2010 Primary Findings

Key 2010 Findings:

• Our latest policy review found an increase in the number of states requiring annual evaluations of all teachers (from 15 states in 2009 to 21 states in 2010) and a more than doubling of the number of states requiring that evidence of student learning be the preponderant criterion in teacher evaluations (from 4 states in 2009 to 10 states in 2010).
• Our review also revealed a large spike in the number of states adopting policies for holding teacher preparation programs in their states accountable based on the academic performance of students taught by their graduates (from just Louisiana piloting an effort in 2009 to 14 states in 2010).
• Among the 12 Race to the Top winners, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Tennessee had the fewest critical areas to address and are states worth watching as the program moves forward on teacher policy implementation.

• Teacher evaluation is a critical attention area in 42 states because the vast majority of states do not ensure that evaluations, whether state or locally developed, preclude teachers from receiving satisfactory ratings if those teachers are found to be ineffective in the classroom. In addition, the majority of states still does not require annual evaluations of all veteran teachers, and most still fail to include any objective measures of student learning in the teacher evaluations they do require.
• In 46 states, teachers are granted tenure with little or no attention paid to how effective they are with students in their classrooms. While there are a few states that have vague requirements for some consideration of evidence, and a few others that promise that teacher evaluations will "inform" tenure decisions, only Colorado, Delaware, Oklahoma and Rhode Island demand that evidence of student learning be the preponderant or decisive criterion in such decisions.
• Dismissal is a critical attention area in 46 states. There are at least two state leaders taking this issue head on. In Oklahoma, recent legislation requires that tenured teachers be terminated if they are rated "ineffective" for two consecutive years, or rated as "needs improvement" for three years running, or if they do not average at least an "effective" rating over a five-year teaching period. In Rhode Island, teachers who receive two years of ineffective evaluations will be dismissed. Any teacher with five years of ineffective ratings would not be eligible to have his or her certification renewed by the state.

• Despite compelling evidence about the most effective ways to teach young children to read, NCTQ identified 43 states with critical work to be done to ensure elementary teacher candidates enter the classroom with these essential skills.
• Forty-nine states have critical work to do to ensure that elementary school teachers statewide have a deep conceptual knowledge of the mathematics that they will teach. Massachusetts is the clear role model, requiring elementary teacher candidates to pass a rigorous test of mathematics content covering topics specifically geared to the needs of elementary teachers.
• Twenty-two states fail to differentiate preparation between elementary and middle school teachers, allowing middle school teachers, in all or at least some circumstances, to teach on a K-8 generalist license.
• Only 14 states use student achievement data as part of their approval processes for teacher preparation programs, and most of these are newly coming on line as part of states' winning Race to the Top proposals.

• 34 states have significant licensure loopholes that allow teachers to teach without passing all required subject-matter assessments.
• In every state but Massachusetts, the expectations for how well elementary teacher candidates will perform on licensing exams are exceedingly low.

• Alternate route admissions is a critical attention area in 38 states. Many states do not provide flexibility to nontraditional candidates in how candidates demonstrate subject-matter knowledge; other states do not ensure that alternate route teachers have subject-matter expertise.
• Alternate route diversity is a critical attention area in 28 states that limit program providers and/or the grades and subjects that can be taught by alternate route teachers.

Charts and Graphs from the 2010 National Report

Figure 1 Notable advances in teacher policies	Figure 2 Is classroom effectiveness considered in teacher evaluations?	Figure 3 Race to the Top winners and other states requiring that student learning be the preponderant criterion in teacher evaluations
Figure 4 Do states require districts to evaluate all veteran teachers each year?	Figure 5 How many times do states require districts to evaluate a new teacher during a school year?	Figure 6 Do states require districts to evaluate new teachers early in the school year?
Figure 7 How long before a teacher earns tenure?	Figure 8 Is classroom effectiveness considered in teacher evaluations and tenure decisions?	Figure 9 Do states ensure that teachers are well prepared?
Figure 10 Are states using student achievement data to hold teacher preparation programs accountable?	Figure 11 Where do states set the passing score on elementary content licensure tests?	Figure 12 Do states permit alternate route providers other than colleges and universities?
Figure 13 How well funded are state pension systems?	Figure 14 How much do states pay for each teacher that retires with unreduced benefits at an early age?	Figure 15 Do states distinguish between elementary and secondary special education teachers?