open mind, but the progress reflected in test scores is ultimately the responsibility of their teacher.
