It’s time to pass Senate Bill 191, Sen. Michael Johnston’s teacher effectiveness measure. We are proud to join other parents and civic leaders in supporting this legislation.
Teachers’ accountability for their students’ performance, and principals’ accountability for their teachers’ performance, are core elements in high-performing schools. Teachers are the No. 1 influence in improving student achievement. Principals are No. 2. SB 191 addresses both.
There is no silver bullet in education. Not funding (although it is certainly part of the equation), not this one bill, and no one curriculum. The children of Colorado and their teachers deserve systems that evaluate fairly, recognize and compensate high performance, provide targeted professional development for those who are struggling, and require an equal level of accountability for principals to support teachers. SB 191 is an important first step in a long journey.
Are we acting too quickly? Under SB 191, up to 50 percent of a teacher’s effectiveness measurement will be tied to student growth — not achievement standards. The remaining 50 percent will be determined by the Governor’s Council on Educator Effectiveness (which includes four teachers) over an extended period of time. The recommendations then go to the state Board of Education and are sent back to the General Assembly for confirmation. New teacher and principal effectiveness standards will be tested and refined over several years, and that timeline is being developed with teachers.
Educators should have confidence that this long process will be fact-based, fair and effective. Individuals stating that we are rushing these profound educational changes are misleading the legislature and the public.
Are standardized tests being used unfairly? The proposed law leaves these decisions up to the Governor’s Council on Educator Effectiveness (with teacher involvement), and any potential testing cannot exceed 50 percent of a teacher or principal evaluation. This balanced evaluation takes into account other factors influential in educational outcomes.
We are dismayed that some argue that no standardized tests should be used to measure effectiveness because we see teachers across the state producing incredible results with children of poverty, different language backgrounds, and broken homes. Two successful area schools were recognized in a recent Denver Post story about otherwise stagnant CSAP scores: Beech Court Elementary in north Denver, and Ricardo Flores Magone Academy in Thornton.
This is good policy regardless of the Race to the Top competition. Teachers and principals who do succeed will be recognized and financially rewarded for their performance; those needing help will be supported.
It’s about our collective will, and about developing additional accountability and credibility in public education. Colorado voters will not respond to future funding requests without teacher and principal accountability being built in; SB 191 provides that.
What is the alternative? Should we beta-test the Colorado kids who aren’t graduating, or who require remediation when they do graduate and get to college? Should we blame “lazy” students, socio- economic factors, or challenging home environments? There are thousands of current teachers and principals who are willing to tackle these challenges, be held accountable and be recognized and rewarded for their passion and hard work.
Like any student’s progress, success will be a combination of many factors and will require a team pulling together, providing support, resources and encouragement, and rewarding achievement. Let’s start this work together by passing SB 191.
Federico Peña is a former mayor of Denver and is chairman of A+ Denver. Laurie Hirschfeld Zeller is president of A+ Denver.
