News Brief
Report Endorses Statewide Standards for Maine Teacher Evaluations
Portland Press Herald (ME) (12/13/12) Gallagher, NoelThe Maine Educator Effectiveness Council, a task force, issued its first report on how Maine schools should evaluate teachers, though it said implementing a standardized evaluation system could take several years. State Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen said, "Of the education laws passed last session, this is one of the two most significant. We are extremely grateful for the work of the Maine Educator Effectiveness Council. They met many, many times, put in a lot of hard work, and have helped us move this forward." The task force report says evaluations should not include student, parent, and community perception surveys, high school graduation rates, and certain data required by the federal government as measures of student learning and growth. The report indicates the state should consider results from statewide, standardized tests, but only under certain circumstances. The group agreed the state should adopt the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium to evaluate teachers and the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium for evaluating principals, with exemptions approved by the state. A public hearing on the proposed rule is expected on Dec. 27, with written comments accepted through Jan. 7. For the full task force report, click here.
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