Do They See What I See? Toward a Better Understanding of the 7Cs Framework of Teaching Effectiveness

ABSTRACT School systems are increasingly incorporating student perceptions of teaching effectiveness into educator accountability systems. Using Tripod’s 7Cs™ Framework of Teaching Effectiveness, this study examines key issues in validating student perception data for use in this manner. Analyses examine the internal structure of 7Cs scores and the extent to which scores predict key criteria. Results offer the first empirical evidence that 7Cs scores capture seven distinct dimensions of teaching effectiveness even as they also confirm prior research concluding 7Cs scores are largely unidimensional. At the same time, results demonstrate a modest relationship between 7Cs scores and teacher self-assessments of their own effectiveness. Together, findings suggest 7Cs scores can be used to collect meaningful information about over-arching effectiveness. However, additional evidence is warranted before giving 7Cs scores as much weight in high-stakes contexts as value-added test-score gains or expert classroom observations.