Educators take measure of new teacher evaluations

First of a two-part story

GREENFIELD — With the premise that student learning is the ultimate measure of the success of a teacher, the Indiana Department of Education set out several years ago to change the way educators are evaluated and given pay raises.

Amid angst from many teachers who are unsure of what that means, the state’s plan will come to fruition this fall when the new evaluation process goes into effect.

The new education laws were passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2011. They become law July 1 of this year and take effect next fall. The one-year delay in implementation was to provide time to evaluate pilot programs.

Tony Bennett, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, believes teacher evaluation and compensation policies and practices should be aligned with teacher effectiveness.

In short, the laws take away time-honored pay increases based on seniority and continuing education and focus them instead on the jobs teachers do in the classroom.

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