Michigan Senate To OK Teacher Evaluation Changes

LANSING (AP) - The Michigan Senate is expected to vote to implement state standards for evaluating teachers and school administrators while also delaying their implementation.

Senators on Wednesday will approve follow-up legislation to a 2011 Republican-backed law that revised teacher tenure rules.

Starting in the 2017-18 school year, year-end educator evaluations in Michigan would have to be based in part on students' standardized test scores, including how they progress over the year.

The Senate bill would base 25 percent of an evaluation on student growth and testing data in 2017-18, increasing it to 40 percent in 2018-19 and beyond.

The remainder of a teacher's evaluation would be based on the local school district's own evaluation tool.

Teachers rated as ineffective for three straight years must be dismissed under current law.