Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policy
The data and analysis on this page is from 2019. View and download the most recent policy data and analysis on Measures of Student Growth in Missouri from the State of the States 2022: Teacher and Principal Evaluation Policies report.
Impact of student growth: Missouri requires measures of student growth to be a "significant" contributing factor in a teacher's evaluation rating. Further requirements are left up to individual districts; however, the state recommends that districts include student learning objectives (SLOs).
Missouri does not require that teachers meet their student growth goals or be rated at least effective for the student growth portion of their evaluation to earn an overall rating of effective. Explanatory information on Missouri's website indicates that a teacher should not be able to earn a proficient or distinguished rating if student growth is low. This language indicates that this policy is suggested, rather than required. The state includes this policy in its model evaluation system, which is used by more than 40 percent of districts in the state.
State's role in evaluation system: Missouri's Essential Principles of Effective Evaluation provides the framework of Missouri's model Educator Evaluation System. Districts that choose not to adopt the state model must align their local process with these principles and submit the process for approval.
Require instructional effectiveness to be a determinative criterion of any teacher evaluation.
Although Missouri requires that objective evidence of student growth be included in a teacher's evaluation rating, it does not play a profound role in a teacher's overall evaluation rating. Missouri should ensure that a teacher is not able to earn an overall rating of effective if he or she is rated less-than-effective at increasing student growth.
Missouri was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.
7A: Measures of Student Growth
Many factors should be considered in formally evaluating a teacher; however, nothing is more important than effectiveness in the classroom. Value-added models are an important tool for measuring student achievement and school effectiveness.[1] These models have the ability to measure individual students' learning gains, controlling for students' previous knowledge and background characteristics. While some research suggests value-added models are subject to bias and statistical limitations,[2] rich data and strong controls can eliminate error and bias.[3] In the area of teacher quality, examining student growth offers a fairer and potentially more meaningful way to evaluate a teacher's effectiveness than other methods schools use.
Unfortunately, districts have used many evaluation instruments, including some mandated by states, which are structured so that teachers can earn a satisfactory rating without any evidence that they are sufficiently advancing student learning in the classroom.[4] Teacher evaluation instruments should include factors that combine both human judgment and objective measures of student learning.[5]