Round 2 of improving education coming amid less fanfare

Alan Borsuk:

Schools: States such as Florida have been using systems of giving every school a grade, A to F.

Gov. Scott Walker and others like that system, but a state task force favored - and the waiver request proposes - a system in which all schools will be rated on a scale of 1 to 100, based on such things as student scores and educational growth and progress in closing gaps between student groups.

Parents will know how their kid's school rates - with the idea that they will make decisions based on putting their children in high-rated schools. The schools themselves can be rewarded or forced to make major changes based on their ratings.

Consider this system likely to happen.

Principals and teachers: For the first time, if the waiver request is approved, there will be a statewide system for rating principals and teachers - and half of the rating will be based on student performance, including (but not limited to) test scores.

In other words, they will be rated in large part on whether their students are learning. A lot of this remains to be worked out.

Individual ratings will not be made public, but, without the union protections that died in last year's earthquake, the ratings could be used in decisions on pay, assignments, promotions or firings.

Consider this likely to happen.

Related: Wisconsin's Read to Lead Task Force.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 20, 2012 1:56 AM
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