This bill was presented in the House and a duplicate version was presented in the Senate. The date for written notice of non-renewal for teachers (non-continuing contract) has been moved from April 15 to June 15th as approved by the House and the Senate, 22.1-304. As a public school administrator, I was encouraged by the overall effect this amendment may have on public education. This allows teachers to work on self selected areas of improvement throughout the year and to reap the benefits of their hard work. No longer will they be judged based upon a 3/4 year of work; they will be evaluated based upon a completed year. They will have results from SOL tests, EOY assessments, and data meetings to review at their final evaluation (and it will actually be the end of the year evaluation!).
All to often, administrators have been forced to make quick decisions about employees growth and have not been given the gift of time to see new employees fulfill the goals and needs of the students within their classes. I see this as a positive move and an attempt to promote efficient and effective evaluations for teachers within our profession. This may have a tremendous impact on the teacher/growth percentile bills coming down the pike!
