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TeacherMatch: Because Teachers Matter Most

2/3/2015

21 Comments

 
**Please note: I have received quite a few emails in addition to the comments on this
post describing negative experiences with TeacherMatch.  While my review of the service
was a positive one and I ran into no technical issues, I think it is more important to consider the
voices of the numerous teachers and administrators in the field who have used TeacherMatch
​for practical purposes and have found the experience to be highly negative.
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TeacherMatch is an organization that was founded by four former K-12 teachers and aims to improve the teacher hiring process by making it less subjective and more data-driven. They have developed the "Educator's Professional Inventory" (EPI) assessment which helps employers find the future hires that will offer the most potential for student improvement. Let's take a deeper look!

The EPI from TeacherMatch is based on the research into teacher effectiveness from the last 40 years.  When creating this assessment they examined decades of research to try and find the specific aspects of teacher effectiveness that contribute to student growth.  I'll let this video take over for a moment to better explain...


So, at the simplest level, the EPI is an assessment that teachers can take for districts that are enrolled in the program which will offer them an objective analysis of their skills that relate to teacher effectiveness.  These assessment results can then be compared with other future hires to provide a data-driven report for comparison.

That being said, the goal is not to provide teachers with yet another test to worry about, it only takes about 90 minutes and it's not something you need to study for.  Instead, it's to help remove subjectivity from the K-12 hiring process, so that those involved in the hiring process can have a more unbiased way to compare candidates.  

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Factors that Predict High-Performing Teachers

TeacherMatch's system is currently being used by over 50 districts throughout the state and has met with a great deal of success.  And what's even nicer is that the EPI can be an adaptive system, based on a district's need.  For example, if a district is finding that teachers who score a certain way on the EPI have been more effective in the classroom than others, then TeacherMatch can adjust the reporting of the EPI to reflect that.

On top of offering teachers a score in the four main areas of the assessment (Teaching Skills, Qualifications, Cognitive Ability, and Attitudinal Factors), the EPI also provides individualized suggestions for professional development.

As any K-12 teacher knows, having to sit through PD that is not helpful for your grade or subject area can be an enormous waste of time.  By providing specific skills for teachers to focus on in PD, the EPI can help teachers easily create individualized professional development plans that are specifically aligned to their needs.

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Some Suggestions from My Sample EPI

If you're interested in finding out more about how TeacherMatch created this EPI, how they measure "effectiveness," the other services they offer, and the research and data behind this program, this video goes much more into depth on all that:


But overall, the EPI is designed to help districts better compare teacher candidates and to remove biases and subjectivity from the hiring process.  It's meant to be an indicator of teacher effectiveness in the classroom, and from my personal experience with the tool, I definitely believe it is a well-constructed piece of assessment.  

​With that being said, I no longer feel comfortable providing a rating for TeacherMatch based on the enormous number of comments and emails I have received from both teachers and administrators who have had negative experiences with the software.  While I ran into no technical issues during my testing, I believe that the experiences of those in the field using the software must absolutely be considered.  Therefore, I would advise caution when considering the use of TeacherMatch in your school or district. 

The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I was not compensated for writing this review.
21 Comments
KS
5/9/2016 11:43:18 am

I am a prospective teacher and have found TeacherMatch clunky and difficult. The pre-filled options have misspellings. Some degrees don't have entries available. And when I put in my license information, TeacherMatch pulled in a completely different certification. I feel very strongly that error cost me an interview for a job for which I was qualified. Every time I see another school district in our state move to TeacherMatch, I groan. I have contacted TeacherMatch about the issues. I was told they would send the suggestions to their developers.

Reply
Mike
5/9/2016 05:06:34 pm

Hi KS,

Thanks so much for the feedback, it's always good to hear from people who are using the service in the field. That's also unfortunate to hear that the system is buggy and hasn't been meeting your needs well. This is definitely good to keep in mind, and I appreciate you taking the time to post here!

Mike

Reply
Loren
5/25/2021 07:31:05 am

I'm experiencing the exact same problem. It's almost impossible to submit an application successfully. I'm certain I've lost jobs, too, because of this EXTREMELY POOR system. I HATE TEACHER MATCH WITH A PASSION!

Reply
PF
5/24/2016 01:32:04 pm

I have been in the field of education for 28 years, with several re-locations due to my spouses's career. I have filled out many online applications and have found TeacherMatch to be one of the worst. I ran into all of the same problems KS mentioned. It was not at all appropriate for someone with current licensure in several states. it was cumbersome to complete! Unfortunately, it looks like it will be yet another hoop for teachers to jump through!

Reply
Mike
5/24/2016 01:44:06 pm

Thanks for the feedback as well PF, I've unfortunately heard quite a few negative things about Teacher Match lately, and will be making note of this in the review. Thanks for the feedback.

Reply
Salma
7/23/2016 02:57:59 pm

Can I re do the EPI

Reply
Mike
7/24/2016 12:00:23 pm

Hi Salma,

Thanks for reading. You'll need to contact your school/district/administrator to check on that. Let me know if you have any other questions about the review,

Mike

Reply
Justin
10/31/2016 01:00:15 pm

TeacherMatch is an unmitigated nightmare to use as a student teacher graduating this December. The main website and state-specific website do not align accounts, so you have to make a second account if you want to narrow your search specifically for your current state. Applications stop at the submission bar, and your progress is not saved, so out of the five I have submitted, only one has reached its destination.

Reply
Mike
4/9/2017 08:09:21 am

Hi Justin,

Thanks so much for your feedback. Based on this and what many others have said, I have revised the review again to reflect the highly negative experience that so many have had. Thank you for your time and for sharing your experience.

