Senate Bill 191
On May 12, 2010, the Colorado State Legislature passed Senate Bill 191 – the Great Teachers and Leaders Bill. This landmark Colorado law ties teacher evaluations to the progress of their students on achievement tests. The bill will help build momentum for a national movement that seeks to overhaul how instructors’ tenure and pay is earned, education leaders say.
This law will hold teachers accountable for whether their students are learning, with 50% of a teacher’s evaluation based on students’ academic growth as measured partially by test scores.
What Does This Law Do?
- Reforms the practice of tenure, otherwise known as non-probationary status in Colorado. Teachers can earn non-probationary status after 3 years of sufficient student academic growth; non-probationary status is revocable following 2 consecutive years of insufficient growth.
- Governor’s council will define teacher effectiveness and come up with parameters for an evaluation system that requires 50% of a teacher’s evaluation to be based on student achievement using multiple measures.
- Requires principals to be evaluated annually with 50% of the evaluation based on student achievement and their ability to develop teachers in their buildings and increase their effectiveness.
- Eliminates the practice of forced teacher placement (slotting teachers in schools without their or the principal’s consent) and replaces it with mutual consent hiring using the Chicago model (principals and teachers must agree to teacher placements and teachers who are not selected serve as substitutes for a year and, if not selected in the subsequent hiring cycle, are put on unpaid leave).
- Allows school districts to make reduction in force decisions based on teacher performance rather than on seniority.
For more information about the new standards for Colorado teachers: Colorado Quality Standards for Teachers 04/13/11
