Tenure : Indiana
Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Analysis of Indiana's policies
Indiana could do more to connect tenure decisions to evidence of teacher effectiveness.
The state's recent legislation outlines new tenure policy in which a probationary teacher becomes a professional teacher, thus earning nonprobationary status, by receiving evaluation ratings of either effective or highly effective for three years, over a five-year period. Further, a professional teacher in Indiana reverts to probationary status if he or she receives an ineffective evaluation rating.
Because Indiana's teacher evaluation ratings are not centered primarily on evidence of student learning (see Goal 3-B), basing tenure decisions on these evaluation ratings ensures that classroom effectiveness is considered, but does not ensure it is the preponderant criterion.
Recommendations for Indiana
Ensure evidence of effectiveness is the preponderant criterion in tenure decisions.
Indiana 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.
Ensure the probationary period is adequate.
Indiana should make certain its probationary period allows for a collection of sufficient data that reflect teacher performance.
State response to our analysis
Indiana recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
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Indiana
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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.