South Dakota Board of Education Standards Halts Plan to Remove Student Growth from Teacher Evaluations

A proposal to remove an expectation of student growth from South Dakota's rules governing teacher evaluation rules has stalled. The South Dakota Board of Education Standards voted to rescind a previous decision to hold a public hearing on the effort to remove student growth from teacher evaluations. The decision comes after state Department of Education Secretary Joseph Graves expressed concerns that the initiative may not pass a legislative committee hearing, citing the committee's rejection of a similar proposal last year. Graves also argued that the standard is beneficial for some school districts but not for others.

Key Takeaways:

• The South Dakota Board of Education Standards voted to rescind a previous decision to hold a public hearing on the effort to remove student growth from teacher evaluations.
• The proposal aimed to remove a requirement that teacher performance evaluations use "student learning objectives," which are student educational growth goals set by the teacher and school administration.
• State Department of Education Secretary Joseph Graves expressed concerns that the initiative may not pass a legislative committee hearing, citing the committee's rejection of a similar proposal last year.
• Graves argued that the standard is beneficial for some school districts but not for others.
• Board president Steve Perkins voted against the effort at the board's May meeting, requesting another option and more time to study the issue.
• Perkins later expressed his willingness to review the policy, stating that the evaluation system is "broken for many districts" and that a better understanding is needed before implementing a rule.
• Department officials plan to review the rules and bring the topic back to the board later in the year to educate the board on the state's reasoning for tying student achievement to teacher evaluation and explore other options.

Statistics:

• 100%: The percentage of school districts where the standard is beneficial, according to Graves.
• 0%: The percentage of districts where the standard is beneficial, as reported by Graves in relation to the specific districts.
• 1: The number of Board of Education Standards members who voted against the effort to remove student growth from teacher evaluations at the board's May meeting.
• 1: The number of members who expressed concerns about the proposal.
• 12: The month when the proposal was initially approved by the board.
• 1: The number of times the legislative committee rejected a similar proposal in the past year.

Sources:

• "Teacher Evaluation Rules First Read.pdf" from the South Dakota State Board of Education Standards.
• A draft proposal from the South Dakota Department of Education to remove student growth from teacher evaluations.
• A document from the South Dakota State Legislature discussing the rejection of a similar proposal.
• A report on the South Dakota State Board of Education Standards meeting in May.
• A report on the South Dakota State Department of Education's plans to review the rules and bring the topic back to the board later in the year.
• A statement from Board president Steve Perkins expressing his concerns about the proposal.