HB 576 which proposes changes in teacher evaluation timelines continues to receive much notice across the commonwealth. Principals have expressed many concerns with this bill. Five major ones are summarized below:<\/p>\n
1. There is only ONE year for teacher evaluations, and this on top of a whole new evaluation procedure for teachers and principals. You should know that resentment is loud and clear about this and the seemingly poor timing of this initiative. Nearly every e-mail that we have received addresses, \u201cWhat\u2019s the big hurry?\u201d
\nWe were surprised that the Governor included in his State of the Commonwealth address that removing the continuing contract status for principals and teachers would \u201cgive principals a new tool to utilize in managing their schools.\u201d Principals did not seek this legislative change.<\/p>\n
2. In the bill, the evaluation procedure will be codified in Virginia law and taken away from the purview of the Virginia Board of Education. We clearly have an issue where an administrative agency (VDOE) under the control of the Board of Education is having its powers usurped by the Governor and, thusly, the Virginia General Assembly if the bill passes. An act of the General Assembly will be much more difficult to accomplish with the coming evaluation issues rather than the administrative process procedure to which we have grown accustomed.In addition, the bill codifies a ten-month contract as 200 days. Addressing these areas as state law would be unprecedented and contrary to what is now clearly under the purview of the Virginia Board of Education and LEAs.<\/p>\n
3. There is strong concern about training and implementation of both the teacher and principal new evaluation guidelines. There is a perception that the new evaluation guidelines for teachers and principals and the introduction of HB 576 were placed on a fast track with no real emphasis on how teachers, principals, superintendents, and school boards will be appropriately trained on how to implement it (i.e., training, local adoption, and implementation). The line item in the Governor\u2019s budget of $415,000 for training is not very encouraging. In adding the number of teachers and principals and assistant principals employed throughout the Commonwealth, this amount for training equals to about $2 per educator for each year of the biennium.<\/p>\n
4. We realize that the title \u201csupervisor\u201d is hardly used any more, since the position was given the same continuing contract status as principals and assistant principals in \u00a722.1-294, but we are concerned about the nebulous term \u201cdivision-level instructional personnel.\u201d Principals are uncomfortable with this new level of licensure and the role such licensed individuals could play in teacher evaluation (especially not knowing who the licensed personnel will be).<\/p>\n
5. The language of the bill is not clear about \u201csummative evaluations.\u201d The language should be clear that the meaning is overall summative evaluations. (There are seven performance standards with summative areas in the new evaluation guidelines.)<\/p>\n
You may still contact your legislators in the General Assembly and express your thoughts regarding this bill. Your input is always important and Virginia principals need to make their opinions and thoughts known. If you need help with your legislator’s email or telephone contacts, go to http:\/\/legis.state.va.us\/, the General Assembly information site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HB 576 which proposes changes in teacher evaluation timelines continues to receive much notice across the commonwealth. Principals have expressed many concerns with this bill. Five major ones are summarized below: 1. There is only ONE year for teacher evaluations, and this on top of a whole new evaluation procedure for teachers and principals. You … <\/p>\n