Teacher Accountability

     In this age of No Child Left Behind and education reform, we are hearing more and more talk concerning teacher accountability.  President Obama implemented his reform ideas in conjunction with a grant called Race to The Top.  States are competing for federal dollars to bring about reform in their schools.  However, once the states accept these federal dollars there are lots of new and sometimes controversial ideas attached to the money.  One highly controversial idea is that of teacher accountability.  Now, don't get me wrong most people and even teachers are in favor of teachers being held accountable for the job they do.  The kicker is how to do this!!!  The North Carolina State Board of Education just released two new standards.  Both standards are regarding accountability.  One standard is for teachers and the other is for principals.  The following is the language of each of the standards:

Teacher Standard

Standard VI: Teachers Contribute to the Academic Success of Students. The work of the teacher results in acceptable, measurable progress for students based on established performance expectations using appropriate data to demonstrate growth.

Principal Standard

Standard VIII: Academic Achievement Leadership. Summary: School executives will con- tribute to the academic success of students. The work of the school executive will result in ac- ceptable, measurable progress for students based on established performance expectations using appropriate data to demonstrate growth.

According to the state board there will be MORE than just test scores factored into a teacher or principals evaluation.  They plan to begin piloting the standards in 24 school systems across the state beginning in August.

I am curious and little worried about what might be considered when evaluating a teacher or principal in regards to student achievement.  I am hopeful that it will include multiple measures as they stated and I hope that they take into account growth of students not just grade level proficiency.

I would like to hear from other teachers and principals.  What things do you think should be considered when evaluating a teacher or principal in regards to student achievement?