1.This Act may be cited as the
Investing in New and Supportive
Pathways to Improve and Reward Educators in our Schools
Act
or the INSPIRES Act
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)Effective teachers
and principals are the backbone of our schools and the key to successful
students.
(2)Teachers and
principals deserve our full support as they take on one of the most important
and most challenging responsibilities—educating our children.
(3)High-quality
evaluations that provide meaningful feedback is a crucial element to giving
educators the support they need to be successful.
(4)Teachers and
principals also deserve access to professional development opportunities so
they can continue to learn and grow as educators.
(5)Research shows
that high-quality and effective teaching is the single most important
school-based factor impacting student learning. Effective teachers are also
crucial to turning around struggling schools.
(6)Although research
also suggests that quality teacher evaluations are an important tool in
improving teacher performance, for many teachers, the current evaluation
systems do not provide useful feedback that would help them improve and grow as
instructors.
(7)In formal studies,
including research highlighted in The Widget Effect
, nearly 75
percent of teachers reported that they have not received specific suggestions
on how to improve classroom practices in annual evaluations.
(8)Across all local
educational agencies, only 43 percent of teachers, including novice teachers
who may benefit the most from suggestions, report that current evaluations
systems help them.
(9)Research also
shows that school leadership quality is second only to teacher quality among
school-related factors that impact student learning.
(10)Strong school
leadership is a key determinant of whether schools can attract and retain
effective teachers.
(11)Principals set
the direction and the vision for a school, and through inspirational
leadership, can create a positive learning environment.
(12)Constructive
feedback specifying areas for improvement could be useful to both teachers and
principals who are dedicated to growing professionally.
(13)The most
effective way to turn around a struggling school is through talented teachers
and an inspirational principal.
(14)Effective
teachers and principals also deserve to be recognized for excellence and
receive commendations in areas of strong performance and improvement.
(15)Evaluations
should give teachers and principals the opportunity to foster mutually
beneficial professional relationships.
(16)Positive working
relationships between principals and teachers are an important element of an
effective school.
(17)Teachers and
principals should provide input and contribute directly to designing,
implementing, and improving evaluation systems in their school
districts.
(18)High-quality
teacher and principal evaluations have the potential to be a powerful tool and
should play a significant role in improving the public education system.
(19)Students and
parents deserve effective teachers and inspirational principals who are
performing to the best of their ability and who are constantly developing
professionally.
3.Robust teacher
and principal evaluationsSection 1111(b) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
(11)Robust teacher
and principal evaluations
(A)Each State plan shall carry out the following:
(i)Establish
definitions of teacher and principal effectiveness and performance
ratings.
(ii)Demonstrate that
the State has developed, in partnership and in collaboration with teachers and
principals, a model teacher and principal evaluation program under
which—
(I)individuals in
charge of administering teacher and principal evaluations within each local
educational agency in the State are provided rigorous training on how to
conduct the teacher and principal evaluations, including—
- (aa)how
to provide specific feedback about improving teaching and principal practice
based on evaluation results; and
- (bb)how
to evaluate teachers and principals using the performance categories
established under subparagraphs (B)(iv) and (C)(vii);
(II)a teacher or
principal who is evaluated is provided, based on the evaluation results,
professional development opportunities that meet the specific needs identified
for the teacher or principal;
(III)measures are
taken to ensure that the results of personally identifiable teacher and
principal evaluations are not publicly disclosed;
(IV)regular
monitoring and assessment of the quality, reliability, validity, fairness,
consistency, and objectivity of the evaluation program and the evaluators’
judgments takes place within and across local educational agencies in the
State;
(V)each teacher’s
performance is evaluated in accordance with subparagraph (B);
(VI)each principal’s
performance is evaluated in accordance with subparagraph (C);
(VII)on the basis of
the evaluation, each teacher or principal, receives—
- (aa)a
performance rating based on multiple measures;
- (bb)ongoing formative
feedback and specific recommendations on areas for professional improvement,
which includes an identification of areas in which the teacher or principal can
strengthen practices to improve student learning;
- (cc)commendations for
excellence in areas of strong performance and in areas of improvement;
and
- (dd)in
the case of a teacher or principal who is identified as being in one of the
lowest 2 performance categories established under subparagraph (B)(iv) or
(C)(vii), a comprehensive remediation plan within set time parameters;
(VIII)evaluation
results are used to inform all key personnel and staffing decisions;
(IX)any teacher or
principal who receives an unsatisfactory evaluation and does not successfully
improve his or her performance on an evaluation after completing the
comprehensive remediation plan as required under subclause (VII)(dd) is
prohibited from working in any elementary school or secondary school served
under this part; and
(X)a system is
implemented under which every teacher and principal is evaluated every year
beginning not later than 2 years after the effective date of this
paragraph.
