New teacher evaluation bill heavy on mandate
Posted Friday, January 29, 2010
A second and far more controlling teacher evaluation measure
has been filed in the House of Representatives.
The proposed law, HB 1175, requires
the state to develop teaching performance standards and mandates that districts
adopt evaluation procedures based on the state-set standards. Local districts
would also be required to adopt an evaluation policy or risk having the State
Board of Education impose a policy on the local school board.
Under HB 1175, evaluation procedures would be subject to
collective bargaining, meaning teacher evaluation protocols could be opened up
to grievances, board hearings and court review.
According to the bill, procedures must also require two
annual observations of new teachers, require multiple evaluation measures,
serve as the basis for programs to increase professional growth and development
of teachers and detail an improvement plan for any teacher whose performance does
not meet the state’s performance standards.
House Bill 1175 also dictates the contents of the local
board policy it requires schools to adopt. In addition to specifying the purpose,
frequency and use of evaluations, it mandates local board policy must include
items that are typically outside the scope of local board policy, including
job-specific evaluation criteria and an example of the written teacher
evaluation.
Finally, the proposed law mandates that schools provide
annual training to teachers and administrators regarding the evaluation system.
House Bill 1175 is a stark contrast to a separate teacher
evaluation measure, SB 24, which has passed the Senate.
Senate Bill 24 assembles a work group, including school
board representation, to develop teacher performance standards. It also requires
the state to adopt standards and says local districts need to adopt an
evaluation policy. Though SB 24 requires a local board policy, it does not
mandate the recognition of state-set standards and does not prescribe
individual elements that need to be inserted into the policy.
ASBSD opposes HB 1175.
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UPDATED: Senate Ed endorses teacher evaluation, career pathways
Posted Tuesday, January 19, 2010
UPDATE: The legislation was passed by the Senate on Thursday by a vote of 33-1, with no discussion.
Members of Senate Education gave first approval Tuesday to a bill that will establish professional teaching standards and mandate that schools perform teacher evaluations.
The plan, found in SB 24, was proposed by the South Dakota Department of Education.
Melody Schopp, state director of teacher quality, told lawmakers that creation of teaching performance standards would provide a pathway for teachers to improve throughout their career. Establishing the standards would provide teachers a way to evaluate their own performance and help provide administrators some guidance, Schopp said.
The teaching standards, including suggestions for mentoring new teachers, would be developed by a 17-member work group and eventually adopted by the state board of education. The same group will later develop a model teacher evaluation that districts may use, but aren't required to implement.
As drafted, the legislation mandated teacher evaluations each year.
ASBSD Executive Director Wayne Lueders asked lawmakers to modify the bill, providing districts with flexibility to provide more frequent evaluations during the first three years of employment. Lueders also asked that districts have more flexibility for more experienced teachers that may not need to be evaluated annually.
Lawmakers endorsed the changes, and then voted to support the measure.
The bill will eventually lead to a three-step teacher licensing procedure, Schopp said. The teaching standards would be used to create categories of teachers – beginning teachers, professional teachers and instructional leaders – and identify how teachers would move from one level to the next.
Unlike legislation in previous years, the bill does not tie the tiered licensure system to teacher compensation – something the Lueders said would be hard for the school board association to support.
“If you're going to mandate funding with the tiered licensure system, then we have some concerns about how that's going to work,” Lueders said.
When asked, Schopp offered little details about how the three-step licensing system would work, telling lawmakers that the outcome of the work group would determine how the professional pathway will work.
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