Teacher evaluation bill clears another hurdle

Despite heavy lobbying by TCTA and other teacher groups, the House Public Education Committee voted out SB 4, the bill that requires a complete overhaul of the state teacher appraisal system so that teacher appraisals will include a sizeable student performance component, including student scores on standardized tests. The bill received a poor reception when it was first heard before the committee, with numerous members expressing skepticism about the concept of the new appraisal system as well as the timing of it, given the tight budget and downsizing at TEA.

Chairman Rob Eissler subsequently offered a committee substitute to the bill. Practically speaking, the committee substitute did little to change the concept of basing teacher evaluations on student test scores or to allow more time to develop the system; in fact, the substitute requires that a “significant portion” of a teacher’s appraisal must be based on the teacher’s student learning objectives and outcomes, including performance on state standardized tests and other student learning objectives and outcomes. (The bill as it came over from the Senate required that between 30 and 50 percent of a teacher’s appraisal must include the annual improvement of the teacher’s students’ achievement). 

The committee substitute also moved up the date for when the new appraisal system must be in place by one year (to September 2015). When the committee took up the revised version in a formal meeting later, members expressed enough concerns about needing time to understand the committee substitute that it was clear that there were not enough votes to pass it, and a vote was not taken. However, the following day another formal meeting was called, and the bill was voted out 6-1.

The next step is for the bill to be scheduled by the House Calendars Committee for the House floor. But it is not clear whether the bill will be scheduled and heard by the House in time to beat the May 24, 2011 deadline for the House to consider Senate bills.

In the meantime, as is always true at this time of session, many legislators are looking for “live” bills (bills that have a good chance of clearing the last legislative hurdle in time) to which they will try to attach dying bills, and this could very well be the case for SB 4.  Accordingly, TCTA will be working to keep the bill from getting scheduled for the House floor as well as keeping an eye out for it to reappear as an amendment to another bill.