A new teacher evaluation law in Indiana is causing concern among prospective and certified teachers. The new evaluation system includes measures of student performance that carry significant weight in the overall evaluation structure. Teachers who formerly welcomed student-teachers into their classrooms are now hesitant to do so. “They’re saying, ‘We’re not having a student teacher any more if everything is going to be tied to student test scores,’” says Steve Brace, Indiana State Teachers Association representative.
Giving up instructional time to a novice educator is viewed as a big risk by many classroom teachers, but they are not the only ones hesitating. School districts across the state are balking as well. In 2008 and 2009 school years, Fort Wayne Community Schools placed over 200 student teachers, but in 2010 only placed 114. This was because the district refused to allow student-teachers into the 11 LEAD schools targeted for improvement; in the current school year, the district plans to limit placements to 110.
A task force has been set up at the School of Education at Indiana University-Bloomington by Dean Gerardo Gonzalez to find a way to soothe educators’ concerns while still maintaining a critical piece of teacher training. Discussions of residency models are taking place, but this solution is still not ideal for many classroom teachers. In the end, they are the ones facing evaluation heavily based on student performance measures.
Another unintended consequence of the law is the notable reduction in the number of college students choosing teaching as a major. Last year, 1,017 college students said education was their intended major; this year, the number is down to 845. “I sometimes think opinion leaders who are disparaging teachers or being critical of schools of education don’t realize the damage they are doing or don’t care about dissuading students” from becoming teachers, Gonzalez said. “No matter what we do by way of reform, ultimately the result of our success depends on having highly capable, well-prepared teachers in the classroom.”
Core Education is pleased to assist teacher preparation programs with the development of co-teaching models that transform the placement of interns from a liability to an asset. For information on our services, see www.CoreEducationLLC.com/services.php
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