The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted this morning to adopt new regulations that will change the way teachers in our state are evaluated.  For the first time, student achievement will be a significant factor in measuring a teacher's effectiveness.  MBAE Board Chairman Henry Dinger testified in support of the regulations, saying that these are "a significant improvement over the existing system and a good starting point for development of a new system that will be a critical component of larger efforts to attract, develop and retain the effective educators we need." 

In prior statements, and as the business representative on the Task Force on the Evaluation of Teachers and Administrators, MBAE has consistently supported a focus on results that makes whether or not a student learns and progresses at grade level a central factor in the evaluation of that child's teacher.   

The challenge now is to develop multiple measures of student achievement and a model evaluation system that provides clear guidance on how to implement the regulations successfully in schools and districts.  MBAE is committed to working with the Department to make the changes we believe will be required in the future to fully achieve the potential and value of a strong performance evaluation system.  

See MBAE's Press Statement on the New Regulations 

Read our MassEd Forum Blog Posts on this topic