Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Providing comprehensive reporting may be the state's most important role for ensuring the equitable distribution of teachers among schools. Colorado reports little school-level data that can help support the equitable distribution of teacher talent among schools within districts.
Colorado does not collect and report on most of the data recommended by NCTQ. The state does not provide a school-level teacher quality index that demonstrates the academic backgrounds of a school's teachers as well as the ratio of new to veteran teacher. Colorado also does not report on teacher absenteeism or turnover rates.
Colorado does report on the percentage of highly qualified teachers and years of teacher experience—those with less than three years of teaching experience or those with three or more years of experience. Commendably, these data are reported for each school, rather than aggregated by district. Colorado also compares the percentage of highly qualified teachers at high- and low-poverty schools and by district. The state does a similar comparison across minority populations.
Use a teacher quality index to report publicly about each school.
A teacher quality index, such as the one
developed by the Illinois Education Research Council, with data
including teachers' average SAT or ACT scores, the percentage of
teachers failing basic skills licensure tests at least once, the
selectivity of teachers' undergraduate colleges and the percentage of
new teachers, can shine a light on how equitably teachers are
distributed both across and within districts. Colorado
should ensure that individual school report cards include such data
in a manner that translates these factors into something easily
understood by the public, such as a color-coded matrix indicating a school's high or low score.
Publish other data that facilitate comparisons across schools.
Colorado should
collect and report other school-level data that reflect the stability
of a school's faculty, including
the rates of teacher absenteeism and turnover.
Provide comparative data based on school demographics.
As Colorado does with highly qualified teachers, the state should provide comparative data for schools with similar poverty and
minority populations. This would yield a more comprehensive picture of gaps in the equitable distribution of teachers.
Colorado recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. Colorado also pointed out that the state is in the early stages of its educator effectiveness work.