LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – School districts across the state rated 43% of Michigan’s teachers to be “highly effective,” the highest rating an educator can receive.

It was the highest percentage of teachers given the highest rating of highly effective since the evaluation system was implemented in 2011-12.

What’s the criteria for teacher evaluations?

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As a group, 99% of the teachers in the state that were evaluated were rated in the top two categories – highly effective and effective. There were 1% of teachers rated minimally effective. Statistically, the percentage of teachers ranked ineffective was zero. That’s because 169 of the 112,444 teachers evaluated were given the lowest rating.

The stellar evaluations don’t match with the state rankings. The U.S. News & World Report rated Michigan 36^th in the U.S. Pre-K-12 education rankings. The magazine ranked Michigan 26^th in math scores and 31^st in reading scores and 45^th in high school graduation in its most recent national rankings.

Michigan’s reading scores.

At Flint Community Schools, all the teachers in 2023-24 were rated in the two highest ratings – highly effective and effective. No teachers were rated as minimally effective or ineffective.

The district rated 54 of the 154 teachers evaluated as highly effective, or 35%. Yet, just 3.6% of Flint’s third graders tested as proficient in English Language Arts in the 2023 Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress exam, better known as M-STEP.

The Democratic-controlled state legislature passed laws that changed how teachers are evaluated this year. Instead of four categories, evaluations will have three ratings: effective, developing and needing support.

Collective bargaining plays a role.

The Michigan Education Association (MEA) stated that teacher evaluations this year are now subject to collective bargaining.

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The amount of student performance required to be included in a teacher’s evaluation was cut in half. Previously, 40% of a teacher’s evaluation had to be based on student growth data. Now, that will be lowered to 20%.

The state law required that a teacher be terminated after three consecutive ineffective ratings. The new law allows teachers who are given the lowest rating of “needs support” the ability to file a grievance and take it to arbitration.