Tenure : North Carolina
Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Analysis of North Carolina's policies
North Carolina does not connect tenure decisions to evidence of teacher effectiveness.
Teachers in North Carolina are awarded tenure after a four-year probationary period.
Teachers must have a minimum "proficient" rating on all five North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards on their annual evaluations in order to be recommended for tenure. The state does not require a "proficient" rating on the sixth standard, which pertains to student growth. Because North Carolina's teacher evaluation ratings are not centered primarily on evidence of student learning (see Goal 3-B), basing tenure decisions on these evaluation ratings does not ensure that classroom effectiveness is sufficiently considered.
Recommendations for North Carolina
Ensure evidence of effectiveness is the preponderant criterion in tenure decisions.
North Carolina should make evidence of effectiveness, rather than the number of years in the classroom, the most significant factor when determining this leap in professional standing.
Articulate a process that local districts must administer when deciding which teachers get tenure.
North Carolina should require a clear process, such as a hearing, to ensure that the local district reviews a teacher's performance before making a determination regarding tenure.
Ensure the probationary period is adequate.
North Carolina should make certain its probationary period allows for a collection of sufficient data that reflect teacher performance.
State response to our analysis
North Carolina recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that during the 2011-2012 school year, it will adopt policies defining "effective" and "highly effective" teachers. Tenure decisions will then be linked to effectiveness as demonstrated by student growth and ratings on the other five standards in the teacher evaluation instrument.
Last word
North Carolina is encouraged not only to "link" tenure decisions to student growth, but also to ensure that teacher effectiveness is the most significant criterion. NCTQ looks forward to reviewing the state's progress in future editions of the Yearbook.
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Delivering Well Prepared Teachers
- Admission into Preparation Programs
- Elementary Teacher Preparation
- Elementary Teacher Preparation in Reading Instruction
- Elementary Teacher Preparation in Mathematics
- Middle School Teacher Preparation
- Secondary Teacher Preparation
- Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science
- Secondary Teacher Preparation in Social Studies
- Special Education Teacher Preparation
- Assessing Professional Knowledge
- Student Teaching
- Teacher Preparation Program Accountability
Expanding the Pool of Teachers
Identifying Effective Teachers
- State Data Systems
- Evaluation of Effectiveness
- Frequency of Evaluations
- Tenure
- Licensure Advancement
- Equitable Distribution
Retaining Effective Teachers
Exiting Ineffective Teachers
Research rationale
For evidence on the potential of eliminating automatic tenure, articulating a process for granting tenure, and using evidence of effectiveness as criteria for tenure see D. Goldhaber and M. Hansen, "Assuming the Potential of Using Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Job Performance for Making Tenure Decisions." Center for Reinventing Public Education. (2009). Goldhaber and Hansen conclude that if districts ensured that the bottom performing 25 percent of all teachers up for tenure each year did not earn it, approximately 13 percent more than current levels, student achievement could be significantly improved. By routinely denying tenure to the bottom 25 percent of eligible teachers, the impact on student achievement would be equivalent to reducing class size across-the-board by 5 students a class.
For additional evidence see Robert Gordon, et al., "Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job," Hamilton Project Discussion Paper, Brookings Institute, March 2006.