A R.I. Department of Education report released this month found nearly all of the state’s teachers and educational administrators rated as “effective” or better in evaluations for the 2013-2014 school year.
On its face, this is great news in a state struggling to overhaul a public education system to better prepare students for both college and employment. But such evaluations only have value if they can match other measures of student performance. And on that score the jury is still out.
In October, RIDE released SAT scores for the same school year that found Rhode Island students improving in both math and reading, but still below national averages. While that is only one measure of student performance, it clearly suggests a system upgrade that is a work in progress.
Yet, the report on teacher evaluations found that 98 percent of teachers and 99 percent of building administrators were rated effective or highly effective. Less than 1 percent of teachers across the state received a rating of ineffective.
Limited resources, particularly in some urban school districts, can certainly undermine student performance. But that cannot be used as a crutch for below-average statewide results.
Reporting that nearly all teachers are effective only has meaning if student performance proves they are also doing their jobs well. •