Colorado Teacher Evaluation Reform

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/04/06/how-we-got-colorados-teacher-evaluation-reform-wrong.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2



Take-Aways
- Colorado Senate Bill 10-191 - law required that 50 percent of a teacher evaluation be based upon student academic growth
- Teachers could gain or lose tenure based on the merits of their impact on student achievement.
- Many thought the law would allow the best teachers "to shine", be differentiated on an objective scale of effectiveness, lose tenure if they were not performing, and no longer be treated as interchangeable widgets.
- Backed by "Ivy League" research that made clear case for changes to former system.
- Funding from federal incentives, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropy.
- Support came from both Republicans and Democrats as well as the American Federation of Teachers.

- Recently released results show that 88% of teachers were rated effective or highly effective, 4% were partially effective, 7.8% were not rated and 1% were rated ineffective.
- New policy was built on  data that only partially existed.  Majority of teachers teach in untested areas.
- Few educators, including administrators, did not embrace the new system.  Some districts created their own systems but most relied on state's program which resulted in more compliance than buy-in.
- Evaluators are not likely to give direct and honest feedback.  Problem of school culture.
- All the state's charter schools waived out of the system.

-Wanted a new system to improve teaching , "we got an 18-page state rubric and a 345-page user guide for teacher evaluation.

- Put policy ahead of practice.  Good in theory but unrealistic when it comes to implementation.