(iii)Demonstrate that
each local educational agency in the State has adopted a local educational
agency-wide teacher and principal evaluation program that—
(I)was developed in
partnership and in collaboration with teachers and principals;
(II)meets the
standards for validity and reliability developed by the State; and
(III)meets the
minimum requirements set forth in paragraph (ii).
(iv)Demonstrate that
each local educational agency in the State is actively seeking input from and
collaborating with teachers and principals to make improvements to the
evaluation program on an annual basis.
(B)Requirements for
teacher evaluationsThe evaluation of a teacher’s performance
shall comply with the following minimum requirements:
(i)A predominant factor in the evaluation is
student academic growth with respect to the State’s academic standards, as
measured by—
(I)student learning
gains on the State’s academic assessments established under paragraph (3) or
another assessment of student academic achievement, as long as the assessment
is the same for all students in the local educational agency in which the
teacher is employed; and
(II)if available,
value-added measures that track individual student academic growth while under
the instruction of the teacher.
(ii)A
portion of the evaluation is based on observations of the teacher’s performance
in the classroom by more than 1 trained and objective observer—
(I)that take place on
several occasions during the school year the teacher is being evaluated;
and
(II)under
which—
- (aa)a
teacher is evaluated against a rigorous rubric that defines multiple
performance categories in alignment with the State’s professional standards for
teachers; and
- (bb)observation
ratings meaningfully differentiate among teachers’ performance and bear a
relationship to evidence of student academic growth with respect to the State’s
academic standards.
(iv)The evaluation
provides ratings that meaningfully differentiate among teacher performance
using at least 4 performance categories.
(v)The evaluation
provides results that are comparable across all teachers within the local
educational agency in which the teacher is employed.
(C)Requirements for
principal evaluationsThe evaluation of the performance of a
principal of a school shall comply with the following minimum
requirements:
(i)A
predominant factor in the evaluation is student academic growth with respect to
the State’s academic standards of the school’s students, including students in
each of the subgroups described in paragraph (2)(C)(v)(II).
(ii)For a principal
of a secondary school, a portion of the evaluation is based on the school’s
graduation rates.
(iii)A portion of the
evaluation is based on the recruitment, development, evaluation, and retention
of effective teachers.
(iv)A portion of the evaluation is based on the
leadership abilities of the principal, as measured by observations of the
principal and other relevant data evaluated against a rigorous rubric that
defines multiple performance categories in alignment with the State’s
professional standards for principals.
(v)The observations
described in clause (iv) provide observation ratings that—
(I)meaningfully
differentiate among principals’ performance; and
(II)bear a strong
relationship to evidence of student academic growth with respect to the State’s
academic standards.
