Unsatisfactory Evaluations: Iowa

Exiting Ineffective Teachers Policy

Goal

The state should articulate consequences for teachers with unsatisfactory evaluations, including specifying that teachers with multiple unsatisfactory evaluations should be eligible for dismissal.

Meets goal in part
Suggested Citation:
National Council on Teacher Quality. (2011). Unsatisfactory Evaluations: Iowa results. State Teacher Policy Database. [Data set].
Retrieved from: https://www.nctq.org/yearbook/state/IA-Unsatisfactory-Evaluations-10

Analysis of Iowa's policies

Iowa requires that all teachers who receive an unsatisfactory evaluation participate in an intensive assistance program. The state does not address whether a particular number of unsatisfactory evaluations would make teachers eligible for dismissal.

Citation

Recommendations for Iowa

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. Iowa should adopt a policy that ensures that teachers who receive such unsatisfactory evaluations are eligible for dismissal. 

State response to our analysis

Iowa recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.

Research rationale

To review the process and types of personnel evaluations observed in other job sectors, including the problems inherent to some evaluation systems see, for example, Gliddon, David (October 2004). Effective Performance Management Systems, Current Criticisms and New Ideas for Employee Evaluation in Performance Improvement 43(9), 27-36.