Unsatisfactory Evaluations: Wisconsin

Analysis of Wisconsin's policies

Wisconsin does not have a policy regarding teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations.

A new bill passed in December 2011 allows districts to connect consequences to teacher evaluations under certain circumstances, but does not require or encourage districts to do so.  

Citation

Senate Bill 95

Recommendations for Wisconsin

Require that all teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations be placed on improvement plans.
Wisconsin should adopt a policy requiring that teachers who receive even one unsatisfactory evaluation be placed on structured improvement plans. These plans should focus on performance areas that directly connect to student learning and should list noted deficiencies, define specific action steps necessary to address these deficiencies and describe how and when progress will be measured.

Make eligibility for dismissal a consequence of unsatisfactory evaluations.
Teachers who receive two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations or have two unsatisfactory evaluations within five years should be formally eligible for dismissal, regardless of whether they have tenure. Wisconsin should adopt a policy that ensures that teachers who receive such unsatisfactory evaluations are eligible for dismissal. 

State response to our analysis

Wisconsin recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state also noted that the State Superintendent convened a Design Team on Educator Effectiveness in 2010, which is charged with developing an evaluation framework that supports a full range of human resource decisions.