On Thursday, May 14th the Senate Education Committee will hear Senate Bill 298 by Senator Katrina Jackson. This important legislation has the potential to positively impact students and teachers across our state by removing VAM scores from teacher evaluations.
Year in and year out we have watched as our students are subjected to intense and unrelenting testing. Tests are and always have been an important part of the learning process, but they must serve a specific purpose and accurately evaluate what students have learned. It’s important that we look at the impact this testing is having on our students and our schools' budget and eliminate what isn’t needed.
The Value Added Model (VAM) is one such test that does not serve students, teachers or schools. That is why LFT has partnered with Senator Jackson on Senate Bill 298. A student's VAM score data is currently weighted at 35% of a teacher's evaluation score, despite the fact that teachers have no control over many of the factors which impact that score. SB 298 removes the requirement to use VAM scores in teachers’ evaluations and district accountability.