Mike

Reply
Teresa
4/9/2017 07:09:40 am

I have recently relocated to NC and many of the districts are utilizing this application platform. As an administrator I have found the system very frustrating. My frustration is with the inventory profiles, because I will click on these inventory and the next thing I know I am told my time has ran out and the questions never opened. Secondly, I click on the inventory again and I receive a warning this is my second attempt and I need to complete the questions in the time given or risk been kicked out of system. The questions never appear, however there is a third warning at this point I do not click, because of application being locked and I am unable to submit for potential employment. I thought maybe my computer was old...bought new computer same problem. It does not matter if I use Safari, Chrome or Safari there is a glitch when it comes to completing the inventory profile that should be researched.

Reply
Mike
4/9/2017 08:09:52 am

Hi Teresa,

Thanks so much for your feedback. Based on this and what many others have said, I have revised the review again to reflect the highly negative experience that so many have had. Thank you for your time and for sharing your experience.

Mike

Reply
Deborah Moss
5/24/2017 08:39:25 am

This program is disturbing on many levels. Firstly, we are human beings,not robots nor numbers. Just as one cannot possibly measure applicability or determination on standardized exams, neither can this program properly assess how a teacher will work, thrive, or click with students (and this will vary from school to school). I find it terribly sad that we are now relegating our profession to a "data tracking" system in order to assess skills or qualifications. How ironic it is that we tout personal relationships as the key to engaging students and learning how to best help and assess them, yet we deny that very process in using this program.The "human" part of our educators is now deemed inconsequential.

Reply
NJ
2/4/2018 12:20:36 pm

I had so much difficulty as an out of state applicant trying to use Teacher Match. The drop down boxes do not have options for what I have been teaching for the last 19 years in my state. The email support address kicks all email back to you saying that it doesn't work anymore. The support website supposedly designed to list common questions and answers was removed from the web. The live support people had the answer, "Wow, I don't know how to help you with that." If this is the system North Carolina is using, they are effetely weeding out highly qualified teachers from out of state. It actually felt like the software was designed to exclude out of state applicants.

Reply
Mike
2/5/2018 06:50:21 am

Hi NJ,

Thank you for sharing your experience, and I'm sorry to hear you had such a negative experience with Teacher Match. As you can see from these other comments, you're definitely not alone! I hope my updated review has made it more clear that I would recommend avoiding Teacher Match based on all the negative experiences folks have shared. Thanks again,

Mike

Reply
Melanie Jones
2/14/2018 11:59:41 am

This is a nightmare!! Horrible for first year teachers! How do they expect you to complete each question in minute and a half and if not complete it times you out! And you have 55 questions or more to complete! REALLY!!!! They give you more time on the TEXES subject test, which you can PREPARE for! AND NOW WE HAVE TO TAKE A TIME TEST JUST TO APPLY! I'M IN THE CLASSROOM WE DON'T EVEN EXPECT THE STUDENTS TO TEST UNDER TEDIOUS MEASURES! Just another HURDLE to overcome! 😣😑

Reply
Aaron
4/15/2018 10:01:24 am

This is just another vendor pulling away money that could go to students and teachers. How much does each district have to pay to use this?

Reply
Just
6/11/2018 10:52:59 pm

TeacherMatch is an absolutely horrid system. I'm not upset about it using a scientifically false system of added value nor am I upset about the questions that were asked. I'm a great teacher and have no problems taking and passing any test.

What makes TeacherMatch a completely unfair and useless system is its server. I followed the tests instructions to the letter. For example, not pushing the back button etc. However, halfway through the test the system hung for several minutes and I received a server error. I tested other websites and there were no problems. Being rather computer literate, I checked my internet connection and speeds. There was no problem. I was able to continue the test, but about 3/4ths of the way through I started receiving more server errors. I opened 'issue tickets' with TeacherMatch twice within a two minute period. Based on the 'ticket numbers', I could tell that they received at least two other 'issue tickets' within that time frame. Something was going on with their system.

Regardless of if their test actually can predict how a teacher would perform, if the company cannot maintain a stable website for their test, then their test is worthless and the company fails as a company by their own standards.TeacherMatch is a complete and utter joke.

Reply
Rebecca link
7/16/2018 05:52:14 pm

Is it at all possible to find out how we scored on the educators professional inventory? I would at least like to know what my results are regardless if I am chosen for an interview or not.

Reply
Mike
7/16/2018 06:04:08 pm

Hi Rebecca,

I would recommend contacting the TeacherMatch customer support team, they would hopefully be able to help you with this request. Thanks for reading!

Mike

Reply
Patria A Kimler
11/12/2020 09:55:01 am

I am a teacher who retired after my daughter passed because I knew I wasn't the "best" teacher I could be to my students and needed to concentrate on the healing of myself and my son. I am a teacher who is ADHD. Does this assessment offer extra time for those like me who need it? I am now at a point where I want to reenter my career. The EPI assessment seems something made for new hires fresh out of college. Don't teachers undergo enough assessment to certify for the profession? Teaching is a personal profession that requires human interaction. A test to land a job will not give the personal qualities a teacher possesses. Assessing a teacher candidate based upon a test seems counterproductive to the career.

Reply
Mike
11/12/2020 10:00:16 am

Hi Patria - Based on the numerous amounts of negative feedback I have received from teachers and administrators, I would recommend avoiding Teacher Match unless it is a specific, required part of the transition to teaching program you are a part of.

Reply



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