Lately we’ve seen a lot of talk about the way teachers are being evaluated and if what’s currently in place is efficient. Also, this topic has come about as some teachers who are no longer efficient aren’t able to be fired or reassigned because of tenure systems. The most recent example of this is something I saw this morning in Education Week. It talks about the newly revamped system in Tennessee that is causing quite an uproar.

The new evaluation program, developed in connection with the federal Race to the Top grant competition, grades teachers on both student test scores and multiple classroom observations. As of now, the observations seem to be the primary sticking point, with both teachers and principals complaining that they are cumbersome and unfair. The article notes that, among other things, the evaluators are required to use a three-page checklist to review teachers’ lessons plans…
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