Identifying Effective Teachers Policy
Oregon does not connect tenure decisions to evidence of teacher effectiveness.
Teachers in Oregon are awarded tenure automatically after a three-year probationary period, absent an additional process that evaluates cumulative evidence of teacher effectiveness. Teachers must be regularly employed in a particular school district for the probationary period. However, the district board may provide for shorter probationary periods of not less than one year for teachers who satisfy the three-year probationary period in another Oregon school district.
End the automatic awarding of tenure.
The decision to grant tenure should be a deliberate one, based on consideration of a teacher's commitment and actual evidence of classroom effectiveness.
Ensure evidence of effectiveness is the preponderant criterion in tenure decisions.
Oregon should make evidence of effectiveness, rather than the number of years in the classroom, the most significant factor when determining this leap in professional standing.
Articulate a process that local districts must administer when deciding which teachers get tenure.
Oregon should require a clear process, such as a hearing, to ensure that the local district reviews a teacher's performance before making a determination regarding tenure.
Require a longer probationary period.
Oregon should extend its probationary period, ideally to five years. This would allow for an adequate collection of sufficient data that reflect teacher performance.
Oregon recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that recent passage of S.B. 290 provides a research-based foundation for performance evaluation that distinguishes levels of instructional proficiency. While the state does not currently address instructional proficiency directly in tenure decisions, implementation of the new system will provide the needed information to make informed decisions on tenure.