Quality assurance

The quality of the work undertaken by a teacher has significant effects upon his or her
pupils or students. Further, those who pay teachers' salaries, whether through taxes or
through school fees, wish to be assured that they are receiving value for money. Ways to
measure the quality of work of individual teachers, of schools, or of education systems as a
whole, are therefore often sought.
In most countries, teacher salary is not related to the perceived quality of his or her
work. Some, however, have systems to identify the 'best-performing' teachers, and increase
their remuneration accordingly. Elsewhere, assessments of teacher performance may be
undertaken with a view to identifying teachers' needs for additional training or
development, or, in extreme cases, to identify those teachers that should be required to
leave the profession. In some countries, teachers are required to re-apply periodically for
their license to teach, and in so doing, to prove that they still have the requisite skills.
Feedback on the performance of teachers is integral to many state and private education
procedures, but takes many different forms. The 'no fault' approach is believed by some to
be satisfactory, as weaknesses are carefully identified, assessed and then addressed through
the provision of in service training.