They don’t quite have the wording right – it’s not ‘present’; it’s enrolled.
Attendance is not a factor right now.
Another issue SB 364 addresses has to do with the percentage of days students
have to be present in class to be counted toward a teacher’s performance.
Currently, students have to be in class only 65% of the time in order to count
toward a teacher’s performance.
“The current 65% is far too low, and the SB 364 legislation to raise that to
80% is much more reasonable. Teachers should not be responsible for students
who are not in class.”
If only we could go by ‘days students have to be present’ instead of enrolled –
that is where the big difference would come in!
Carolyn
From: gsis_admins-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:gsis_admins-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Flora Contreras
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 8:59 AM
To: gsis_admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gsis_admins] Fwd: FW: Superintendent Woods Supports Legislation
Decreasing Testing Requirements for Students and Reducing Weight of Test Scores
on Teacher and Leader Evaluations
Hopefully we will have a 80% tool rather than 65%...!!! See highlight…
of course after talking with Bob about this at the conference, the data will
still never reflect what legislation is wanting or think the are getting, not
even if it is 100%
[http://app.meltwaterpress.com/mpress/uploadedimages/2015/4/23/1789741429815975141.png]
Superintendent Woods Supports Legislation Decreasing Testing Requirements for
Students and Reducing Weight of Test Scores on Teacher and Leader Evaluations
MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404)
651-7358<tel:%28404%29%20651-7358>,
mcardoza@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:mcardoza@xxxxxxxxx>
- Follow us on Twitter<http://twitter.com/gadoenews> and
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February 10, 2016 – State School Superintendent Richard Woods today released
the following statements regarding SB 364, which would decrease the number of
tests students have to take, as well as lower the weight of test results on the
state’s teacher and leader evaluation system.
SB 364 would:
* Reduce the number of state tests from 32 to 24
* Reduce the weight of student test scores on the teacher evaluation system
from 50% to 30%, with the remaining percentage coming from professional growth
plans
On the reduction of state-mandated tests:
“I wholeheartedly support Senator Lindsey Tippins’ bill, SB 364, because it
reflects many of the issues I’ve felt all along are burdensome to student
learning and the recruitment and retention of our best teachers. The federal
government requires 11 tests; Georgia requires almost three times that.
Realignment is needed, and SB 364 would do just that, reducing the number of
state-mandated tests students must take. By streamlining testing requirements,
we can free up schools to focus on literacy and numeracy in the early grades,
giving students a better foundation for success.”
On lowering the weight of test scores in the teacher and leader evaluation
systems and adding a true professional growth component to the teacher and
leader evaluation systems:
“I also am in full support of SB 364 because it reduces the percentage that
student test scores count for teachers’ and leaders’ evaluations. Not only are
Georgia students suffering from over-testing, Georgia teachers are, too. We
need to loosen the weight of test scores for teacher evaluation and fill the
gap with a professional growth component, which is just what SB 364 proposes.
This would allow the evaluation system to become more of a coaching tool
instead of a ‘gotcha’ tool. We conducted a survey of more than 53,000 Georgia
teachers, and an overwhelming percentage selected ‘number of state-mandated
tests’ and the ‘method for evaluating teachers’ as the main reasons why 44
percent of newly hired teachers leave the profession within five years. SB 364
will provide a better tool for teachers and also help recruit and retain the
best teachers.”
On requiring students to be in class more in order to count toward a teacher’s
performance:
Another issue SB 364 addresses has to do with the percentage of days students
have to be present in class to be counted toward a teacher’s performance.
Currently, students have to be in class only 65% of the time in order to count
toward a teacher’s performance.
“The current 65% is far too low, and the SB 364 legislation to raise that to
80% is much more reasonable. Teachers should not be responsible for students
who are not in class.”
On allowing all districts to implement tiered observations:
“We know a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for our students, and it
doesn’t work for our teachers, either. I appreciate that SB 364 allows for
tiered observations for our best teachers, which will free up administrators to
spend more time with new or weaker teachers while giving teachers who receive
high evaluation scores the benefit of fewer observations and more flexibility
in the classroom.”
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Contact information: Matt Cardoza, Georgia Department of Education EST, 205
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