In a press release following this week’s Michigan Senate passage of SB 103, which supposedly made important changes to state mandated teacher and administrator evaluations across the state, Michigan Education Association President Steven Cook praised the Legislature for tackling a tough issue in education reform.
“While this legislation took a considerable amount of time to work its way through the Legislature following the Ball Commission report, it was worth the wait, as it represents a big step forward and a major improvement over the present haphazard process in evaluating teachers and administrators,” Cook said.
The Michigan Council on Educator Effectiveness—chaired by University of Michigan’s Dr. Deborah Lowenstein Ball and known as the Ball Commission—was created in 2011 and issued its recommendations in 2013.
“Although the legislation passed by the House and Senate does not contain all of the council’s recommendations, it does change the focus of evaluations,” Cook said. “Instead of punishment, the goal of evaluations is now aimed at improving classroom instruction. In creating the Ball Commission and using its report as a guide, the Legislature acknowledged that experts in the field are invaluable in guiding education reform forward. That too is a change for the better.”
SB 103 also provides $14.8 million
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For heaven’s sakes, a slower loss is not a win at all.
As Yoda said, “There is no try. There is only do.”
Many years ago I remember hearing a description of former long-time state legislator and later multi-term Michigan Gov. John Engler’s supposed self-described, cut-throat political negotiations philosophy… it went something like this…
“If you threaten your enemies with decapitation over and over and over again, before long, and usually sooner rather than later, they will begin thrusting out first one arm, then the other… and next a leg and then the other leg. And before long, you pretty much have everything you wanted in the first place.”
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MI Education Association praises Senate
for passage of revamped evaluation bill
Submitted by mgarcia on Wed, 10/21/2015
The teacher evaluation bill is on its way to Gov. Snyder for his signature after the Senate passed an amended version of
SB 103 this week. The bill completes the 2011 list of teacher tenure reforms that finally establishes a statewide teacher and administrator evaluation system.
In a news release, MEA President Steven Cook said, “This legislation took a considerable amount of time to work its way through the Legislature. It was worth the wait, as it represents a big step forward and a major improvement over the present haphazard process in evaluating teachers and administrators.”
Last week, the House made important changes to the bill. Beginning this year and for the next three years, the bill requires 25 percent of a teacher’s evaluation be based on two or more growth measures which can include state and local growth assessments—a significant improvement since the current requirement is 50 percent based on a state standardized test. In the 2018-19 school year, the required percentage of student growth rises to 40 percent.
Read the rest of the press release here:
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