The Florida legislature is poised to make sweeping changes to the state’s standardized testing system and to the way teachers are evaluated. The Foundation which backed the system currently in place, says it’s pleased to see lawmakers giving the system a second look.
The Foundation for Florida’s Future says lawmakers need to revise the way teachers are evaluated. Patricia Levesque spoke to the Tallahassee League of Women Voters Wednesday. She says the way the state currently evaluates teachers—by tying half of their evaluations to student performance data—is flawed. she says teachers in subjects like art—need a completely different way of being evaluated all together.
“Reduce the percentage of evaluations based on data, and not worry about all the non-state tested areas," Levesque told the League. " Let districts bring those online, if or when they want to based on local needs and consensus of teachers in that district.”
The Foundation, created by former Governor Jeb Bush, has backed tougher teacher evaluations and more rigorous testing. Levesque says the state has gone too far, and she’s pleased to see lawmakers re-evaluating the systems they’ve put in place.
