BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – At Benton Harbor Area Schools, 70 of the 74 third-grade students tested in 2023-24 were not proficient in English language arts, or 95%.
Yet, that same year, 98% of the district’s teachers were given the top two performance ratings out of four – highly effective and effective. There were 2% given a minimally effective rating and not one of the 120 teachers evaluated was rated as ineffective.
There is a similar disconnect between high-level teacher evaluations in Michigan and low-performing student achievement.
Overall, in Michigan, only 40% of the third graders tested in English language arts were found to be proficient in 2023-24. Yet, 43% of the state’s teachers were rated highly-effective by their local districts and 56% were found to be effective. Just 1% were minimally effective and there were so few found to be ineffective that it rated as 0%.
Now, led by the Michigan Education Association, this year teacher evaluations will be based even less on how well students perform on standardized tests. This year, teacher evaluations will only be based 20% on student growth, down from 40% previously. That’s because of two bills passed in November 2023 that approved of the change.
When the original education bill passed in 2011, teacher evaluations were based on 50% student growth.
“These changes are the result of years of lobbying and advocacy by MEA members regarding Michigan’s broken teacher evaluation system, and close work with many members of the Legislature,” the MEA stated in November 2023 when the bills were passed.
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.