Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Georgia has a data system with the capacity to provide evidence of teacher effectiveness.
Georgia has all three necessary elements of a student- and teacher-level longitudinal data system. The state has assigned unique student identifiers that connect student data across key databases across years and has assigned unique teacher identifiers that enable it to match individual teacher records with individual student records. It also has the capacity to match student test records from year to year in order to measure student academic growth.
Develop a clear definition of "teacher of record."
Georgia has not yet established a definition of teacher of record, which is essential in order to use the student-data link for the purpose of providing value-added evidence of teacher effectiveness. To ensure that data provided through the state data system are actionable and reliable, Georgia should articulate a definition of teacher of record and require its consistent use throughout the state.
Georgia noted that it has the capacity to match students to teachers in all grades within a newly designed state longitudinal data system, which will comprehensively link districts' student information to the state databases. The state added that its data collection process specifies procedures and specifications for the selection of a teacher of record for a corresponding course, and the system will allow local districts to populate courses with multiple teachers in order to account for co-taught and cooperative classroom environments. The system will be used as part of the Teacher Effectiveness Measure currently being developed in Georgia.
The state also pointed out that it is developing a clear definition of teacher of record, as part of its work for Race to the Top.