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Reading, Educator Effectiveness Legislation Passes
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 16, 2012
Last night, the Assembly concurred in Senate passage of Senate Bill 461, relating to improvements in reading instruction as well as evaluating educator effectiveness and teacher preparatory programs.
This bill incorporates the work of the State Superintendent’s Educator Effectiveness Design Team and the Governor’s Read-To-Lead Task Force, both of which drew from the expertise of a broad range of education stakeholders. Several SAA representatives continue to work on the Educator Effectiveness Design Team. The SAA supports this legislation and has worked very closely with the DPI, the Governor’s office and key legislators in the development and passage of this legislation.
In regards to reading, SB 461 focuses on improving preparation in reading instruction, reading readiness for students, and overall improvement in student reading achievement. On educator effectiveness the legislation requires that:
- The DPI develop a state model evaluation system for teachers and principals.
- The DPI submit an estimate on the cost of creating and maintaining a state model system for the 2013-15 biennial budget.
- Fifty percent of the total evaluation score assigned to a teacher or principal be based on measures of student performance, and fifty percent based upon observation of practice.
- Every school district implement an evaluation process, consistent with this Legislation, by 2014-15.
Very importantly, the Legislation also contains the Design Team’s recommendation prohibiting the release of evaluation documentation under the State’s open records law.
For the last several years, policy makers in Madison and Washington have spent a great deal of time deliberating on educator effectiveness. With the submission of the State’s waiver request to the US DOE and the passage of SB 461, the broad policy framework regarding effectiveness is now in place.
The focus in Wisconsin will now turn to developing a high quality state model evaluation system. Towards that end, the DPI has contracted with researchers from the UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). The Department, working in concert with WCER, has seated four work teams to begin the development process. We are pleased that SAA members are involved in each of these work teams.
We know how important this subject is to you and we will keep you up-to-date on developments in the weeks and months ahead. WASDA and AWSA have already planned webinars and convention sessions on the professional, practical and legal implications of this legislation for you. Stay tuned.
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