Appraisal – The impact of increased control on the “state of play” in New Zealand schools

Increased control has been linked with increased defensiveness, decreased internal commitment, inconsistent adoption of initiatives, and mixed reception. In New Zealand we have seen an incremental tightening of control in the appraisal (evaluation) context with progressively enhanced requirements for accountability in the post‐reform (post‐1989) period in schools. Reports on the context of this tightening of accountability, or increased control, and presents evidence to demonstrate its impact. The evidence was provided via the results of a four‐year (1996‐1999) longitudinal questionnaire study from the period prior to the introduction of the 1996 Draft National Guidelines for Performance Management in Schools (DNGPMS), through to that of prescribed performance criteria (professional standards) for teachers and managers in schools in 1998 and 1999. The results contradict the predicted negative impacts and provide evidence that by 1999 there was a developing positive impact from the tightening of accountability in appraisal. The conclusion discusses recent threats to the positive gains reported in this study.