Schools say that staff members are going to be appraised, but for one reason or another, these appraisals simply don’t get done. It may be that having all staff members appraised within a single school year is genuinely an impossible task.
Even when the administrators divide and conquer (to appraise all the many staff members), it still often doesn’t get done. Sometimes they start off in August-October with a few goal-making meetings, but often that is as far as it goes for that school year.
This begs the question: are appraisals really necessary? I guess there are pros and cons to doing appraisals, maybe all pros. But if the appraisal is not done in an effective manner or is perceived as an inauthentic experience, it seems like it will not be so meaningful for both parties.
It is possible to just go on with your jobs and, through casual drop-ins, make informal appraisals. It’s possible that if you are not really doing your job very well, most staff members know…including the administration.
It is also nice when staff members just organically make their own professional goals, though, and work towards achieving them for that school year; inviting their administration and other staff to observe certain lessons or to even get involved.
It’s certain that some international schools have indeed figured it out, ensuring that all staff members are appraised from start to finish every year. However, for many schools, particularly those with high administrative turnover, having all staff members formally appraised each year remains a long-term goal. Establishing an effective appraisal system that works well for everyone involved continues to be a challenge.
This article was submitted by a guest author and International School Community member.
Luckily, International School Community has a comment topic on our school profile pages related to this topic of appraisals, so you can stay as informed as possible. “There are 200 comments (premium access only) that have the word appraisal in them, and a total of 509 comments in our comment topic called – “Details about the current teacher appraisal process.” Here are a few of those 509 comments related to appraisals about various schools from around the world:
Our veteran international school teachers have submitted a total of 509 comments in this comment topic (Oct 2026). Here are a few that have been submitted:
“Primary teachers are observed by newly-appointed Heads of Department that have little to no experience” – Wycombe Abbey International School(Changzhou, China) – 78 Total Comments
“The school has worked with Pam Harper over the last year to define student learning and align teaching to it. The model that has been adopted, the Teaching for Learning Index, serves as the framework for professional learning and appraisal.” – NIST International School(Bangkok, Thailand) – 176 Comments
“Teachers are observed, given a print of the evaluation and a brief feedback meeting. No data is formally collected/recorded.” – Canadian International School (Tokyo)(Tokyo, Japan) – 93 Total Comments
“In a year and a half of teaching here, I have only had one formal classroom observation. The principal gave me an excellent evaluation and apparently hasn’t felt the need to return!” – Misr American College(Cairo, Egypt) – 53 Comments
“They have a system called Responsibility for Learning which is tailored to the situation. New teachers go through a pre-determined portfolio process supporting professional standards. Returning teachers are given options as to how to best support their own growth. Administrative visitations are ongoing and both formal and informal.” – American School of Dubai(Dubai, United Arab Emirates) – 84 Comments
“Teachers are observed twice in an academic year. At the end of the year, the results of these observations are then combined with evaluations from the senior Thai admin (who never see you teach). The score is then tabulated and you are given a bonus based on this score. Teachers can see the results of the observations but are not allowed to see the evaluations from the Thai admin.” – Assumption College(Bangkok, Thailand) – 21 Comments
“Teacher appraisal at FBS is an ongoing process involving classroom observations, professional discussions, feedback from leadership, and review of teaching and learning practices. Teachers receive constructive feedback and guidance, with appraisal focused on professional growth, student learning, and identifying areas for further development…” – Future Bilingual School (Kuwait City, Kuwait) – 25 Comments
“Evaluations are from a checklist, but frequently items that are not on the checklist are included in the narrative in such a way they can be interpreted as negative, despite not being an item for appraisal…” – Gyeongham International Foreign School (Sacheon, South Korea) – 162 Comments
Has Your International School Appraised Its Teachers This School Year?
Schools say that staff members are going to be appraised, but for one reason or another, these appraisals simply don’t get done. It may be that having all staff members appraised within a single school year is genuinely an impossible task.
Even when the administrators divide and conquer (to appraise all the many staff members), it still often doesn’t get done. Sometimes they start off in August-October with a few goal-making meetings, but often that is as far as it goes for that school year.
This begs the question: are appraisals really necessary? I guess there are pros and cons to doing appraisals, maybe all pros. But if the appraisal is not done in an effective manner or is perceived as an inauthentic experience, it seems like it will not be so meaningful for both parties.
It is possible to just go on with your jobs and, through casual drop-ins, make informal appraisals. It’s possible that if you are not really doing your job very well, most staff members know…including the administration.
It is also nice when staff members just organically make their own professional goals, though, and work towards achieving them for that school year; inviting their administration and other staff to observe certain lessons or to even get involved.
It’s certain that some international schools have indeed figured it out, ensuring that all staff members are appraised from start to finish every year. However, for many schools, particularly those with high administrative turnover, having all staff members formally appraised each year remains a long-term goal. Establishing an effective appraisal system that works well for everyone involved continues to be a challenge.
This article was submitted by a guest author and International School Community member.
Luckily, International School Community has a comment topic on our school profile pages related to this topic of appraisals, so you can stay as informed as possible. “There are 200 comments (premium access only) that have the word appraisal in them, and a total of 509 comments in our comment topic called – “Details about the current teacher appraisal process.” Here are a few of those 509 comments related to appraisals about various schools from around the world:
Our veteran international school teachers have submitted a total of 509 comments in this comment topic (Oct 2026). Here are a few that have been submitted:
“Primary teachers are observed by newly-appointed Heads of Department that have little to no experience” – Wycombe Abbey International School (Changzhou, China) – 78 Total Comments
“The school has worked with Pam Harper over the last year to define student learning and align teaching to it. The model that has been adopted, the Teaching for Learning Index, serves as the framework for professional learning and appraisal.” – NIST International School (Bangkok, Thailand) – 176 Comments
“Teachers are observed, given a print of the evaluation and a brief feedback meeting. No data is formally collected/recorded.” – Canadian International School (Tokyo) (Tokyo, Japan) – 93 Total Comments
“In a year and a half of teaching here, I have only had one formal classroom observation. The principal gave me an excellent evaluation and apparently hasn’t felt the need to return!” – Misr American College (Cairo, Egypt) – 53 Comments
“They have a system called Responsibility for Learning which is tailored to the situation. New teachers go through a pre-determined portfolio process supporting professional standards. Returning teachers are given options as to how to best support their own growth. Administrative visitations are ongoing and both formal and informal.” – American School of Dubai (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) – 84 Comments
“Teachers are observed twice in an academic year. At the end of the year, the results of these observations are then combined with evaluations from the senior Thai admin (who never see you teach). The score is then tabulated and you are given a bonus based on this score. Teachers can see the results of the observations but are not allowed to see the evaluations from the Thai admin.” – Assumption College (Bangkok, Thailand) – 21 Comments
“Teacher appraisal at FBS is an ongoing process involving classroom observations, professional discussions, feedback from leadership, and review of teaching and learning practices. Teachers receive constructive feedback and guidance, with appraisal focused on professional growth, student learning, and identifying areas for further development…” – Future Bilingual School (Kuwait City, Kuwait) – 25 Comments
“Evaluations are from a checklist, but frequently items that are not on the checklist are included in the narrative in such a way they can be interpreted as negative, despite not being an item for appraisal…” – Gyeongham International Foreign School (Sacheon, South Korea) – 162 Comments
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