Georgia officials move to ease teacher evaluation rules

Georgia education department officials announced plans Monday to refine the teacher evaluation process, responding to criticism that it is too rigorous.

Only new teachers and those previously reviewed as ineffective will be observed six times during a school year. Currently, each teacher have six observations in the department’s Teacher Keys Effectiveness System. The state will conduct a pilot implementation program of the changes this year in six Georgia school districts, including Cherokee and Clayton counties.

“There has been a call from school-level leaders all over Georgia to reduce the administrative burden resulting from the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System,” Georgia school Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement. “I could not agree more with their concerns. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work for our teachers, any more than it does for our students. A tiered observation system, which we will pilot in selected districts this year, will free up time for administrators to focus on improving the instruction of the school’s teachers that need the most attention.”