States and evaluations

An annual paper from the National Council on Teacher Quality analyzes state policies on teacher preparation, training, retention, and compensation. As of September 2013, 35 states and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) require that student achievement be a significant factor in teacher evaluations; only Alabama, California, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas, and Vermont have no formal policy. Overall, 11 states and the DCPS mandate a statewide teacher-evaluation system; 10 states offer an evaluation from which districts can opt out; and 27 states offer guidelines. Eighteen states and DCPS require tenure decisions be informed by evaluation ratings. Twenty-five states and DCPS require that teachers with poor evaluations get intervention. In 22 states and DCPS, persistent ineffectiveness is grounds for dismissal. However, the majority of districts nationally still use seniority as the sole determinant in layoffs. Only 18 states and DCPS explicitly address student achievement in non-tested grades and subjects. The paper recommends that teacher evaluations help all teachers improve, not just low-performers. States should ensure the quality of evaluators, which only 13 states and DCPS do through certification. Multiple evaluators are important, and states should adopt validated instruments or get expert help writing, testing, and implementing them. Special education cannot be an afterthought, and states must ensure that growth measures, observation rubrics, and surveys are fair to special education. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

Published by LEAP

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.