COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - States are developing new plans to measure teacher performance that may include items such as student test scores, parent and student surveys, classroom observations and portfolios that highlight educators' accomplishments.
Teachers with consecutive poor ratings will first get help, then could lose their tenure.
The push for reform stems from a growing bipartisan consensus that systems advancing teachers solely on seniority, and protecting them with tenure, needed reform. Critics say they protect bad teachers and block young talent.
Most states pledged to establish new teacher and principal evaluation systems as part of the Obama administration's Race to the Top program. States seeking waivers from some of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law also had to pursue certain policies, including basing teacher evaluations in part on student achievement.
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