Critics: La. Teacher Evaluations Need Changes

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A panel studying the issue says the state should consider trimming the requirement that links 50 percent of annual teacher evaluations to student test scores.

Under a 2012 state law pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal, half of the job review for some teachers is based on the growth of student achievement through exam results and half on traditional classroom observations by principals.

The Advocate reports critics contend that relying on test score results for half of a job review is too high and out of step with most other states.

Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, said on Monday job evaluations should vary rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all state system.

Teachers are graded on a four-point scale that ranges from highly effective to ineffective