A controversial method for evaluating teachers in the state may soon be eliminated.
Lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday making the practice of measuring a teacher's performance through student test scores and how they've improved over time optional, rather than mandatory.
The House gave final approval to that bill on an 80-to-zero vote. The author, state Rep. Michael Rogers, R-Broken Arrow, says the legislation pushes the evaluation process back to the district level where it should be.
“It's going to save the districts tens of thousands of dollars,” Rogers said. “In the long run, it'll save them millions of dollars. And it'll save the state anywhere from $500,000 to $2.5 million."
Educators have been calling this unfair ever since it began in 2012. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature.
Teachers will still be assessed by their classroom instruction performance, the learning environment, and their design and planning of instruction. The State Department of Education said this gives local control back to schools, and saves them money in a tight-budget year. It also instructs the Education Department to create a professional development component that would start in the 2018/2019 school year.
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister called the bill a "bright spot" for education in this legislative session.
“Giving districts the option to remove the quantitative portion of teacher evaluations increases local control and strengthens classroom growth and professional development,” Hofmeister said in a statement.
Moore Public Schools superintendent Robert Romines said the professional development will allow principals to become better instructional leaders.
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