Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Providing comprehensive reporting may be the state's most important role for ensuring the equitable distribution of teachers among schools. North Dakota does not report school-level data that can help support the equitable distribution of teacher talent.
North Dakota does not collect or publicly report any 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 and the ratio of new to veteran teachers. North Dakota also does not report on teacher absenteeism or turnover rates.
North Dakota provides 2009-2010 data on the disparities between the percentage of highly qualified teachers, depending upon poverty levels and years of teacher experience. North Dakota's Equity Plan, published in 2006, reports on the percentage of highly qualified teacher at the school level. However, these data have not been updated.
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. North Dakota
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.
North Dakota
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.
Providing comparative data for schools with
similar poverty and minority populations would yield an even more
comprehensive picture of gaps in the equitable distribution of
teachers.
Report data at the school level.
North Dakota should ensure that it is reporting all currently collected data at the school-level, rather than aggregated by district.
Ensure that data are current.
It is important to keep data updated and current in order to provide the public with an accurate picture of teacher distribution across schools in districts. North Dakota should update the data it reports on the percentage of highly qualified teachers at the school level, as the state has not done so since 2006.
North Dakota recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.