Dive Brief:
- Evaluating teachers annually using multiple measures, as well as tying professional developing to a teacher’s evaluation results, are among the ways states and districts are improving teacher quality through this rating process, according to a report released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
- Including profiles from Dallas Independent School District, Denver Public Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools, New Jersey's Newark Public Schools, along with New Mexico and Tennessee, the report shows that having at least three rating categories allows districts to “differentiate the supports made available to teachers” depending on whether they are scoring at the lower or higher end of the range, according to a news release.
- The six locations highlighted also link evaluation results to opportunities for higher pay. In the D.C. Public Schools, for example, teachers who are found to be effective can earn as much as $25,000 in bonuses each yaer if they also teach in a “targeted high-poverty school” and meet other requirements.
Dive Insight:
States and districts are using a variety of measures to fill shortages, and recent data suggests schools typically hire teachers because they are trying to replace someone who has left the profession, not someone who retired after a full career. But this report tells a somewhat different story — the four districts profiled are seeing improved teacher retention and are retaining more highly effective teachers, while less effective educators are those leaving. The Denver Public Schools, for example, reports retaining 91% of its most successful teachers, but only 20% of those receiving the lowest ratings.
The report also stresses the importance of continuing to refine an evaluation system once it’s in place and having the buy-in of school leaders. “None of these systems were perfect out of the gate,” NCTQ President Kate Walsh said in the news release. “System leaders recognized this and worked continuously to enhance system design, implementation and use.”