Tenure : Oklahoma
Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Analysis of Oklahoma's policies
Oklahoma is on the right track in connecting tenure decisions to evidence of teacher effectiveness.
The state now requires that "career teachers" have one of the following: a rating of "superior" as measured by the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System for two of three years, with no rating below "effective"; or an average rating of at least "effective" for a four-year period, with a rating of at least "effective" for the last two years.
Because Oklahoma's teacher evaluation ratings are centered primarily on evidence of student learning (see Goal 3-B), basing tenure decisions on these evaluation ratings ensures that classroom effectiveness is appropriately considered.
However, the state has created a loophole by essentially waiving these requirements and allowing the principal of a school to petition for career-teacher status, absent the requirements stated above.
Recommendations for Oklahoma
Ensure the probationary period is adequate.
To ensure tenure decisions are based on adequate assessment and sufficient evidence of teacher effectiveness in the classroom, Oklahoma should consider extending the time before teachers can earn tenure, making certain that probationary teachers earn at least three consecutive "effective" ratings prior to the award of tenure.
Reconsider waiver of effectiveness requirements at principal request.
It is not unreasonable that Oklahoma wants to build some principal discretion into its tenure process. But rather than waive the effectiveness requirements, the state should consider allowing principals to extend the probationary period for teachers they think warrant further time to develop. This would prevent the dismissal of probationary teachers against principal's judgment while still hold all teachers to the state's standards of effective performance.
State response to our analysis
Oklahoma was helpful in providing NCTQ with the facts necessary for this analysis.
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Oklahoma
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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.