The Indiana Dept. of Education released educator effectiveness data for the 2012-13 school year today. The release marks the first time this type of data has been gathered or released in Indiana history. The data show that more than 87 percent of public school educators (teachers and administrators combined) were rated as either effective or highly effective while only 3 percent were rated as either needs improvement or ineffective. The remaining 10 percent did not receive a final evaluation due to circumstances such as resignation, or retirement.
“I am encouraged by these numbers,” stated Glenda Ritz, superintendent of public instruction. “For the most part, they confirm what we already knew: that public schools throughout Indiana are filled with effective and highly effective teachers. Research shows that highly effective educators are exactly the type of leaders that can turn schools around and increase school performance.”
However, Ritz said the results also show where the state can improve.
“For example, when comparing the data by school performance grades A to F, there is an increase in the percentage of educators who fall within the improvement necessary and ineffective categories and the percentage that do not receive a final rating, indicating a retention concern in our lower performing schools,” she stated. “Finally, there is a marked decrease in the percentage of highly effective educators between schools that receive an A and those that receive an F. Thirty-two percent of teachers in A schools are rated as highly effective, in comparison to just 11 percent in schools that received an F. Highly effective educators are vital to school turnaround and my Department will be working to address this gap moving forward.”
At Noblesville Schools, 637 educators were reported and 220 were evaluated as highly effective and 399 were rated as effective. The district had eight teachers (including one from the central office) that were listed as improvement necessary and two teachers (Noblesville High School and West Middle School) were rated as ineffective. All schools received an A rating with the exception of North, Hazel Dell and White River elementary schools which received a B grading.