(vi)The leadership
abilities referred to in clause (iv) include the ability of the principal
to—
(I)create a shared
and coherent schoolwide direction and policy for achieving high levels of
student academic growth;
(II)identify and
implement the activities and rigorous curriculum necessary for achieving such
levels of student academic growth;
(III)create
opportunities for the community and families of students to engage positively
with school administrators and staff;
(IV)support positive
learning environments for students;
(V)cultivate a
positive and collaborative work environment for school faculty and
staff;
(VI)collect, analyze, and utilize data and
other tangible evidence of student learning and evidence of classroom practice
to guide decisions and actions for continuous improvement and to ensure
performance accountability;
(VII)effectively
oversee and manage a teacher evaluation program that provides individualized
feedback; and
(VIII)have strong
organizational management of a school, including sound budget and personnel
practices.
(vii)The evaluation
provides ratings that meaningfully differentiate among principal performance
using at least 4 performance categories.
(viii)The evaluation
provides results that are comparable across all principals within the local
educational agency in which the principal is
employed.
.
4.Section 1111(h) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)) is
amended—
(1)in paragraph
(1)(C)—
(A)by striking
and
at the end of clause (vii);
(B)by striking the
period at the end of clause (viii) and inserting ; and
; and
(C)by adding at the
end the following:
(ix)the number and
percentage of teachers and principals in each performance category established
under subsection (b)(11)(B)(iv) or subsection (b)(11)(C)(vii), as applicable
for—
(I)the State
overall;
(II)the highest
poverty and lowest poverty local educational agencies; and
(III)the highest
minority and lowest minority local educational
agencies.
;
(2)in paragraph
(2)(B)(i)—
(A)by striking
and
at the end of subclause (I); and
(B)by adding at the
end the following:
(III)the number and percentage of teachers and
principals in each performance category established under subsection
(b)(11)(B)(iv) or subsection (b)(11)(C)(vii), as applicable for—
- (aa)the
local educational agency overall;
- (bb)the
highest poverty and lowest poverty schools; and
- (cc)the
highest minority and lowest minority schools;
and
;
(3)in paragraph
(4)—
(A)by striking
and
at the end of subparagraph (F);
(B)by striking the
period at the end of subparagraph (G) and inserting and
;
and
(C)by adding at the
end the following:
(H)the information
required to be reported under paragraphs (1)(C)(ix) and
(2)(B)(i)(III).
;
and
(4)by adding at the
end the following:
(7)For purposes of this subsection:
(A)The term highest minority when used in
relation to a school or local educational agency means a school or local
educational agency that is in the highest quartile of schools or local
educational agencies statewide in terms of the percentage of minority pupils
served.
(B)The term
highest poverty when used in relation to a school or local
educational agency means a school or local educational agency that is in the
highest quartile of schools or local educational agencies statewide in terms of
the percentage of pupils who are certified as eligible for free or reduced
price lunch under the school lunch program established under the Richard B.
Russell National School Lunch Act.
(C)The term
lowest minority when used in relation to a school or local
educational agency means a school or local educational agency that is in the
lowest quartile of schools or local educational agencies statewide in terms of
the percentage of minority pupils served.
(D)The term lowest
poverty when used in relation to a school or local educational agency
means a school or local educational agency that is in the lowest quartile of
schools or local educational agencies statewide in terms of the percentage of
pupils who are certified as eligible for free or reduced price lunch under the
school lunch program established under the Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch
Act.
.
5.Recognition of
local educational agenciesThe
Secretary of Education shall, based on the information received from each local
educational agency report card under section 1111(h)(2)(B)(i)(III)—
(1)recognize and
provide commendations to each local educational agency that implements or has
implemented innovative, high-quality, and effective teacher or principal
evaluation programs that lead to professional development and improved student
performance; and
(2)establish a
clearinghouse in the Department of Education to share the best practices of
such programs with educators.
6.Nothing in this
Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to alter or
otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded school or local
educational agency employees under Federal, State, or local laws (including
applicable regulations or court orders) or under the terms of collective
bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between
such employees and their employers existing as of the date of the enactment of
this Act.
7.This Act, and the
amendments made by this Act, shall take effect not later than 4 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act.