The way report cards are written for Georgia’s teachers could change under legislation that downplays the role of tests, but before that can happen lawmakers must come to grips with a big problem.
Something will have to replace the test results, and bills in play under the Gold Dome fill the void with the opinions of principals and other leaders who already observe teachers on the job and fill out half their reviews. But those school leaders haven’t been doing a great job themselves.
Two percent of them ranked "exemplary" last year, according to results from 26 school districts that participated in a pilot program for the new evaluation system lawmakers already want to change. Nearly half rated "needs development" or worse.
When the data were reported to the Georgia Board of Education last August, board member Mary Sue Murray asked a pointed question: “How in the world do you get to be a leader if you’re not exemplary?”
Tests and their use in job reviews has become a hot-button issue. There are 113,000 teachers in Georgia and nearly half cited testing and test-based evaluations as a reason for teacher turnover in a recent state Department of Education survey.
Senate Bill 364 reduces the weight of student test results from at least 50 percent of a teacher's job review to 30 percent or less.
The resulting 20 percent gap would be filled with a measure of “professional growth.” That measure is yet to be determined, but evaluations and observations could be part of the mix, expanding the weight of principals’ opinions to 70 percent, since they already account for the half of a teacher’s evaluation that isn’t test-based.
Sen. Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta, the author of SB 364, acknowledged at a hearing Wednesday that he had “no compelling research” behind his decision to reduce the weight of tests to 30 percent or less.
He was fielding questions from members of the House Education committee who had concerns about changing the system.
Rep. Mike Dudgeon, R-Johns Creek, noted that teachers generally “bunch up at the top of the scale” when reviewed by their principals and other school leaders. It’s only with the addition of tests that their performance drops, with fewer ranking at the top and more at the bottom.
Even Rep. Tom Dickson, R-Cohutta, who introduced his own bill to reduce the weight of tests, noted the problem of subjectivity.
“We need to spend a little more time making sure we have leadership folks properly trained to do those evaluations,” he said. “I’m not sure that you’ve got it in your bill or I’ve got it in my bill either one, but I think that’s something we’ve got to look at.”
Of course, the perception of poor leadership is itself influenced by tests. School leader evaluations are driven more by student test performance than teacher evaluations are, with 70 percent resulting from the test results. That drops to 40 percent under Dickson’s bill and 40 percent or less under Tippins’ bill. Teacher advocates expect principals’ job reviews to improve as a result.
Dickson's House Bill 1061 hasn't been put to a vote of the House and isn't likely to become law, but Tippins' bill passed the Senate unanimously. It has to get through the House Education committee before it can be called for a vote on the House floor on its way to becoming a law. Rep. Brooks Coleman, R-Duluth, the chairman of the House Education committee, has promised an hours-long hearing on SB 364 on Wednesday afternoon.
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