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On Friday the Illinois State Board of
Education approved for public comment proposed rules that will
help effectuate the transformation of teacher and principal
evaluations here in Illinois. The proposed rules provide the
structure upon which districts will build performance evaluation
systems that incorporate student growth as a significant factor
as well as a research based framework for reviewing effective
practice.
My thanks to the statutory Performance Evaluation Advisory
Council, made up of teachers, principals and other
administrators from throughout the state, for their leadership
and professional advice. The PEAC has been meeting monthly since
April 2010, held eight public forums in October and November
throughout the state, and gathered online input from educators
and the public. In total, more than 2,300 people provided
feed back and helped shape the
process. Some of the highlights of the proposed rules include:
- Starting September 2012, all teachers
and principals/assistant principals must be rated as
Excellent, Proficient, Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory.
- Starting September 2012, the
evaluations of all principals/assistant principals must
include student growth as a significant factor.
- Teacher evaluations incorporating
student growth as a significant factor will be phased in,
starting with at least 300 schools in Chicago in September
2012 and the remaining Chicago schools in September 2013.
All schools in the state must incorporate student growth as
a significant factor in teacher evaluations by September
2016.
- Tenured teachers will be evaluated at
least every other year, however, tenured teachers evaluated
as "Needs Improvement" or "Unsatisfactory" must be evaluated
the following year.
- Student growth must count for at least
25 percent of the evaluation for the 2012-13 and 2013-14,
then at least 30 percent starting in September 2014.
- Starting in 2012-13, all evaluators
must be pre-qualified and then retrained every five years.
As noted above, districts will be required
to incorporate a research based professional framework to
evaluate teachers for effective instruction. A recent study by
the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research showed a
direct connection between teachers who scored
highest in these frameworks and
student growth, and that students in the study with the lowest
growth were in classrooms led by teachers who scored lower on
the frameworks. The Consortium study focused on the Charlotte
Danielson Framework for Teaching, which is the framework
recommended by PEAC. (http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/content/publications.php?pub_id=161)
You may view the complete text of the proposed rules (Part 50
Evaluation of Certified Employees) and provide public comment at
http://www.isbe.net/rules/proposed/default.htm. The public
comment period will run through Jan. 17.
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I wanted to make you aware that
Governor Quinn will once again be returning to
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in
Germany to deliver handmade cards to our soldiers. You and your
students may participate by sending handmade cards to the
Governor's Office in Springfield or Chicago.
Chicago-Area cards may be mailed to:
The Office of Governor Pat Quinn
Attn: Amy Amizich
James R. Thompson Center
100 West Randolph Street, Suite 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Downstate Cards may be mailed to:
Office of the Governor Pat Quinn
Attn:
Donna Dalton
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Any questions about Governor Quinn's Holiday Card to Illinois
Heroes Overseas program can be directed to Amy
Amizich at (312) 814-1083.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Chris
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