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Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill to Delay Teacher Evaluation Changes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2019

 

Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill to Delay Teacher Evaluation Changes

 

Today Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bills 122 and 202, which passed with bipartisan support, to maintain the percentage of annual year-end teacher and administrator evaluations based on student growth and assessment data at 25 percent for the 2018-2019 school year. LANSING, Mich. --

 

“As I continue to visit schools across the state, nearly every educator says the same thing: they are forced to spend more time on testing than actually teaching their students how to learn,” said Whitmer. “We know that test scores are only one piece of the puzzle and not the whole story. I’ve put forth a real solution in the budget to boost student performance, and I look forward to working with the legislature to get it done.”

 

Prior to the bills being signed, year-end teacher and administrator evaluations were set to rely more heavily on student growth and assessment data with an increase from 25 percent to 40 percent. The anticipated increase would’ve failed to account for other factors outside of a teacher’s control, such as the student’s home environment and school attendance, and could’ve dissuaded teachers from moving to underperforming districts.

 

Senate Bills 122 and 202 put a one-year delay on the increased weight of student assessments for teacher and administrator evaluations. Additional legislative action would be required for future changes.

 

The bill package was sponsored by Senator Ken Horn (SD-32).

 

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